The MIT Engineers paced themselves with an 18-hit offensive attack for an 8-5 victory over Suffolk University on Monday evening in non-conference baseball action.
Senior Creed Mangrum (Sandy, Utah) and sophomore Nate Rodman (Corvallis, Ore.) had three hits each to lead MIT to their 24th victory of the season.
Each team traded three runs in the second inning. MIT started first as junior Hayden Cornwell (Newport Beach, Calif.) led the inning off with a single. Junior K.J. Parent (Knoxville, Tenn.) would follow him with a base hit before a wild pitch moved both runners up into scoring position. Junior Parker Tew (Chapel Hill, N.C.) plated the game's first run with a sacrifice fly to right before Rodman delivered a single to bring home the second run of the inning. Senior Jon Rea (Palo Alto, Calif.) would cap off the scoring with the Engineers' third hit of the inning to bring home an additional run as they built the 3-0 edge.
Suffolk would answer with three of their own in the home half of the second. Senior Mike Muse (Milton, Mass.) delivered the third straight hit of the inning for Suffolk to bring home junior JC Collette (Amesbury, Mass.) for the Rams' first run of the game. With two outs in the inning senior Mac Jacobson (Norfolk, Mass.) would hit a squibber up the third base line with the bases loaded and two out. Jacobson would beat the throw for the infield single, but a collision at first base would jar the ball loose bringing home sophomore Rob Marks (Revere, Mass.) to even the game.
The Rams would jump out to a brief 4-3 lead in the fourth as Marks led the inning off with a single before coming around to score on a two out double to the right center gap off the bat of Jacobson.
MIT would answer in the sixth as Tew led the inning off with his first home run of the season, a line drive down the left field line on the first pitch he saw to start the frame.
Tew would drive in the go ahead run in the seventh, his third RBI of the day and second sacrifice fly to put MIT up 5-4. The Engineers would tack on two more in the seventh as Rodman and senior Sean Karson (Orlando, Fla.) recorded consecutive RBI base hits.
Parent would earn the win on the mound for MIT as he threw five innings of relief to move to a 3-3 record. Parent entered the game in the fourth inning and retired nine Suffolk hitters in a row to end that inning heading into the seventh. Senior Tim Wilson (Nacogdoches, Tx.) earned his first save of the season as he entered the game in the ninth with the tying run in the on deck circle. Wilson recorded the final out of the game on a strikeout.
Both Jacobson and Marks collected three hits each on the evening as Suffolk put out 10 total in the game. Muse collected a pair of RBI as well in the contest, while sophomore Jon Lapolla (Providence, R.I.) was 2-for-4 with a pair of runs scored.
The setback drops Suffolk to a 21-14-1 overall record on the year.
Both teams will be back in action on Tuesday afternoon.
MIT will host Endicott College at 4:00pm before both teams head to the NCAA Regional Tournament beginning on May 14 as winners of their respective conferences.
Suffolk will host Bates College in a non-conference double header at Adams Field beginning at 2:00pm. Suffolk will then advance to the ECAC Division-III New England Championship Tournament beginning on Wednesday as they take on GNAC foe Lasell College.