The baseball team went on the road to beat host UMass-Dartmouth 9-5 last Tuesday and increase its record to 18-7-1. The team won the game comfortably on the scoreboard, but it was two four-run innings - one in the second and the other in the sixth - that propelled the Jumbos to victory.
Junior tri-captain Evan Zupancic hit a three-run homerun in a four-run sixth inning, the main catalyst of the rally. Not only did that seal the game for the squad, but it also was his team record ninth homerun of the season. Zupancic finished the day 3-5 with three RBI and two runs scored.
"Evan's become a complete hitter this year, worked real hard at it this season," coach John Casey said. "Sometimes you try not to hit homeruns and you hit them."
A career record for doubles was also set that day by senior tri-captain Dan Callahan. With the score 8-5 in Tufts favor, Callahan approached the plate with one runner on. Callahan stroked his 42nd career double pushing the Jumbo lead to 9-5. Callahan's 42 doubles over his four year career sets an all-time record.
"He's just continuing on, this is just a summation of his four years, he has a couple more he's going to break," Casey said. "Coach [Bob] Clarke keeps track of all those records, I tried, but my age is catching up to me."
The team has been getting good production from the bottom of the lineup the entire season; last Tuesday was no different. Freshman catcher Bob Kenny and second baseman Frank Dinucci exploded for huge contributions from the eighth and ninth slots.
Kenny went 2-4 with one run batted in and two runs scored. "It's just happening I guess. I'm not changing anything," Kenny said on his approach to batting. "I just swing the bat like coach tells us."
Dinucci only had one hit, but it was instrumental in the four run second inning. The two run single pushed Tufts lead to 3-1, breaking the 1-1 tie. Dinucci also crossed the plate twice.
"It was a curve ball that I waited back on and hit the other way," Dinucci said. "Basically I was glad to finally get a hit to help the team."
Solid starting and relief pitching supported the Jumbos. Senior tri-captain Steve Lapham started the game and went four innings, surrendering four runs on six hits, while striking out two batters. Junior Mike Byron stepped in for Lapham and was a menace to UMass-Dartmouth. The less-than-slender, crafty right-hander quietly shutdown the opposition, scattering three hits and one unearned run over five innings en route to his second win of the season.
The Jumbos hope to take the momentum from their first non-conference win in four games and use it against Colby at home this weekend. The Jumbos open up a three game series against the White Mules on Friday at 3 p.m. and amidst the annual Spring Fling extravaganza play two more against them on Saturday, starting at 12 p.m.
"If we win one more league game we clinch first place in the NESCAC East, that's not something we can let influence how we play," junior pitcher Dave Martin said. "If we let that happen, it will set us up to not play to our potential and suffer a letdown. They're a good team; swing the bat really well. We have to be ready to play."
Martin will be the starter for Friday's nine-inning showdown. The White Mules come into the game with a 7-13 record overall, 3-6 NESCAC, but still with the potential to beat the Jumbos. Last season, Colby stole the first game of three from Tufts behind the pitching of Brandon Royce. Royce is expected to be Martin's foe this Friday.
"They beat us in the first one last year; same guy who pitched against us last year is throwing the first game this year," Martin said. "We know what we are going to get. We just need to focus on Friday and work from there."
While Martin is focused on Friday's game because it is first and foremost and he is starting, the younger players are looking to demolish Colby throughout the entire weekend. "Big weekend for us in terms of the playoff, so we're excited to play," Dinucci said.
"We're looking for three big wins against Colby and winning the league this weekend," Kenny said, finalized the point that the Jumbos intend on sweeping the White Mules.
