KINGSTON, R.I. — The second-seeded Wheaton College (Mass.) baseball team fell short in its comeback bid of an 8-7 defeat to number four seed Massachusetts Institute of Technology, this morning in an elimination game in the New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference Championship Tournament at Bill Beck Field on the campus of University of Rhode Island in Kingston, R.I.
The Lyons' season concludes at 26-13., while the Engineers improve to 15-20 following the elimination contest. MIT will take on top-seeded Salve Regina University, a 7-5 loser to number three seed Babson College in the other morning match-up, in the tournament's next contest.
MIT scored in each of the first three innings and rapped out 14 hits, while Wheaton registered 12 base knocks.
The Lyons trailed for most of the day, before scoring twice to pull even in the bottom of the fifth at 5-5. The Engineers matched the pair of markers with two runs in the sixth and tacked on another run in the eighth to take an 8-5 margin. Wheaton made it a one-run affair with a pair of runs in the bottom of the frame, before MIT held on for the win.
Senior third baseman Ray Toth (Granby, Mass.) led the Lyons at the plate, going 3-4 with a pair of homers, a double and four RBI to go with three runs scored. Senior second baseman Marcus Rodrigues (Lincoln, R.I.) was 2-4 with two runs scored and junior center fielder Robbie Lamond (North Kingstown, R.I.) and first year shortstop Evan Jones (West Harford, Conn.) each had two hits in the game. Junior relief pitcher Braden Young (Foxborough, Mass.) was saddled with the loss to drop to 4-3 on the year after allowing two runs on four hits and a walk in an inning and two-thirds.
First year first baseman James Dempsey (Grand Rapids, Mich.) was 3-5 with three runs batted in, a triple and a stolen base to lead the Engineers, while sophomore center fielder John Spivey (Saint Louis, Mo.) was 2-5 with a home run, two RBI, two runs scored, a stolen base and a walk. Senior third baseman Owen Malone (Portsmouth, R.I.) contributed with a 2-4 effort to go with a run batted in, a walk and a run scored. Senior righty reliever Chase Rubin (Arlington, Va.) earned the victory to improve to 5-1 after giving up two runs on four hits in the final four and two-thirds innings of work, while striking out three and issuing a base on balls.
MIT snapped a 5-5 tie in the top of the sixth with a pair of hits to open the frame. Spivey opened the inning with a single to left, before first year shortstop Dalton Chi (Cerritos, Calif.) ripped a double down the right field line and into the corner to bring Spivey all around from first to score the Engineers' sixth run to give them the lead for good. Chi moved to third on a fly out to right, before scoring on a single to center off the bat of Dwyer to increase their advantage to 7-5.
MIT picked up a huge insurance run in the eighth to take an 8-5 lead. Designated hitter Zev Moore (Jerusalem, Israel) led off the inning with a single to center and stole second to move into scoring position. The theft proved to be a pivotal moment as Dempsey delivered an RBI single to left to give the Engineers a three-run lead.
Wheaton made it a one-run game with a pair of runs in the bottom of the inning. Rodrigues reached on an infield single to second, before Toth blasted his second long ball of the game to cut the deficit to 8-7 for the Lyons.
Wheaton threatened in the ninth to come away with its 13th come-from-behind victory and fifth walk-off win with runners on first and second with one out and the heart of its order at the plate, but a double play ended the opportunity and MIT came away with the win. First year left fielder Brayden Lewis (Hopedale, Mass.) worked a full-count walk and senior first baseman Collin Reilly (Marshfield, Mass.) was hit by a pitch to tie the school-record of 15 held by Jeff Lieneck (2008 & 2010), to put a pair of runners on base for sophomore designated hitter Logan Downey (Warwick, R.I.). Downey hit a slow grounder to second, but the timing didn't go the Lyons' way as junior second baseman Jack Finnegan (Essex, Conn.) tagged Reilly on his way to second, before completing the throw to first for the game-ending twin killing.
MIT wasted no time with a pair of two-out runs in the top of the first inning. Chi drew a walk and Moore singled to right, before both moved into scoring position on a ground out on a hit-and-run. Dempsey came through with a triple to center field to give the Engineers an early two-run lead.
MIT added two more runs in the second to take a 4-0 advantage. Malone singled and Spivey crushed a 1-1 pitch over everything to left field for his third round-tripper of the year.
Wheaton countered with a two-run shot of its own in the bottom of the frame to cut the difference in half at 4-2. Rodrigues singled up the middle and Toth connected for his first homer of the day and the season.
The Engineers' first two batters of the third were retired to open the frame, before sophomore left fielder Joey Severson (Western Springs, Ill.) was hit with a pitch on a full count to keep the inning alive. Junior right fielder Maximo Del Pino (New York, N.Y.) singled to put runners on the corners, before Malone served a single to center to plate MIT's fifth run of the day with two outs.
The Lyons chipped away with a run in the fourth and two more in the fifth to knot the game at 5-5. Toth hit a fly ball to the gap in right center field, but the center fielder and right fielder for the Engineers converged with neither able to make the grab for the out. Toth ended up on second with a double, before Bellan took advantage with a single to right center to drive in the run. Wheaton's top of the order was the catalyst for a two-run frame to pull the higher seed even in the fifth. First year right fielder
Derek Babineau Jr. (Scituate, Mass.) belted a pitch that went all the way to the fence in center field, while he raced around the bases for a stand-up triple to lead off the inning. Lewis drew a walk, before Reilly hit a sacrifice fly to right field to score Babineau Jr. Lewis gave the Lyons a chance to tie the game when he stole his league-leading 29th base of the season without being caught and also gave Wheaton 114 thefts for the season to establish a new program record. Downey came through with an RBI single to plate Lewis and knot the contest.
