Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 THE BASICS
Game One Score: MIT 21, Emerson 1
Game Two Score: MIT 6, Emerson 4
Game One Pitching Decision: W - Patrick Callahan (3-0) ; L - Anthony Pugliese (0-3)
Game Two Pitching Decision: W - David Hesslink (4-1) ; L - Jack Fox (2-2)
Records: Emerson Lions (8-8, 1-4 NEWMAC); MIT Engineers (10-5, 5-2 NEWMAC)
Location: Brockton, Mass. (Campanelli Stadium)
Date: April 8, 2017
The Lead: In its first home twin bill of the season, the Emerson baseball team suffered a pair of losses against NEWMAC foe, MIT, on Saturday afternoon. Emerson had their bats silenced in a 21-1 setback to start off the day. In the second game, the Lions rallied together a four-run seventh to come within one, but fell 6-4 to the Engineers.
Game One: MIT 21, Emerson 1
HOW IT HAPPENED
- MIT's bats got going early and crossed home 13 runs through the second and fourth innings that included an eight-run fourth.
- Kyler Kocher plated the first MIT run on Matt Johnson's RBI double before Matt Lancaster singled in and scored the next two runs that put the Engineers on top, 3-0.
- The Engineers tagged senior starter Cal Laird (Willowbrook, Ill.) with two more runs in the third on a two-RBI single by Kocher to extend their lead to 5-0.
- Senior Mitch Moormann (Hollywood, Fl.) scratched Emerson's first run across and put the Lions within four at 5-1 in the bottom of the third.
- After MIT welcomed Pugliese to the game with an RBI double from Alec Kushner and David Heller's RBI single, Emerson recorded two consecutive outs on a pair of fly balls.
- Pugliese ran into more trouble and surrendered a pair of two-out RBI singles and doubles to put Emerson in a 13-1 hole after four.
- Two scoreless innings passed before MIT tacked on another eight runs within the seventh and eighth frames.
- Kosher batted a two-RBI single to kick off MIT's half of the seventh before a series of wild pitches allowed a trio of Engineers runs to cross and push Emerson back, 18-1.
- Emerson put runners on first and second within the home half of the seventh on singles by freshman Joe Cuccio (Jefferson, N.J.) and senior Clint Fontanella (Pelham, N.H.), but reliever Zach Michaud got the Lions to ground into a fielder's choice to conclude the inning.
- John Drago got whacked with a pitch that setup MIT's 19th run before Johnston sent an RBI sacrifice fly into center and Lancaster hammered in the 21st run on an RBI single within the eighth frame.
- The Lions held the Engineers scoreless within the ninth, but could not scrape a run across within their half of the inning as Michaud retired the side on a fly ball, grounder and a strikeout.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
- Fontanella, sophomore Ethan Young (Amherst, Mass.), and Cuccio each recorded a hit for Emerson.
- Laird earned the no decision and surrendered five runs (four earned) on six hits while he struck out a pair through three innings.
- Pugliese was tagged with the loss where he gave up eight earned runs on eight hits with three walks and a strikeout through three frames.
- SophomoreTim Mainella (Dover, N.H.), Jake Mitchell (Monroe, Ohio) and Noah Zimmerman (Queens, N.Y.) combined for three relief innings and allowed eight runs to cross on six hits while they walked four and fanned one batter.
- Kocher went 4-for-5 at the plate for MIT with three singles, double, three runs scored and four RBIs.
- Garret Greenwood and Lancaster each plated four runs each and Johnston also batted four RBIs.
- Callahan was credited with the win in his six-inning outing where he no-hit Emerson and allowed a single run on four walks and six strikeouts.
- Michaud pitched the final three innings where gave up three hits and walked one and struck out three batters.
Game Two: MIT 6, Emerson 4
HOW IT HAPPENED
- A costly error the first inning allowed MIT register its first run on a misplayed ball in right before Heller's grounder to second based crossed the Engineers second run.
- Hesslink kept the Lions off the bags and allowed them to just a pair of hits through four innings, which allowed MIT to tack three more runs on within the fourth and fifth frames.
- After Lancaster's RBI single made its way into center for the third MIT run, a double from the bat of Greenwood and Kocher's sacrifice fly to center lifted the Engineers in front, 5-0.
- Down by five runs in the bottom of the seventh, Emerson capitalized on a pair of MIT errors and rallied together four runs to bring themselves within one at 5-4.
- With the bases loaded full of Lions and one out, Moormann walked in the first run before junior Neil Perry (Middleboro, Mass.) grounded into a fielder's choice to bring in the second run.
- As runners stood on the corners with two outs, junior Pablo Feldman (Mill Valley, Calif.) knocked Hesslink out of the game after his RBI single to center brought the Lions to within a pair at 5-3.
- An error by the shortstop allowed Perry to plate the fourth Emerson run and setup the Lions with runners on second and third, but reliever Jack Murphy halted the Lions rally and fanned the final batter of the inning.
- Lancaster slipped another RBI single into left to score Kocher for an insurance run to pull MIT up by two at 6-4 in the top of the eighth.
- The Lions had a chance to close within one in the eighth with Fontanella on third, but a foul ball made its way to first and concluded the inning.
- Fox gave Emerson yet another chance to complete a rally and held MIT scoreless despite a pair of hits, but Murphy retired the side to wrap up the ninth.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
- Six Lions registered one hit for Emerson while four drove in one RBI apiece.
- Fox was tagged with the loss in his nine-inning effort where he surrendered six runs on 12 hits and walked a pair and fanned one batter.
- Jared Schwait and Lancaster each registered three hits for MIT as Schwait finished 3-for-5 at the plate with a double and one run scored and Lancaster went 3-for-4 with a run scored and two RBIs.
- Kocher also batted two RBIs and was 1-for-4 with a run scored.
- Starting on the mound for MIT was Hesslink, who allowed four runs (two earned) to cross on five hits to match a trio of walks and five punchouts through 6.2 innings.
- Murphy tossed 2.1 relief innings to secure the win for MIT and allowed a single hit with a pair of strikeouts.
UP NEXT
- Emerson welcomes Coast Guard for a pair of afternoon NEWMAC games tomorrow, Sunday, April 9 with the first pitch slated for 12:00 p.m.
- MIT returns home on Monday, April 10 to entertain Springfield in a single game at 3:30 p.m.
STAY LIVE WITH THE LIONS
