BABSON PARK, Mass.—Junior Jack Halpin (Glastonbury, Conn.) went 2-for-4 at the dish, swiped two bases, scored once and knocked in another run in a thrilling 6-2 win as Babson College split its New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) baseball doubleheader with MIT on Saturday afternoon at Govoni Field. The Beavers rallied in the eighth inning with four runs to top the Engineers after dropping game one 9-0.

Babson is now 15-11-1 overall and 6-6 in conference play, while MIT moves to 13-9 overall and 10-2 the NEWMAC.

Game one saw the hot-hitting MIT lineup record 16 hits, with junior John Drago (Peoria, Ariz.) and sophomore Austin Filiere (Chandler, Ariz.) both contributing three hits in six plate appearances. Drago doubled and scored three times, while Filiere hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the first inning and another dinger in the top of the eighth inning. On the mound for MIT, senior Nick Locascio (Naples, Fla.) and senior Eric Tu (San Ramon, Calif.) combined to shutout the Beaver lineup. Locascio pitched 7.2 innings, allowing just three hits and striking out five. Tu then relieved him and finished the game with 1.1 innings of no hit baseball.

After taking a two-run lead in the first inning on the Filiere homerun, MIT added to their lead in the fourth inning after Drago reached second base after an error in leftfield with two outs. He was then able to score from second when sophomore Garrett Greenwood (Edmond, Okla.) reached first on a fielding error by Halpin. Babson was able to get out of the inning when Filiere grounded out to third base.

In the sixth inning, MIT was able to rally for three runs on three hits and an error and immediately followed it up with a four hit, two run top of the seventh inning. The eighth inning again saw Filiere hit a homerun to right field.

The second game saw a role reversal as Babson saw its bats come alive with five players collecting two or more hits. First-year Daniel Cooney (Verona, N.J.), junior Graham Stack (Arlington, Mass.) and sophomore Matt Cuneo (Ashland, Mass.) combined to stymie the Engineers line-up, holding them to just four hits over nine innings. The Beavers also came alive on the basepaths, swiping six bags in seven attempts.

MIT took the lead in the fourth inning when senior Alec Echevarria (Chula Vista, Calif.) walked and then immediately stole second. Senior Nate Rodman (Corvallis, Ore.) then hit a hard groundball to the deep short, allowing Echevarria to advance to third despite Rodman being thrown out at first. Sophomore David Heller (Fair Lawn, N.J.) then singled through the right side to score Echevarria.

An inning later though, Babson responded with a two-out rally. First-year Connor Gill (Sterling, Mass.) singled to left field and then stole second base two pitches later. Junior Jake Weiss (Irvine, Calif.) then singled on a hard hit ball to right field, scoring Gill from second. That hit marked the end of the day for MIT starter sophomore Zach Michaud (Moorestown, N.J.), who gave way to first-year Zeke Long (Albuquerque, N.M.). Immediately following the pitching change, Weiss took second base on a steal. Weiss was then off on contact when sophomore Mark Webber (Norwell, Mass.) hit a ball to second base, where it was bobbled, allowing Weiss to sneak home and Webber to reach first on the error.

Following the turn of the inning, Filiere walked to start things off for the Engineers. He stole second one batter later, and advanced to third when Rodman rocketed a line drive back at Cooney. That marked the end of Cooney's outing, and Stack was called in from the bullpen. Heller then hit a slow roller to third base, giving Filiere enough time to sprint home to tie the game at 2-2.

It remained tied until the bottom of the eighth when Babson was able to put together three hits and an error to take the lead and add three insurance runs. Webber began the inning by working a walk and then advancing to second on a sac bunt by senior George Crowley (Watertown, Mass.). Halpin rocketed a single to right field to plate Webber with the go-ahead run. First-year Eric Jaun (Loveland, Ohio) then collected his second hit of the day when he hit a laser down the left field line for a double, advancing on the throw home that was too late to catch Halpin who scored. Following a strikeout, sophomore David Lennon (Windermere, Fla.) walked to put runners at the corners. Lennon then took off to steal second, and when the second basemen couldn't cleanly collect the throw from the catcher, Jaun scored to make it 5-2. Ayala recorded the final RBI of the day, singling up the middle to drive in Lennon from second base.

Weiss and Ayala both ended the day with two stolen bases, while junior Owen Shea (Northborough, Mass.), Gill and Halpin all swiped a single base as well. Gill, Weiss, Halpin and Jaun all also recorded two hits apiece while Ayala reached safely three times in the second game.

Babson returns to action on Monday when it hosts Suffolk at 12 p.m., while MIT looks to rebound at Springfield tomorrow at 1 p.m.