Worcester, MA --- MIT scored eight runs over the final three
innings to help rally for an 11-9 victory over host WPI in the
nightcap of a NEWMAC doubleheader Saturday afternoon. In the
opener, Conor Fahey (Cumberland, RI) fanned a
career-best 12 batters in a 7-1 WPI win.
Fahey was dominant in game one, retiring the final 13 batters of
the contest. He allowed just three hits, all to consecutive
batters in the top of the third, and walked just two on the
day.
With the score tied at 1-1 in the bottom of the third, WPI used
RBI doubles from Ryan Rainone (Oakville, CT) and
Cody McGregor (Westfield, MA) to tally three
runs. WPI would tack on three more in the fourth keyed by a
RBI single by Ethan Brown (Lunenburg, MA).
Fahey improves to 3-2 on the season while MIT starter
Chris D'Annunzio (Scotch Plains, NJ) (1-3) was
saddled with the loss after allowing four runs in three innings of
work.
In the night cap, MIT rallied from 7-1 and 9-3 deficits with a
pair of runs in the seventh, five in the eighth and one in the
ninth, to earn the split. They pounded out 20 hits in contest
including three each from Steven Nunez (Tulare,
CA), Jason Witzberger (Wheeling, WV),
David Nole (Torrington, CT) and D'Annunzio.
In the eighth inning, Witzberger tied the game with a two-run
double off the top of the right field fence. MIT then scored
the winning run when Nole tapped an infield single to third.
Jay Turner (Holliston, MA) yielded just one earned
run over seven innings to improve to 4-0 on the season. Nunez
retired six of seven batters in the last two innings to pick up his
third save.
Thomas Whiting (Farmington Hill, MI) was
credited with the loss, and dropped to 1-1 on the season.
Brown totaled a pair of hits and three RBI in the nightcap for WPI
while Paul Galligan (Weymouth, MA) scored three
runs. Matt Fiore (Wakefield, MA) collected a
pair of hits in both contests.
With the split, WPI remains in second place in the NEWMAC with a
6-3 record and a 13-14 mark overall. MIT is now 8-8 on the
season and 4-4 in NEWMAC play.
WPI returns to action on Sunday with a home contest versus
Worcester State. The start time, originally scheduled for
noon, has been moved to 10am due to forecasted poor weather.
Both WPI and MIT have key conference matches on Tuesday. WPI
will host first-place Wheaton while MIT entertains Coast Guard in a
match of teams tied for third place.
