Leicester, MA --- MIT took two games from host WPI in NEWMAC baseball action on Saturday in Rochdale Park in Leicester, with an 11-3 win in the first game followed by an 11-5 victory in the nightcap. The Engineers of MIT are now 14-3 with a 10-1 conference record while the Boynton Hillers of WPI fall to 9-18 and 4-10 against NEWMAC opponents.
MIT, ranked fourth in the latest New England Coaches poll, sweeps their season series with WPI, having won 11-7 at home on Friday.
In game two, MIT was down 5-3 going into the eighth inning before exploding for eight runs in the top of the eighth. Creed Mangrum (Sandy, UT) was the headliner for MIT, leading off the eighth inning with a single before coming around in the lineup and blasting a three-run home run. The outburst also featured RBI singles by Ricardo Perez (Vienna, VA) and Nate Rodman (Crovallis, OR) a bases loaded hit-by-pitch from Patrick Dayton (Archer City, TX) and a two-run single off the bat of James McKinney (Wakefield, MA).
WPI had taken a 5-3 advantage with a three-run uprising in the fifth highlighted by an Alex Venditti(Newton, MA) two-run single and a D.J. Ouellette (Watertown, CT) run-producing single.
McKinney went 2-for-5 with two RBI for MIT, while Rodman had three hits and three runs and Dayton drove in two runs. Senior pitcher Aric Dama (Winfield, IL) earned the win in relief, striking out five in two and one-third innings.
WPI saw Sean Kelly (Shrewsbury, MA) go 2-for-4 with two runs scored and Venditti post a 2-for-4 with two RBI. Sophomore pitcher Taylor Landry (Kennebunk, ME) took the loss, striking out four in seven and two-thirds innings.
In the first game, Mangrum went 3-for-3 with three RBI, while Rodman went 2-for-4, scoring three runs and driving in two more. Perez had two hits and scored two runs, while junior Jon Rea (Palo Alto, CA) added two RBI. Junior pitcher Kiel Jindra (Oceanside, CA) went five innings to pick up the win, striking out nine and allowing only one earned run.
WPI managed six hits and three runs, with one of those coming when freshman Anthony Capuano (Stoneham, MA) drew a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the fourth. Freshman pitcher Mark Bentson (Brewster, NY) had three strikeouts in four innings for the Crimson and Gray.
Up next for Worcester's Engineers, is a trip to Wheaton on Tuesday at 3:30pm for a matchup with the nationally-ranked Lyons. MIT hosts Babson at the same time on Tuesday afternoon.