LEWISTON, Maine -- The Bates baseball team got a pair of strong starting pitching performances but it wasn't enough as the Bobcats got swept by MIT in a doubleheader Saturday at Leahey Field.

Bates (1-9) opens NESCAC play on Friday when the Bobcats visit Tufts for a 3 p.m. first pitch.

Game One: MIT 3, Bates 0

MIT pitchers Mason Estrada and Phillip Hood combined to throw a seven-inning no-hitter as the Engineers defeated the Bobcats 3-0 in game one of Saturday's doubleheader.

Estrada (1-0), who had multiple MLB scouts in attendance at Leahey Field watching him pitch, struck out 12 Bobcats while walking one in five shutout innings. 

Sophomore John Tully (Framingham, Mass.) was solid on the mound for Bates, tossing five and a third innings. He only allowed one run through his first five innings before MIT was able to push across a pair of runs in the sixth. First-year Charlie Cariello (Bedford, N.H.) pitched an inning and two thirds of shutout ball out of the bullpen.

A lead-off walk came around to score on a two-out RBI double off the bat of John Spivey in the top of the third, giving MIT their first run of the game. 

Sophomore Keagan Ryan (Salem, N.H.) tried to get the Bobcats a run of their own in the bottom of the third, drawing a lead-off walk. He stole both second and third, but Estrada struck out the side to leave Ryan stranded.

Junior Jack Margiloff (Rye, N.Y.) got hit by a pitch with one out in the bottom of the fifth with Bates still down 1-0. But Ryan got robbed of extra bases when MIT third baseman Owen Malone made a leaping catch of Ryan's screaming line drive for the second out of the inning. Estrada struck out the next batter to end the inning.

Junior Liam Yardley (Keene, N.H.) drew a two-out walk in the sixth and first-year David Swift (Yarmouth, Maine) walked with one away in the seventh. However, Bates could not take advantage of the opportunities as Hood earned the save for MIT.

The Engineers tallied seven hits in game one, including three doubles. It's the first time Bates baseball has been no-hit since 2022.
 
Game Two: MIT 7, Bates 2

The Engineers scored three unearned runs in the top of the fifth to take the lead for good as the visitors defeated the Bobcats 7-2 in game two of Saturday's doubleheader.

Bates grabbed the early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second. With two outs and nobody on, Margiloff drew a walk. He stole second and scored on a single through the left side from first-year Nolan Bibbo (Wellesley, Mass.). Bibbo stole second and junior Joe Yoxall (Dallas, Texas) drew a walk. But MIT starter Cole Foster struck out the next batter to prevent further damage.

Missed opportunities proved to be a theme for Bates in game two, as the Bobcats left 10 runners stranded and had multiple players thrown out on the base paths.

Two straight Bates errors to start the top of the fifth hurt Bobcat starting pitcher junior Diego Sarabia (Mableton, Ga.), as he had blanked the Engineers up to that point. Three unearned runs ended up scoring in the frame. Sarabia ended up pitching six innings, giving up four runs (one earned) on six hits. He walked only one and struck out four. 

Bates pitching gave up seven runs in the contest, but only two were earned, as the Bobcats made four errors in the field.

Chase Rubin (2-2) was outstanding out of the bullpen for MIT, tossing five shutout innings to earn the win.

The Bobcats pushed across a second run in the bottom of the ninth, but by then it was too late. Yoxall got hit by a pitch with two outs. Then junior Gibby Sullivan (Yarmouth, Maine) drew a walk and Swift doubled in Yoxall. Sophomore Luke Yoon (Honolulu, Hawaii) drew a walk to load the bases, but MIT reliever Jimmy Moore struck out the next batter to end the game.

Swift paced the Bobcats at the plate in game two, going 2-4 with a double, a walk, and an RBI. Zev Moore had a big game for MIT (5-8), going 3-5 with a double and a run scored.