MIT 7, WPI 4

Box Score

Cambridge, MA --- WPI Baseball dropped its second straight game on Thursday, falling on the road to MIT 7-4. MIT plated five runs in the bottom of the second inning to key the victory. WPI fell to 14-8 on the season and 3-3 in the NEWMAC, while MIT improved to 10-6 in picking up its first NEWMAC win of the year (1-2).

After Scott McNee (Falmouth, MA) was hit by a pitch in the top of the second, Mitch McClune (Pembroke, MA), the only player for either team with multiple hits on the day, produced a double to get WPI's first rally started, moving McNee to third. McNee later scored on a Cody McGregor (Westfield, MA) RBI groundout to take a 1-0 lead.

MIT answered back in its half of the inning though, racing out to a 5-1 advantage that would hold up for the rest of the afternoon. WPI committed three errors and a wild pitch in the inning, allowing MIT to take the lead. Brian Doyle (Hopkinton, MA) and Stewart Park (Brooklyn, NY) each had RBI infield singles in the inning, with the other three runs scoring as a result of miscues.

The Cambridge Engineers tacked on a sixth run in the bottom of the fourth inning without the benefit of a hit. A walk, fielder's choice, wild pitch and a Brian Macomber (Los Altos, CA) RBI groundout produced the run that gave MIT a 6-1 lead.

The Crimson and Gray came back in the top of the seventh, with McNee once again getting things started. The senior outfielder singled to lead off the inning before McClune powered a 1-0 pitch over the right field fence for his first home run of the season, pulling WPI to within 6-3. Two outs later, Jameson Kokolis (Manchester, NH) launched a solo home run to opposite field in left, cutting the deficit to 6-4.

Thomas Phillips (Durham, NC) led off the bottom of the eighth for MIT with a solo shot of his own, pushing the lead back to three at 7-4. Ryne Barry (Phoenix, AZ) sent down the Worcester Engineers in the ninth however, picking up his second save of the season in the process. Barry pitched 2 1/3 innings of scoreless ball to squash WPI's comeback bid.

Chris Hendrix (Richardson, TX) pitched the first 6 2/3 innings for MIT en route to his first win of the season (1-0). Nolan Murphy (Shrewsbury, MA) threw 6 1/3 innings for WPI, allowing only one earned run but suffering his first lost of the year to drop to 3-1. Murphy is currently sporting a 2.42 ERA.

WPI returns home for a NEWMAC doubleheader on Saturday, taking on Springfield at 1pm. MIT heads to Needham to face conference foe Babson, with game one getting underway at noon.

Story by Ray Cotrufo '98 - WPI Sports Information