Leicester, MA --- WPI baseball slugged its way past NEWMAC foe Emerson on Monday at Rochdale Field in Leicester, getting multi-hit games from Evan Lacroix (Methuen, MA), Steven Gallagher(Coventry, RI) and Anthony Capuano (Stoneham, MA) to blast by the visiting Lions by an 8-6 score.
The Engineers rallied back from early deficits twice in the first four innings before scoring the final two runs in the seventh and eighth innings.
Mike Duclos (Greenfield, MA) and Drew Gelinas (Saco, ME) held down the fort on the mound, as Duclos tossed four scoreless innings to pick up the win and Gelinas came on for a clean ninth inning to pick up his fourth save.
WPI improved to 21-9 and 9-4 in NEWMAC play. Emerson fell to 4-24 and 0-13 in conference as the Engineers completed the season sweep over the Lions.
Emerson's Neil Perry (Middleboro, MA) put the visitors ahead, 1-0, in the top of the second inning after singling and then later scoring on a fielding error.
The Engineers then briefly took over the lead in the bottom of the third inning as Nick Comei(Haverhill, MA) hit a leadoff ground-rule double to left field and then came around on the next at bat as Lacroix sent a base hit of his own to left.
Two batters later, Lacroix made it around from second base on a single by Kyle Opiekun (Cumberland, RI) to give the home side a 2-1 edge.
Emerson went back in front with a five-run fourth inning, as the first five batters reached base, including two walks with the bases loaded.
WPI immediately fought back from its new, 6-2 deficit with a four-run bottom half of the fourth to pull it back to a tie game.
Capuano started the WPI rally with a leadoff triple to the gap in right center, and then scored on a base hit up the middle by DJ Ouellette (Watertown, CT).
Lacroix brought Ouellette in from third with a single to left and then later scored the tying run on a ground out by Opiekun to make 6-6 after four innings.
John Mulready (Rockland, MA) doubled to center to start the bottom of the seventh inning and then Gallagher singled in pinch runner Matt Breidenbach (East Rockaway, NY) with two outs for the go-ahead run.
The Engineers added another run for good measure in the in the eighth inning as Lacroix reached base on an error, advanced to third on a failed pickoff and then scored on a sacrifice fly by Opiekun, who collected three RBIs on the day.
After topping Becker College later on Monday, WPI will resume its NEWMAC schedule tomorrow at with a 3:30 p.m. game at conference-leading MIT.
Emerson moves on to host Springfield College at 3:30 p.m. tomorrow.