Box Score THE BASICS
-Score: Clark University 8, MIT 4
-Records: Clark (9-5, NEWMAC 3-0), MIT (4-5, NEWMAC 2-1)
-Location: Worcester, Mass. (Granger Diamond)
-The Lead: The Clark University baseball team earned a New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) victory over the Engineers of MIT on Tuesday afternoon. Senior Teddy Downing (Cambridge, Mass.) led the Cougars with an impressive 4-for-4 day at the plate with two RBIs and two runs scored.
HOW IT HAPPENED
-Clark got on the board early with a run in the first inning. With two outs Downing doubled to left field to get things started. Zach Kelley (Hadley, Mass.) followed his lead with a double of his own to left center to earn an RBI and give Clark the 1-0 lead.
-The Engineers took the lead in the top of the third when senior Garret Greenwood (Edmond, Okla.) and his classmate David Heller (Fair Lawn, N.J.) each added RBIs with two outs (2-1).
-The Cougars had a huge fifth inning with five hits and six runs scored. Ryan Ruhlin (Portland, Maine) tripled down the right field line for two RBIs as Andrew Thibault (Nashua, N.H.) and Nick Jordan (Seaford, N.Y.) both crossed home plate (3-2). With no outs Clark continued the rally when Kyle Shaw (Litchfield, N.H.) singled to left field to score Ruhlin (4-2). A bunt to the third base side from Kyle Bonicki (Waterbury, Conn.) loaded the bases with no outs, and Downing found a gap in left field for two more RBIs and the 6-2 lead. A sacrifice fly from Derek Lefebvre (Groton, Mass.) scored Bonicki for the 7-2 lead heading into the top of the sixth inning.
-MIT earned two runs back in the top of the sixth. Greenwood got on base with a single to center field and Heller walked. After back-to-back strikeouts from junior Dan Shaw (Arlington, Mass.), senior Max Lancaster (Attleboro, Mass.) doubled to left field for two RBIs and trailed the Cougars 7-4.
-The Cougars added one more in the bottom of the seventh. Downing recorded his fourth hit of the game (4-for-4) with a single to right center and a single to left center from Lefebvre scored him for the 8-4 lead and final victory.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
-Downing led the Cougars going 4-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs scored. He closed the game on the mound for the Cougars with two strikeouts.
-Shaw earned the win on the mound for Clark going six innings with six strikeouts, and just two earned runs. He is now 1-0 this season.
-Sophomore Zachary Kopstein (Tiburon, Calif.) took the loss going 4.2 innings with two strikeouts. He falls to 1-1 this season.
-The Cougars collected 10 hits on the day while the Engineers posted six.
UP NEXT
-Clark hosts Nichols College on Thursday, March 29th at 3:30 p.m.
-MIT travels to Endicott College on the same day for non-conference action at 3:30 p.m.
