Myrtle Beach, SC --- The WPI baseball team held off a late rally from Westminster, winning a tight 3-2 game to close out the action at the Myrtle Beach Spring Break Tournament. The Engineers end their South Carolina trip with a 7-0 record, the program's best start since a 6-0 trip to Florida en route to an 11-0 run in 2010. The Titans move to 4-4 with the loss.

WPI led 3-0 heading into the bottom of the ninth before Westminster cut the lead to 3-2. Closer Damon Chase (Rye, NH) then got the final batter to ground into a fielder's choice to finish the victory. 

Gavin George (Salem, NH) led the Engineers' offense with two hits and an RBI, while Zachary Roethlein (Pomfret Center, CT) and Andrew Cash (Marlboro, MA) also collected two hits each. Joe DiMichele (East Longmeadow, MA) and Matt Shea (Andover, MA) drove in runs, with Shea producing a pinch-hit RBI that was the eventual game-winner. 

Owen Radcliffe (Holliston, MA) was effective in a three-inning start, allowing just one hit, while Noah Pins (Holden, MA) got the win, going three scoreless innings, allowing one hit with three strikeouts. Eric DePiero (Beverly, MA) pitched two innings of scoreless ball, while Chase got the save in one inning of work. 

For Westminster, Carter Chinn (Grove City, PA) drove in the only two runs. Kolton Banfi (Harrisville, PA) suffered the loss, going six innings, allowing one earned run on five hits with six strikeouts. 

A two-out single from Roethlein started WPI's first-inning rally, while Tommy Burns (Morris Plains, NJ) put two on with two outs with another base knock. George then got WPI on the board, ripping single through the left side to make it 1-0. 

WPI added a pair of insurance runs in the top of the eighth. Roethlein again started the rally, opening the inning with a double. A Burns walk and a George single loaded the bases before DiMichele was hit by a pitch to push the lead to 2-0. Shea then came on to pinch hit, getting the ball to the right side of the field in a ground out to score Burns, making it 3-0. 

Leading 3-0, the Engineers ceded two runs in the bottom of the ninth, with a pair of walks coming around to score on a two-out Chinn single to right field. Chase then got the final batter of the game to ground to short, thwarting any comeback attempt from the Titans. 

WPI now heads north and will make its Massachusetts debut on Tuesday, March 12 at Amherst at 3:30pm. Westminster has one more in South Carolina, playing Manhattanville today at 12:30pm.