CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Senior Michael Gajda (New Britain, Conn) finished 5-for-5 and hit an eighth inning grand slam to lift visiting Mitchell College to a 16-8 non-conference victory over the MIT baseball team on Thursday afternoon at Fran O'Brien Field. 

THE BASICS:

• Score: Mitchell College 16, MIT 8
• Records: Mitchell College (9-12 Overall), MIT (5-10 overall)

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• MIT jumped out a 5-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. Senior Reed Tubbs (Pflugerville, Texas) and sophomore Louis Hernandez (Glastonbury, Conn.) each delivered RBI doubles in the inning, as the Engineers also took advantage of two Mitchell errors. 
• Mitchell made it 5-4 in the top of the third inning, loading the bases with no outs before scoring four runs, including a two-RBI single to left center off the bat of Braiden Alaimo (Enfield, Conn.). MIT looked destined to escape the jam but a 2-2 pitch from reliever Ajinkya Gundaria (Alpharetta, Ga.) that would have ended the inning was just inside to Nicholas Bracle (East Haven, Conn.). Bracle took advantage on the next pitch, hitting a single to left center to score two runs. 
• Zev Moore (Jerusalem, Israel) adventured around the bases in the bottom half of the inning to increase MIT's lead to 6-4. Moore singled to open the inning. He then stole second before advancing to third on a throwing error by the pitcher and scoring on a sacrifice fly from Hernandez. 
• The Mariners pulled ahead in the top of the fifth inning, loading the bases with three singles before Chas Terni Jr. (Montville, Conn.) lifted a sacrifice fly to right to score a run. Chase Donahue (Shirley, Mass.) then capped the inning with a two-RBI double to left center to make the score 7-6. 
• Mitchell extended its advantage in the top of the seventh, Gajda singled, setting the stage for Alaimo to hit a two-run shot over the right field wall. 
• The Engineers got both runs back in the home half of the inning, stringing together three consecutive doubles from grad student CJ McCarthy (Pawling, N.Y.), Zev Moore, and Tubbs, with the last from Tubbs driving home both McCarthy and Moore to make the score 9-8. 
• MIT would get no closer than the one-run deficit for the remainder of the contest. Mitchell scored five runs in the eighth, highlighted by Gajda's grand slam, before adding two more in the ninth on a home run by Ficocelli.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• Mitchell also defeated MIT earlier this, 5-3 in a game at Mitchell's Alumni Field.
• Mitchell hit three home runs in the contest. Gajda is now tied for the team lead with four this season. 
• Each team used six pitchers in the contest. Mitchell's Ethan Chavez (New London, Conn.) picked up the win with one inning of work. Jonathan Freedman (San Diego, Calif.) took the loss for MIT, giving up five hits and three earned over 2.1 innings. 
• McCarthy, Zeb Moore, Tubbs, and John Spivey (Saint Louis, Mo.) each recorded a pair of hits for the Engineers, with Moore also scoring three runs. McCarthy recorded a double and a triple in the contest. 

UP NEXT:

• MIT will host No. 7 Salve Regina in a NEWMAC doubleheader tomorrow at Fran O'Brien Field. Game one will begin at 12:00 PM, with game two to follow.
• The games were moved from Saturday to Friday due to the forecast for rain on Saturday afternoon. 

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