Myrtle Beach, SC --- The WPI baseball team scored six runs in the seventh inning and held off a late rally to defeat Hilbert, 8-6, on Thursday afternoon at Griffith Field as part of the Myrtle Beach Spring Break Tournament. The Engineers improve to 6-0 on the season, while the Hawks fall to 7-6.
 
Matt Shea (Salem, NH) led the WPI offense with three hits and an RBI, while Jacob Wiberg (Exeter, NH) added two hits, including a double, and drove in a run. Chuck Cappello (Southboro, MA) and Zachary Roethlein (Pomfret Center, CT) each recorded two hits and an RBI, while Camden Willems (The Woodlands, TX), Jack Zawacki (Pittsford, NY), and Joe DiMichele (East Longmeadow, MA) also drove in runs for the Engineers.
 
Luke Blandino (Eden, NY) started on the mound for WPI and tossed four scoreless innings, allowing three hits while striking out five. Alex Hee (Walpole, MA) earned the win in relief to improve to 2-0 after giving up one run over three innings with three strikeouts. Mason Walls (Pearland, TX) closed the game to secure his third save of the season.
 
Hilbert was led by Reed Lesmeister (Buffalo, NY), who went 2-for-3 with a double, a three-run home run, and four RBI. Patrick Evans (Orchard Park, NY) added two hits and scored three runs, while Shane Pray (Churchville, NY) collected two hits and drove in a run. Gregory Lowry (Niagara Falls, NY) suffered the loss after allowing five runs (four earned) on eight hits over 6.2 innings with six strikeouts.
 
WPI broke a scoreless tie in the fourth inning when Cappello reached on a fielder's choice that allowed Wiberg to score after a throwing error by the Hilbert shortstop. DiMichele followed with an RBI single up the middle to give the Engineers a 2-0 lead.
 
Hilbert cut the deficit in half in the sixth when Lesmeister doubled to right-center to score Evans.
 
The Engineers erupted for six runs in the seventh to take control. Roethlein drove in Trice Cote (Milford, NH) with a single, Willems followed with an RBI single to center, and Wiberg delivered an RBI double down the left-field line. Shea added an RBI single, Zawacki doubled home a run, and Cappello capped the rally with an RBI single to make it 8-1.
 
Hilbert rallied in the eighth with a three-run homer by Lesmeister and later added another run on a throwing error to cut the lead to 8-5. The Hawks loaded the bases with two outs, but Cote, who was making his debut start, made a diving catch near the right-field line to end the inning and stop the rally.
 
Hilbert added one more run in the ninth on an RBI double from Pray, but Walls retired the final hitters to secure the victory for WPI.
 
WPI will close play at the Myrtle Beach Spring Break Tournament on Friday with a doubleheader against Otterbein beginning at 3:30 pm. Hilbert returns to action Friday morning at 10 am against Regent University in Virginia Beach.