Northboro, MA --- Reigning NEWMAC Player of the Week sophomore Austin Filiere (Chandler, AZ) batted 4-for-5 with a double, a home run, six RBI and two runs scored to lead MIT to a 15-5 victory over host WPI in a NEWMAC baseball divisional crossover game Wednesday afternoon at the New England Baseball Complex.
The visiting Engineers improve to 10-8 overall and 8-1 in the league while the Crimson and Gray slip to 18-8 and 6-3.
Filiere made his presence known early as he connected on a 3-run blast to right center three batters into the game. Later in the frame, sophomore David Heller (Fair Lawn, NJ) added a two-out RBI double to right center. WPI answered with two in the bottom of the inning as senior Alex Venditti (Newton, MA) launched a two-run homer. MIT pushed one more across in the second behind a two-out run-producing single through the left side by Filiere.
The Boynton Hillers had a chance to get two in the bottom of the third with a pair of outs as senior John Mulready (Rockland, MA) doubled in a run before the Cardinal and Gray gunned down a runner trying to score from first to end the inning. Filiere struck again in the fourth, this time with a hard-hit two-out RBI double to center field.
Each side plated a run in the fifth. Senior Kendall Helbert (St. Louis, MO) reached on a fielder's choice to classmate Nate Rodman (Corvallis, OR) across for MIT while Mulready sent a run-producing single to center.
The visiting Engineers began to pull further away with a three-run sixth spearheaded by a Rodman 2-RBI single up the middle. Senior Alec Echevarria (Chula Vista, CA) preceded his teammate with an RBI ground-rule double.
Senior Sean Greene (Hingham, MA) doubled and scored following a pair of ground outs, including one from senior John Caliri(Hanson, MA) who was credited with the RBI.
Sophomore Garrett Greenwood (Edmond, OK) doubled and Filiere singled in back-to-back at-bats as Cambridge's Engineers put two more on the board in the seventh. Helbert logged a 2-RBI triple and junior John Drago (Peoria, AZ) singled down the left field line to plate another as MIT held the 15-5 advantage in the top of the eighth.
Both Filiere and Venditti (3-for-4, double, home run, RBI) finished a triple shy of a cycle.
Mulready batted 3-for-5 with a double, two RBI and a run scored while Greene went 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored. Junior Nick Comei (Haverhill, MA) drew a pair of walks and scored twice for the hosts. Sophomore Steven D'Agostino (Shrewsbury, MA) struck out four in his first loss of the season (4-1). Freshman Austin Labastie (Mendon, MA) and junior Dan Bettigole (South Windsor, CT) also had at least a strikeout while freshman Robert Chase (Grand Isle, VT) pitched a hitless ninth.
Filiere was joined in the four-hit club by Greenwood who went 4-for-6 with a double, a stolen base an RBI and four runs scored. Hebert batted 3-for-6 with three RBI and two runs scored to go along with a double. Drago and freshman Jared Schwait (Boca Raton, FL) each logged a pair of hits as Rodman added two RBI and Ecchevaria chipped in with a double, a stolen base and two runs scored. Heller dropped down a sacrifice bunt and doubled twice for MIT. Filiere and Rodman teamed up for a double play to aid the defense.
Junior David Hesslink (San Diego, CA) moved to 2-2 despite surrendering five runs on 11 hits with three strikeouts and two walks in 5 1/3. Sophomore Zach Michaud (Moorestown, NJ) and senior Michael Wymer (Flower Mound, TX) teamed up for 3 1/3 of no-hit baseball.
WPI opens a NEWMAC West series with a single game against Coast Guard at the NEBC Friday at 3:30pm while MIT entertains Worcester State tomorrow at 3:30pm.