CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – First year left fielder Shawn Cali (East Taunton, Mass.) smacked a pair of doubles and knocked in two runs to help the Wheaton College (Mass.) baseball team post an 8-3 victory to salvage a split with host Massachusetts Institute of Technology in a New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference doubleheader this afternoon at Fran O'Brien Field in Cambridge, Mass.

The Lyons improve to 16-11 overall and 10-5 in NEWMAC play, while the Engineers fall to 14-16 and 4-9.

Wheaton scored single runs in the second and fourth innings to take a 2-0 lead, before MIT knotted the score at 2-2 with a pair of runs in the bottom of the fourth. The Lyons reclaimed the lead with four runs in the fifth to take a 6-2 advantage, before the Engineers got a run back in the bottom of the frame. Wheaton tacked on single insurance runs in the seventh and eighth innings.

Cali was 2-4 on the day and scored a pair of runs for the Lyons, while junior first baseman Timmy Wagner (Hingham, Mass.) was 2-4 with a double and a run batted in. Senior right fielder Tommy Ambrosone (Hopkinton, Mass.) reached base four times with a single and three walks and scored two runs. First year starting southpaw Aidan Cardoza (Dartmouth, Mass.) earned the pitching win to improve to 3-3 after allowing three runs on six hits and two walks in addition to fanning three batters in six innings, while senior reliever Liam Goldthwaite (Braintree, Mass.) earned his fourth save of the year with three innings of one-hit relief, including a pair of strikeouts.

Sophomore third baseman Zev Moore (Jerusalem, Israel) led MIT at the plate, going 2-4 with two RBI, while graduate student second baseman Kyle Sonandres (Torrance, Calif.) was 2-3 with a run batted in and a run scored. First year righty reliever Tye Phoenix (Naples, Fla.) was saddled with the loss to fall to 0-1 after giving up three runs on two walks, while striking out a batter in an inning of work.

Wheaton got on the board in the second inning with the benefit of a throwing error, which was one of five miscues in the game committed by the home team. The Lyons added another run in the fourth without the benefit of a hit. Cali was hit by a pitch to open the frame, before Ambrosone drew a walk. Both runners moved into scoring position following a sacrifice bunt, before Cali scampered home on a sacrifice fly to right field off the bat of junior second baseman Tommy Beauregard (Salem, Mass.) to make it 2-0.

The Engineers scored twice in the bottom of the inning to pull even at 2-2. Sonandres served a single to center field and sophomore Eitan Moore (Jerusalem, Israel) belted a double to the left center gap to put both runners in scoring position with two outs. Zev Moore ripped a two-run single to left to tie the contest.

Wheaton took advantage of three walks, a hit batter and an error to score four times in the top of the fifth to take the lead for good at 6-2. First year third baseman Casey Wensley (Raynham, Mass.), drew a lead-off walk, senior shortstop Mike Maher (Jefferson, Mass.) was hit by a pitch and junior designated hitter Kevin Matos (Lawrence, Mass.) worked a walk to load the bases with one out. Cali came through with a two-run double to left field to break the tie and give the Lyons a two-run lead. Wheaton added two more runs in the inning on a fielder's choice, combined with an error.

MIT got a run back in the bottom of the frame to cut the deficit to 6-3. Graduate student Jake Sonandres (Torrance, Calif.) opened the inning with a single to left and senior center fielder Teddy Schoenfeld (Boulder, Colo.) was issued a base on balls. Kyle Sonandres delivered an RBI single to center to plate his brother with the third Engineer run.

Wheaton tacked on single runs in the seventh and eighth to effectively put the game out of reach. Ambrosone reached on a two-out bunt single, before first year catcher Tyler Bellan (Franklin, Mass.) delivered a double to left field to drive in the seventh run. The Lyons repeated the feat in the eighth when Wensley drew a walk and Wagner smacked a two-out double to right to plate Wensley with the final run of the game.

Wheaton returns to the diamond tomorrow when it hosts Roger Williams University at Sidell Stadium for a 1:00 p.m. first pitch, while MIT travels to Gorham, Maine to take on University of Southern Maine on the same day and time.