WORCESTER -- In a game that came down to the final at bat, the WPI baseball team fell to Clark on Friday night in the opening game of the weekend series, 4-3, at Fitton Field.  

Clark (14-17, 4-11 NEWMAC) gained a 4-1 advantage after six innings, but the Engineers (15-15, 4-11) never relented, putting up runs in the seventh and ninth coming 90 feet from tying the game.  

In the ninth inning, after Kyle Johns (Milltown, NJ) homered to start off the frame and Danny Johnson (Mendon, MA) singled to right, and advanced to second on an error, Clark made a key pitching change putting Michael Carterud (Longmeadow, MA) on the bump as he got a pair of Engineers to strike out, and another to ground out en route to holding on for the win. 

Max Moss (Manhattan, NY) pitched eight innings, allowing nine hits and three runs while striking out 10 for his first win of the season while Carterud picked up his third save of the year.  

Andrew Dupuis (Raymond, NH) pitched the first six innings of the game allowing seven hits and all four runs. Ryan Malkowski (Hubbardston, MA) stepped into the game in relief, shutting down the Cougars allowing just two hits and no runs while striking out six to give WPI a chance.  

Ryan Caulfield (Simsbury, CT) accounted for two of Clark's hits on the day, driving in the first two Cougar runs in the outing thanks to a single and then a triple to right field. Samuel Farrell (Holliston, MA) and Billy Sullivan (Hicksville, NY) were both 2-for-4 on the day with a run scored. Johns and Joe Salvon (Longmeadow, MA) led the way with 2-for-4 outings, netting an RBI apiece.  

Caulfield's single to right got the first run of the game on the board in the third inning, before WPI was able to even the score in the bottom of the fourth on a Salvon double to center that scored Jacob Hand (Niskayuna, NY).  

A pair of runs in the fifth, thanks to Caulfield who drove one in and scored the other, and a hit-by-pitch in the sixth with the bases loaded made it a 4-1 game in favor of the Cougars.  

A sacrifice fly in the seventh from Andrew Brooks (Millis, MA) that brought home Frank D'Alessio (Morganville, NJ) made it 4-2, and Johns got the Engineers within one, but WPI was unable to get the tying run across as Clark came away with the win.  

Prior to the game, WPI honored its 11 seniors including Andrew Brooks (Millis, MA), Michael Fraser (Mashpee, MA), Matt Penkala (Warren, RI), Ryan Malkowski (Hubbardston, MA), Dylan Connors (Westboro, MA), Alexander Mondro (Westford, MA), Jeremy Rhines (Plainville, MA), Martin McCormack (Quincy, MA), Frank D'Alessio (Morganville, NJ), Andrew Dupuis (Raymond, NH) and student assistant Kavim Bhatnager (Nashua, NH). 

The teams are back in action on Saturday afternoon for a doubleheader at Clark beginning at Noon.