MIT Rallies Late To Down Baseball, 4-3

Worcester, MA --- MIT sophomore Hayden Cornwell (Newport Beach, CA) registered a pair of doubles and drove in the game-winning run in the top of the ninth inning to help the Engineers complete their comeback and defeat Worcester State, 4-3, in non-conference action this afternoon at the Lyons Baseball Diamond.

MIT (18-6) trailed 3-1 heading into the top of the ninth, after plating their first run of the ballgame in the previous inning as third-year Creed Mangrum (Sandy, UT) singled to start the frame and scored on a sacrifice fly by sophomore Parker Tew (Chapel Hill, NC), three batters later.

Mangrum then tied the game in the ninth with his two-run double to right field after a pair of walks and a sacrifice bunt left runners at second and third with one out.

Cornwell followed with a double of his own into the right center field gap and Mangrum would cross home with the eventual match clinching score.

Senior left-hander Aric Dama (Winfield, IL) came on in relief in the bottom half of the inning and sat down the Lancers in order on ground-outs ending the game and recording his first save of the season.

Worcester State (12-16) started off the game quick grabbing the early 1-0 lead in the first inning when second-year Steve Wallace (Auburn, MA) singled to start the frame and scampered home on classmate David Ruggiero's (Peabody, MA) single to left field.

The Blue and Gold added to their lead in the third as freshman Dennis Duplessis (Marlboro, MA) reached on an infield single before Wallace doubled down the right field line putting runners at second and third with no outs.

Ruggiero reached on a throwing error by the third baseman driving in Duplessis from third and George followed with a single to right plating Wallace for the 3-0 advantage.

But the MIT bullpen silenced the Lancer bats as they combined to toss six straight innings of five-hit baseball, without issuing a free pass.

The Engineers were led off by junior Brandon Lowe (Brier, WA), who hurled the games middle frames, and then he was followed by freshman Eric Tu (San Roman, CA), classmate Michael Wymer (Flower Mound, TX) and Dama, who hurled one inning each. Wymer (1-0) earned his first collegiate win for spinning a scoreless eighth.

Sophomore Cody Osburn (Sacramento, CA) threw seven shutout innings for the hosts, scattering nine hits with one walk and five strikeouts earning the no decision.

Senior Alex Teal (Malden, MA) absorbed the set back evening his record to 4-4 on the year. Teal allowed three earned runs on two hits in the ninth while walking two and fanning one in his one inning of work.

Cornwell finished the day 3-for-5 at the dish as Mangrum collected three hits of his own with a pair of runs scored and two runs driven in.

Tew registered a pair of singles and an RBI while senior James McKinney (Wakefield, RI) and sophomore Karl Sorensen (Blacksburg, VA) also recorded multi-hit afternoons for the visitors.

For Worcester State, George was a perfect 4-for-4 in the contest with an RBI while Wallace collected three base-knocks and a pair of runs scored and Ruggiero contributed two hits of his own while knocking in a pair as they combined for a 9-for-12 effort at the plate.

MIT, who is ranked seventh in the latest New England Intercollegiate Baseball Association Poll, outhit the Lancers 14-11 in the contest.

Worcester State returns to action tomorrow as the travel to Fisher for a 7 PM contest under the lights at Fraser field and the Engineers return home to host Wheaton Friday at 3:30 PM.

Story By John Hanna --- Sports Information Graduate Assistant