THE BASICS 

Game One Score: MIT 9, Emerson 8

Game Two Score: Emerson 8, MIT 6

Game One Pitching Record: WP - Jimmy Moore (1-1)  ; LP - Joshua Caltabiano (0-1) ; S - Ethan Siegel (4)

Game Two Pitching Record: WP -  Jake Hatch (1-0)  ; LP - Matthew Nay (0-1) ; S - Quinton Copeland (3)

Records: Emerson Lions (16-21, 4-12 NEWMAC) ; MIT Engineers (14-17, 9-7 NEWMAC)

Location: Danvers, Mass. (St. John's Prep)

Date: April 29, 2023

The Lead: Seniors Jake Hatch and Matt Nachamie and graduate Quinton Copeland went yard a combined six times for the Emerson baseball team as the Lions came away with the split in their regular season finale against MIT on Saturday afternoon. Emerson fell just short of MIT in the opening game 9-8, before Nachamie's two home runs help lift the Lions to the 8-6 comeback win in game two. 

GAME ONE: MIT 9, Emerson 8

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

EMERSON

Jake Hatch: 3-4, three runs scored, two home runs, three RBIs

Chris Ferara: 2-5, two RBIs

Quinton Copeland: 1-3, one run scored, three-run homer, three RBIs, two stolen bases 

Thai Morgan: 1-3, two runs scored

PITCHING

Benny Guevara (ND): 5.0 IP, four hits, five runs, three walks, eight strikeouts

Ty Bourne: 1.0 IP, three hits, two runs, one walk, two strikeouts

Jake Smith: 1.0 IP

Joshua Caltabiano (L, 0-1): 2.0 IP, three hits, one run, two walks, three strikeouts

MIT

Tyler Godfrey: 2-5, one run scored, RBI

Graham Cartwright: two RBIs

Reed Tubbs: 3-5, two runs scored, RBI

Owen Malone: 2-5, two runs scored

Teddy Schoenfeld: 1-5, one run scored, RBI

Jake Sonandres: 2-3, triple, one run scored 

PITCHING 

Ben Burke (ND): 5.2 IP, eight hits, six runs, one walk, five strikeouts

Saketh Gabbita: .1 IP, one hit, two runs, three walks

Jimmy Moore (W, 1-1): 2.0 IP, four strikeouts

Ethan Siegel (S, 4): 1.0 IP, one hit, three strikeouts

HOW IT HAPPENED 

• With two outs in the home half of the first, Hatch took Burke yard as he smashed a solo homer over the fence in left center to give Emerson the 1-0 lead. 
• Sonandres began MIT's second with a triple into right and plated the 1-1 equalizer on a wild pitch. 
• Emerson jammed up the bases with no outs after sophomore Loveland reached on an infield bunt. Hatch followed up with an RBI single that he poked through the left side to drive in Morgan for the go-ahead run. 
• The Lions threatened for more with still no outs in the inning, but a fielder's choice and double play wrapped the inning with the hosts in front, 2-1, after three. 
• MIT answered in the fourth when Kyle Sonandres plated the game-tying on another wild pitch with the score now at 2-2. 
• Through the fourth through sixth frames, MIT brought in six runs home on four RBI singles, two wild pitches and sacrifice fly to put Emerson in an 8-3 hole. 
• Emerson began to chip away at MIT's five-run lead, starting in fifth when Hatch sent the first pitch he saw over the center field fence, his second homer of the day, to inch the Lions within two at 5-3. 
• Then in the home half of the sixth, Emerson's bats went to work to erase the five-run deficit and turn it into an 8-8 ballgame. 
• A infield single from sophomore Jordi Arboleda and a hit batter put two runners on for Emerson with two outs. Copeland up to bat, he demolished 2-0 pitch to left and drove in three runs to bring the Lions within two at 8-6. 
• The Lions filled the bases up once again with three consecutive two-out walks, which proved costly for MIT when Ferara laced a two-RBI single into left to level the game at 8-all. 
• Cartwrights's sacrifice fly to center brought in the go-ahead 9-8 run for MIT in the top half of the eighth. Caltabiano escaped further damage in the inning when he got the final two outs on a strikeout and grounder. 
• Emerson had a chance to even the score in their portion of the eighth, but left Copeland stranded at third  after a fly ball wrapped the inning. 
• After MIT was unable to bring home any more runs in the ninth, Emerson threatened once again. With one out in their half of the frame, Ferara singled and sophomore Robby Posio was hit by a pitch. The Lions, however, were retired on strikes as the hosts were edged, 9-8. 

GAME TWO: Emerson 8, MIT 6

INSIDE THE NUMBERS 

EMERSON

Nachamie: 4-4, two runs scored, two home runs, five RBIs, stolen base

Hatch: 2-3, three runs scored, home run, two RBIs

Posio: 1-3

Copeland: 1-4, one run scored, double

PITCHING

AJ Ortega (4-2): .2 IP, six hits, four runs, one strikeout

Owen Anton: .1 IP, one hit, one run

Sam Gutkin: .2 IP, two hits, one run, one walk

Joshua Caltabiano: .1, one walk

Jake Smith: 5.0 IP, three hits, four strikeouts 

Jake Hatch (W, 1-0): 1.0 IP, two walks, two strikeouts 

Quinton Copeland (S, 3): 1.0 IP, three strikeouts 

MIT

Reed Tubbs: 3-5, two runs scored, double, two stolen bases 

Graham Cartwright: 3-5, one run scored, double, two RBIs

Kyle Sonandres: 2-5, two runs scored, RBI

Phillip Hood: 2-5, RBI, two stolen bases 

PITCHING 

Kent Goodman: 6.0 IP, six hits, four runs, one run,

Matthew Nay: 1.0 IP, three hits, four runs, two walks

Cole Foster: 1.0 IP, two strikeouts

HOW IT HAPPENED 

• Six hits turned into four runs for MIT to start off the first with Emerson down in a 4-0 hole.
• Emerson answered in the bottom of the frame with Hatch's third home run of the day, this time a two-run bomb to left center, and cut MIT's lead in half at 4-2. 
• Sonandres' triple and a grounder to second plated to more runs for the Engineers to up their lead back to four at 6-2 after two. 
• Smith was dealing in relief and kept MIT off the board, which allowed Emerson to claw their way back into the game in the bottom of the sixth. 
• After Hatch singled to center, Nachamie brought him home when he launched a two-run homer far over the left field wall to close the gap to two, 6-4. 
• Emerson narrowed the gap even more when Bourne made his way home on a wild pitch to push the Lions within one at 6-5. 
• The bats continued to surge in the bottom of the eighth when both Morgan and Hatch reached based on a double and walk. 
• With both runners on and no outs, Nachamie's three-run homer, his second home run of the game, just made it over the wall in left center to lift Emerson to their first lead at 8-6. 
• Emerson looked to Copeland to preserve their two-run lead in the top of the ninth and he did just so. He fanned all three batters that he faced on strikes and sealed the Lions' 8-6 victory.