Worcester, Mass. – For the second straight weekend, the Clark University bats were mostly silent as the host Cougars suffered a pair of defeats to NEWMAC rival MIT, dropping an 8-1 decision in the opener and then a 2-0 setback in the nightcap on Saturday afternoon at Granger Field.

The losses waste another stellar pitching performance from sophomore hurler Miles Sheehan (Madison, Conn.) in game two, while the Engineer bats banged out 12 hits in game one.

In the opener, MIT took the lead in the third when Karl Sorensen led the inning off with a walk and then came around to score on Creed Mangrum's two-run blast to right field off of starter Derek Dubois (Haverhill, Mass.).

Clark scratched across their only run when Dan Lima (Manchester, Conn.) opened the bottom of the fourth with a single to center. He stole second, advanced to third on a balk and then scored on a Michael Eglow (Delmar, N.Y.) groundout to third.

After the Engineers pushed across single runs in the fifth and the eighth, they erupted for four runs in the top of the ninth. K.J. Parent blasted a rocket to center with the bases loaded and wound up on third with a triple. Pinch runner Kiel Jindra raced home on Sean Karson's sacrifice fly.

Nicholas Locascio went eight strong innings for MIT, scattering seven hits while striking out seven and yielding just one earned run.

Dubois, meanwhile, was strong in spots, for the Cougars, striking out seven but allowed a career high 12 hits.

Both Lima and Dennis Glynn (Jamaica Plain, Mass.) had two hits each for Clark, while Parker Tew, Nate Rodman, Hayden Cornwell, Parent and Jon Rea all had two hits for MIT.

In the nightcap, the Cougars were held to one hit by David Hesslink – a stinging single up the middle by Lima in the first. From that point on, however, Hesslink was dominant, retiring 13 straight batters at one point.

The Engineers went ahead 1-0 in the third when Rea reached on a bunt single. Mangrum then hit a hotshot to first that David Eschen (New York, N.Y.) picked perfectly and then stepped on the bag for an out, but his throw to second was edged out by Rea. Tew then singled to center and Rea raced around to give MIT the lead.

A key defensive play in the sixth kept the Cougars within striking distance. Kendall Helbert singled with one out and after a Patrick Dayton double to center, it looked as if Helbert would score. However, Nick O'Brien (Potomac, Md.) collected the ball quickly and fired a strike to the cutoff man, Brett O'Keefe (Brighton, Mass.). O'Keefe then twirled and gunned down Helbert by a step with a perfect throw to catcher Michael Eglow (Delmar, N.Y.). MIT eventually scored the second run on Karson's RBI single to center that plated Dayton.

Clark had a rally going in the seventh when Lima reached on an error and stole second. He was then thrown out by Helbert attempting to steal third.

Another rally was thwarted in the ninth when O'Brien led off the frame and was hit by a pitch. Glynn smacked a ball but it was right at the second basemen, who turned the double play. The Cougars still had life after Eschen was plunked and Lima walked, bringing the game-winning run to the plate. Hesslink, however, was able to strike out Eglow to end to game.

Sheehan, meanwhile, was strong on the hill for Clark, scattering eight hits while tying his career-high with 11 strikeouts.

The Cougars (4-13, 1-4 NEWMAC) will return to the diamond with a home contest on Tuesday against Wheaton.

MIT is scheduled to play another NEWMAC game on Tuesday, April 1 when the Engineers will travel to Springfield College for a 3:30 p.m. contest. The Engineers and Pride will complete the game that was suspended in the top of the 15th inning last week prior to playing the regularly scheduled contest.