Playing a key NESCAC East Division series this weekend against Bowdoin College, the Tufts baseball team swept the Polar Bears, keeping its hot streak alive and maintaining its grasp on first place in the division.
With the sweep, the Jumbos improved their record to 15-6 on the season and 5-0 in league play. Winning 12 of its last 13, the team stayed perfect in the conference to keep its first place lead.
Meanwhile, Bowdoin dropped to 12-9 overall on the season, and 3-6 in NESCAC East play.
The Jumbos' most impressive win came in the final game of the three-game series, when the team rallied from a 7-1 deficit to complete their sweep of the Polar Bears and win 9-7.
Bowdoin came out strong in the second game, converting hits into runs on key opportunities. Junior Designated Hitter (DH) Ricky Leclerc posted an RBI and scored two runs, while junior Jared Lemieux hit a two-run triple in the fourth inning.
Down 7-1, senior DH Greg Hickey drilled a solo home run to lead off the fourth inning and begin the Jumbos' rally. Hickey also drove in a run in the fifth inning, finishing the day 3-5, with two RBIs.
The senior slugger has been swinging the lumber at a prodigious rate of late, having knocked in at least two RBIs in each of the team's last five games. Yesterday, Hickey was named the NESCAC's player of the week. In the team's last four games, all against NESCAC opponents, Hickey has gone 10 for 17 (.588) and slugged 1.176 with two doubles, a triple, and two home-runs. Hickey is now batting .411, putting him ninth in the conference.
Tufts got key offensive play from sophomore first-baseman Bryan McDavitt as well, who went 3-5 and hit a two-run single which tied the game in the sixth inning. Sophomore Kyle Backstrom also had a solid day at the plate, posting three hits in the victory. Sophomore Brian Casey hit a go-ahead sac-fly with the bags loaded to propel Tufts to an 8-7 lead, and Bowdoin wouldn't score again. The final was 9-7.
"We came out flat in the second game on Saturday, but I think we showed a lot of character coming back to win," senior captain Bob Kenny said. "We got a couple runs here and there, and built on that to come back."
In the first game, Tufts picked up right where it left off from Friday, taking a 6-0 lead in the first three innings. Bowdoin made some sloppy errors on the field, which allowed the Jumbos to convert in scoring situations.
The Polar Bears put together a rally in the sixth inning, posting three runs, but solid pitching from sophomore closer Aaron Narva stopped the potential comeback, when Bowdoin had the bases loaded and the tying run in scoring position.
Tufts finished off the Polar Bears with four runs in the sixth inning off two-run doubles from junior Jim O'Leary and Hickey. Kenny also contributed at the plate, finishing the day off two for three. Backstrom and O'Leary each scored three runs in the victory. Sophomore Derek Rice was credited with the win, going five innings and allowing one earned run.
In Friday's game, the Jumbos put up big numbers on offense and got a strong starting pitching performance from sophomore Ben Simon to win 10-2. Simon pitched seven scoreless innings, allowing five hits and posting five strikeouts. With the victory, Simon improved his record to 4-0 on the season.
"Ben went out and pitched well for us," sophomore Kyle Backstrom said. "When he takes the mound he always gives us a chance to win, even when things aren't going his way. He'll fight until the end, and once we get a lead he makes [hitters] work for a hit."
The offense came out strong early on in the game, taking a 4-0 lead in the second inning off a three-run blast over the right field wall by O'Leary. Hickey went 3-4 with three RBIs. Tufts posted another three runs in the third inning on RBI singles from sophomores Chris Decembrele and Casey. Hickey drove in two of his three RBIs in the fifth and sixth on a solo home run and a double that gave Tufts a 10-0 lead. Senior Jeff Volinski and sophomores Bryan McDavitt and Decembrele contributed two hits each in the win. Tufts posted 14 hits in the game.
Bowdoin didn't put together a rally until the seventh inning when the Polar Bears got hits from sophomores John Lawrie and Mike Buckley. In the eighth inning, Leclerc hit a two-run homer, but Bowdoin's bats could not make up for the deficit.
"Overall we played well," Kenny said. "Earlier in the year our bats weren't consistent, but now we're stringing hits together and getting people in scoring position. The pitching is also doing great, and now that both are there for us, things are going well."
With the series sweep over Bowdoin, Tufts makes a serious statement to the rest of the league. The only team that threatens the team's grip on the NESCAC-East is Trinity College, a national powerhouse program whose only conference loss came in a 10-8 loss to Bates on April 8. The Bantams stand at 8-1 in league play and 21-1 overall.
All this sets the stage for this weekend, when the Jumbos travel to Hartford for a three game set with the Bantams. Until then, the Jumbos aim to continue their winning streak as they face non-conference UMass-Dartmouth today at 3 p.m. at Huskins Field.
