Lee throws no-hitter as Jumbos take three from Bates

The Tufts baseball team began its NESCAC season with a bang last weekend sweeping the visiting Bates Bobcats in a three game series. Tufts had three remarkable pitching performances highlighted by senior Jon Lee's no-hitter in game one of the Saturday double header. The Jumbos are now 8-4 overall and hold a perfect 3-0 NESCAC record.

Lee's 8-0 gem on Saturday marked the second time in his four-year Tufts career he has recorded a no hit game. He blanked Bowdoin May 7, 2000 as a freshman. Saturday's performance was a vast improvement upon Lee's disappointing outings on the team's recent Spring Break road trip to Virginia and North Carolina.

"We challenged Jon this game," coach John Casey said. "He is a tremendous competitor and always responds. It was a mechanics thing down south, but he threw a great game [Saturday.] He mixed it up really well and threw the curve for strikes."

Lee was in complete control of the game from the very beginning. With a nearly 25 mph wind whipping in from left-center field, Lee managed to knock the Bobcats out in one-two-three fashion in six of his seven no-hit innings. Lee also recorded eight strikeouts on the day, and was named a NESCAC Co-Player of the week for his work.

"I felt good at the end of the week," Lee said. "I've been working... I tried to stay calm throughout the entire thing."

The Jumbos' offense scored the runs needed to secure Lee's victory during a marathon fourth inning. With the help of four Bates errors, three walks, two hit batsmen and five base hits, the Jumbos scored all of their eight runs in the bottom of the fourth.

Later that day, Tufts earned its second straight shut-out victory, 5-0, on the arm of junior starter Randy Newsom. Though overshadowed by Lee's no-hitter, Newsom threw a complete game, two hit shut-out. He struck out eleven Bobcats and did not surrender a hit until the fifth inning. The only other Bates hit of the contest came in the top of the ninth and was followed by two consecutive strikeouts to end the game.

"We got two great pitching performances," sophomore Greg Hickey said. "We practiced pretty hard all week. It was just what we needed to start the NESCAC season out 3-0."

As in game one, Tufts struggled to produce runs consistently, but managed to cross the plate often enough to earn its second win of the afternoon.

The Jumbos scored their first run after junior Drew Blewett smacked a double between the center and right fielders. Leadoff man senior Jon Herbert followed with a single and then was matched by junior Adam Kacamburas to drive in Blewett.

Tufts struck again in the bottom of the fifth for two runs. The team was helped by an error that allowed junior Nick Palange to reach first, Blewett being hit by a pitch, a base hit by Kacamburas and a sacrifice fly by Zupancic.

The last two Jumbo runs came in the bottom of the eighth as a result of three hits and a fielder's choice. Hickey contributed with an RBI single to left adding to his already-productive spring.

"I've been seeing the ball well lately," Hickey said. "It looks like a balloon up there."

On Friday, Tufts won its first regular season game 10-6 in the opening match-up of the weekend series with Bates. Senior tri-captain Dave Martin pitched eight and two-thirds innings scattering eight hits and striking out eight.

Tufts started out early offensively with two singles by Herbert and Kacamburas followed by three walks that drove in freshman Matt Clement and Shapiro in the first inning. The Jumbos struck again in the third when Hickey doubled in Zupancic and Shapiro. Hickey went 2-4 on the day.

The Bobcats did not go down as quietly as they would the following day. In the top of the fourth, Bates scored three runs with the help of two singles, a Tufts error and a double by outfielder Nate Reid.

Tufts countered in the second half of the inning with five runs of its own to push the lead up to 9-3.

Bates would score three runs in the top of the ninth, but could not get enough runs to force the game into extra innings, giving the Jumbos their first NESCAC victory.

The successful weekend was due primarily to the powerful arms on the mound.

"Martin, Lee and Newsom were the high points," Casey said. "We gave up one hit in 16 innings [on Saturday.]"

Despite the victories, fine tuning still must be done on the offensive end if the Jumbos are to be successful this season.

"We are exactly what you see: very inconsistent. We can't tell what will happen at the plate," Casey said. "We just need to relax. We're not doing smart things. At least you know if you have defense and pitching, you'll be in the game. Offensively we have to be better or else we won't beat good teams."

The team will be back in action today at Huskins Field against Mass Maritime at 3:00.

"[Today] is time to see who will emerge as the fourth pitcher," Casey said. "Right now the bull pen is struggling so we will probably throw three, four, or five guys and see who steps up."