ORANGE, Calif. — Senior Thomas Golbranson's (Newport Beach, Calif.) RBI single to the left side of the infield broke a 3-3 tie in the eighth inning to send host Chapman University to a 4-3 victory over the MIT baseball team on Friday afternoon at W.O. Hart Park. 

THE BASICS:

• Score: Chapman 4, MIT 3
• Records: Chapman (2-8 Overall), MIT (0-3 Overall)

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Playing the first of four games in three days in California, the Engineers took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning when grad student CJ McCarthy (Pawling, N.Y.) singled through the right side to score classmate Teddy Schoenfeld (Boulder, Colo.) from second base. Schoenfeld worked a lead off walk and stole second to move into scoring position. 
• Chapman limited the damage to just one run, as McCarthy was picked off first before junior Zev Moore (Jerusalem, Israel) struck out to end the inning. The Panthers then tied the game, 1-1, in the home half of the inning when senior Josh Phillips (San Clemente, Calif.) scored on a passed ball after reaching base with a one-out double and stealing third.
• The hosts took the lead for the first time in the bottom of the second, tacking on one run despite not managing a hit in the inning. Senior Nick Naccarato (Carlsbad, Calif. ) and sophomore Matt Campopiano (Walnut Creek, Calif.) worked back-to-back walks to open the inning before both runners advanced on a wild pitch. MIT starter Mason Estrada (Covington, La.) struck out the next two batters but a second wild pitch in the inning allowed Naccarato to sprint home from third to make the score 2-1. 
• Following a scoreless third inning, MIT tied the game 2-2 with back-to-back hits to lead off the top of the fourth inning. Zev Moore singled to right before scoring on an RBI double to right center by senior Malachi Soqui (Castaic, Calif.).
• The game moved to the top of the seventh inning tied 2-2 before MIT took back the lead for the first time since the first inning. First year John Spivey (Saint Louis, Mo.) singled with one out and moved to second on an error. Junior Owen Malone (Portsmouth, R.I.) struck out for the second out of the inning before Schoenfeld was issued an intentional walk. With runners on first and second, a failed pick-off attempt from Chapman starter Henry Chabot (Paradise Valley, Ariz.) allowed Schoenfeld to score and moved Spivey to third. With MIT leading, 3-2, Chabot was able to get Tyler Godfrey (Rowley, Mass.) to ground out to end the threat.
• MIT carried the lead into the bottom of the eighth inning before Chapman found two runs that would ultimately give the Panthers the victory. 
• Following a 1-2-3 top of the eighth, rookie Joey Capobianco (Laguna Beach, Calif.) singled to center to open the bottom half of the inning. A walk to senior Brad Lang (Englewood, Colo.) set-up a sacrifice from Naccarato that put both runners in scoring position. A sacrifice fly off the bat of Campopiano tied the game before Golbranson's RBI single put the Panthers ahead, 4-3. 
• First year Hanvin Lee (Porter Ranch, Calif. ) opened the bottom of the ninth with a single to right but was stranded on second to end the game, as Spivey lined out to left before first year Brock Billingsley (Springdale, Ark.) grounded back to first year Jack Fields (Alamo, Calif.) to end the game.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• Fields earned the win for Chapman, pitching two innings of scoreless relief while striking out two. Chabot went seven innings and struck out 12 in his fourth start for Chapman, giving ups six hits and three runs, two earned, while walking four.
• Hood pitched two innings and struck out two but took the loss in relief for MIT. Senior Brian Rapanan (Gurnee, Ill.) pitched four shutout innings as the bridge from Estrada to Hood, scattering three hits and striking out a pair.
• MIT has taken the lead first in each of its three games to start the 2025 season.
• Schoenfeld has recorded a double in two of the first three games of the season, he finished Friday 1-for-2 with a doubles run scored and two walks out of the lead off spot.
• Zev Moore collected two more hits for MIT, he leads the team with six hits in his first 11 at-bats to start the season.
• Lee has recorded a hit in each of his two at-bats this season for MIT.

UP NEXT:

• The Engineers will play a doubleheader with Pomona-Pitzer on Saturday beginning at 11:00 AM local time/2:00 PM ET. Chapman will welcome Wisconsin-La Crosse for a Saturday doubleheader at 11:00 AM.

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