Early Lead Aids MIT Past Springfield Baseball, 11-1

Cambridge, Mass. - Giving up 10 runs in the first three innings, the Springfield College baseball team fell to MIT, 11-1, on Tuesday afternoon at Briggs Field in Cambridge.

With the loss, Springfield falls to 6-7-1 overall and 0-3 in the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC), while the Engineers are now 4-7 on the year, and 2-1 in the league.

Sophomore Kyle Naples (Kensington, Conn.) got the nod for the Pride and pitched 2.0 innings, giving up just eight hits and striking out two, before freshman Brian Johnson (East Haddam, Conn.) came on to pitch 4.0 innings, giving up one hit to the 13 batters he faced. Classmate Jake Frenchman (Bellmore, N.Y.) hurled the final 2.0 frames, giving up three hits and one run.

JP Peters (Guilford, Conn.) had another solid performance at the dish, going 2-for-4 on the day, while senior Colin King (Berlin, Conn.) also picked up a pair of hits on the afternoon. Additionally, Corey Wilcox (Uncasville, Conn.) and Kyle Allen (Westerly, R.I.) each drew a pair of walks each, as Allen posted the Pride's only RBI of the afternoon.

For MIT, David Hesslink (San Diego, Calif.) got the start, pitching 7.0 innings, only allowing four hits and one run en route to his first win of the season. Eric Tu (San Ramon, Calif.) and Zach Michaud (Moorestown, N.J.) kept the Springfield bats quiet over the final two innings, sealing the win for the Engineers.

MIT got off to a hot start in the bottom of the first innings with a pair of runs, before extending its lead to eight following a six-run bottom of the second. Tacking on a pair more in the third, the Engineers quickly led 10-0 after three frames.

The Pride responded in the top of the fourth inning, when Peters led off with a double to left field, before Peter Marsicano (Allentown, N.J.) walked, and Brandon Drabinski (Lisbon, Conn.) grounded into a fielder's choice, advancing Peters to third with one out. Next up, Allen grounded into a fielder's choice, but Peters was able to cross the plate to cut Springfield's deficit to nine.

Johnson was able to keep MIT at bay through the final three innings of his outing, but the Engineers would tack on an additional run in the bottom of the eighth, icing the victory.

Next, Springfield will take on nationally-ranked Amherst on Wednesday, March 30 at 3:30 p.m.