The baseball team concluded its NESCAC schedule in convincing fashion this weekend, smashing 44 hits and scoring 37 runs en route to a three-game trouncing of Colby, 10-5, 12-4, and 15-3.
After taking three from Trinity last weekend, Tufts got its second consecutive home sweep at Huskins Field to redeem two midseason sweeps at the hands of Middlebury and Bowdoin. The wins improved the Jumbos' NESCAC East record to 9-3, good for second place behind the 10-2 Bowdoin Polar Bears, who swept Bates over the weekend to secure the top seed in the division.
"We needed to come back and win a few games," junior Kyle Backstrom said. "Going into the playoffs, we want to go in with a few wins. It's important that we play in the way we are capable. We did what we were supposed to do against Trinity and Colby. Being swept by Bowdoin was not exactly what we had in mind, but we had to respond, and we beat Trinity. We had to go out and control our own destiny."
Coach John Casey recorded his 400th victory as the team's skipper in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader. A 1980 graduate of Tufts, Casey has amassed a record of 401-269-3 during his 23 years at the helm of the organization.
Casey refused to comment for this article.
"It's really spectacular," junior catcher Chris Decembrele said. "We made a big deal about it after the game [on Saturday]. With the kind of coach he is, the focus is always on us; he doesn't want that sort of attention and didn't make a big deal about it. But from the players' perspective, it's really something special. We're proud to be on the team that could do it for him."
Scoring 22 combined runs in the first two games of the set, the Jumbos continued to spray the ball all over the park, picking up 15 runs on 18 hits in the final game. Taking advantage of Colby's fatigued pitching staff, Tufts posted an eight spot on the board in the sixth inning to cap off its ninth NESCAC victory of the 2006 season in Saturday's nightcap.
Senior Ben Chang, who replaced Decembrele behind the plate in the third game of the series, jumpstarted the rally with a single. After freshman Kevin Casey was hit by a pitch, putting two runners on with no outs, Colby coach Tom Dexter pulled freshman starting pitcher Robert Whelan. But the move made no difference to the Jumbos, as they amassed the largest single-inning run total of the weekend.
Senior tri-captain Greg Chertok gave Colby junior reliever Robert Rosenbaum a rude welcome, connecting with a double to drive in Chang from second. The Jumbos followed with another single, double and sac fly to increase the inning's run total to four.
After both Chang and Kevin Casey reached base for the second time in the sixth, Colby reached into its bullpen again in search of someone to stop the bleeding and came up with senior Jon Vacca. Chertok rolled out the welcome mat again, this time with a two-RBI single. Junior second baseman Brian Casey finally flied out to right field to end the inning.
"Of course, whenever you get into a team's bullpen in the first of three games, it's a plus for you," Decembrele said. "By the last game we were seeing their fifth, sixth, and seventh guys, which was definitely a big help."
With all of the offensive support, Tufts' starters maintained their focus on the mound. Senior Zak Smotherman surrendered three earned runs in seven innings in game one; sophomore Adam Telian yielded four earned runs in his six innings of work in game two; and junior Derek Rice gave up three earned runs during his six innings on the mound in the finale.
Since the Jumbos mounted offensive rallies in the first inning of all three games, Tufts pitchers were charged with protecting the leads, which they did solidly.
"Whenever you put runs up in the first inning, it's a huge plus for the defense, and it gives the pitchers a lot of confidence," Decembrele said. "It was really a testament to our pitchers [that they were able to hold all of the leads]. Whenever we can put runs up early, it helps us, and in a long game, it hurts [the other team's] morale, which is a huge part of how we were successful."
In Saturday's first game, the Jumbos scored three times in the first and five times in the second before Colby could get on the board. The team was off and running after Chertok was hit by a pitch to start the game. He stole second, reached third on a balk, and scored the first run for Tufts on a Brian Casey single. Tufts knocked starter freshman Justin Clark out of the game after just two innings of work, pressuring the rest of the Colby staff to string together the final five innings.
Friday evening's game was no different, as the Jumbos recorded two runs in the first and six in the fourth to take an early 8-0 lead. The Mules didn't help their fatigued pitching staff, committing four errors in the field. Tufts refused to hand its opponent extra outs, only misplaying the ball once in all three games.
The team will finish out its regular season with a game against Eastern Connecticut tonight and a double-header against Babson on Sunday. The NESCAC Tournament opens up at Bowdoin on Friday, May 12.
