Box Score

HARWICH, Mass. – Senior Phil Reiser (Alpharetta, Ga.) connected on a walk-off solo home run in the bottom of the 12th to help lift fifth-seeded MIT to a 2-1 victory over fourth-seeded Salem State University on the fourth day of the NCAA Division III New England Regional at Whitehouse Field.

The Engineers (29-13) move ahead to the championship game to take on third-seeded Ramapo at 4:35 p.m.

Since falling to Salem State in their opener on Wednesday in a 6-2 decision, the Scarlet and Gray have rattled off four consecutive wins out of the loser's bracket and avenged their loss earlier in the week to the Vikings this afternoon.

The Vikings, who end their season at 27-15, posted a pair of NCAA Tournament victories in their fifth national playoffs appearance.

Reiser put the Engineers up 1-0 as he belted a double down the left field line, which scored junior Nate Rodman (Corevallis, Ore.) on the play. Rodman began the frame by chopping a single to center.

SSU junior Richard Fecteau (Newbury, Mass.) knotted the game, 1-1, hammering the first pitch he saw to start off the top of the fourth with a solo home run to right field. The blast for Fecteau was his third of the campaign.

After permitting two runners to reach base, freshman Andrew McLaughlin (Peabody, Mass.) set down 14 straight until the eighth. MIT went to their bullpen early and matched the effort, pumping out zeros until the Vikings threatened in the top of the seventh.

With one out on the scoreboard as runners stood on second and third, Engineer junior Michael Wymer (Flower Mound, Texas) calmly quelled the threat by inducing a deep fly to center and a strikeout.

Salem State had another golden opportunity in the very next frame to push across the go-ahead run following a sophomore Teghan Malionek (Salem, Mass.) two-bagger, but Wymer again reached back and ended the inning with a punch out.

In the bottom of the eighth, MIT put runners on the corners with one out on the scoreboard. The Vikings, however, got out of dodge as freshman Rafael Tylus (Danvers, Mass.) retired consecutive batters to end the inning.

Wymer responded in a tie ball game as he set down the side in order in three consecutive frames through the top of the 11th. Wymer also preserved his clean sheet, getting out of a first-and-third, no out jam in the 12th.

The Engineers used the momentum to end the contest on Reiser's game-winning home run. He crushed a 1-0 offering over the right field fence for his first home run of the season.

Wymer fanned eight over 5.2 innings of three-hit baseball as he registered his first winning decision of the year.

Tylus (0-1) was tagged with the loss in relief for the Vikings as he surrendered one earned run on three hits in 3.1 innings.

Rodman went 3-for-5 while Reiser finished with a pair of base-knocks to propel a nine-hit attack. Senior Kevin Carens (Northboro, Mass.) was the lone repeat hitter for the Vikings, ending with a 3-for-5 performance at the top of the order.

The two squads accounted for 21 runners on base, including 11 left in scoring position.

Courtesy of ECAC Sports Information