CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Senior Brian Rapanan (Gurnee, Ill.) pitched seven innings and totaled a career high ten strikeouts to lead the MIT baseball team to a 7-1 NEWMAC victory over Springfield College, and a sweep of the two-game season series with the Pride, on Tuesday afternoon at Fran O'Brien Field.

Rapanan surrendered just one run and three hits in relief of starter Matthew Spenner (Darien, Conn.). Spenner was flawless as the opener for the Engineers, pitching two innings without giving up a hit and striking out two.

THE BASICS:

• Scores: MIT 7, Springfield 1
• Records: MIT (11-12 Overall, 6-2 NEWMAC), Springfield (9-16 Overall, 3-5 NEWMAC)

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• MIT took advantage of a pair of Springfield errors to take a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. With two outs in the inning, CJ McCarthy (Pawling, N.Y.) walked before moving to second on an error that also allowed Zev Moore (Jerusalem, Israel) to reach base. Senior Reed Tubbs (Pflugerville, Texas) singled through the left side of the infield to score McCarthy as Moore moved to third. Moore came around to score when senior Malachi Soqui (Castaic, Calif.) reached on an error, giving the Engineers a 2-0 lead.
• Rapanan walked the lead off hitter before getting three straight outs in the top of the fourth inning. MIT added its third run in the bottom of the inning, moving ahead 3-0 when catcher John Dwyer (Northport, N.Y.) singled to score Soqui after the senior had opened the inning with a double to left center.
• Springfield got on the board in the top of the sixth, scoring when Nate Garafalo (Kinderhook, N.Y.) doubled to left with two outs to drive in Ryan Duffy (Stafford Springs, Conn.). Duffy opened the inning with a lead off single. The Pride only got one run as Rapanan struck out Adam Crocker (Windsor, Nova Scotia) to end the inning. 
• The Engineers added insurance in the seventh and eighth innings, scoring a pair of runs in each frame to pull ahead 7-1. Tubbs single to score McCarthy before Zev Moore (Jerusalem, Israel) stole home when an errant attempt to catch Tubbs stealing second got away to make the score 5-1 in the seventh.
• First year John Spivey (Saint Louis, Mo.) added an exclamation to the victory in the eighth, hitting his team-leading seventh home run of the season to make the score 6-1. Tubbs drove in the final run with a single to give MIT the 7-1 win.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• Tubbs finished the game 3-for-4 with three RBIs after going 2-for-4 with four RBIs in MIT's win over Springfield on Friday. MIT's senior shortstop is simply on fire at the plate over his last ten games, recording six multi-hit games and 20 of his 24 RBIs on the season.
• Spivey is now third in the NEWMAC in home runs during his rookie season. He is currently top five in the NEWMAC in HRs, RBIs, total bases, and slugging (.692). 
• Schoenfeld hit his team leading seventh double in the bottom of the second inning. 
• Rapanan improved to 2-1 with the win. Springfield starter Josh Mayo (Westfield, Mass.) gave up two runs in four innings in the loss (1-2). 

UP NEXT:

• MIT will host Suffolk in non-conference play on Thursday, April 17 at 3:30 PM.

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