Yesterday afternoon, the baseball team took on Waltham-based Bentley College, the only Div. II opponent on the Jumbos' schedule in 2007, and they were undaunted by the threat of higher competition.
Yesterday, Tufts conquered one division and tomorrow, they're set to win another.
Two days before their crucial game against NESCAC East foe Colby, with the division title on the line, the Jumbos took care of business in their home midweek contest with Bentley. Senior catcher Chris Decembrele went 2 for 3 and plated the go-ahead run with a sixth-inning homer, and six pitchers combined to three-hit the Falcons as Tufts prevailed 3-1.
Freshman Thomas Hill started things off on the mound for Tufts with two hitless innings, followed by two innings of work each from senior Carlos Lopez and sophomore Mike Stefaniak. Senior Derek Rice, junior Adam Telian and senior tri-captain Brian Casey then polished off the Falcons, who only managed four baserunners in the game.
"We found a way to win, and I think good teams find a way to win," coach John Casey said. "We threw pretty much everyone on the staff today, and they were pretty much getting their workouts in, so that worked out well - no one threw extra. I thought Hill threw very well in the first two innings, and I was pleased with Stefaniak."
Offensively, it was Decembrele's show. While the Falcons aren't known for their pitching, sporting a 5.82 team ERA on the season, they held the Jumbos to eight hits, two days after their 13-3 massacre of UMass Dartmouth. Two of those hits came from Decembrele, who broke a 1-1 tie with his third home run of the season in the sixth inning, and then later singled and scored in the eighth.
"I guess I got lucky," Decembrele said. "I hit a couple of fastballs. But I feel good at the plate - I'm seeing the ball much better. And that just comes with time. The more pitches you see, the more comfortable you get at the plate."
The Falcons' first two pitchers, freshman Matt Boudrow and sophomore Bill Cekovsky did well against the Tufts lineup, holding the Jumbos scoreless through the first four innings. The Jumbos' hitters jumped on freshman Joe McKenna in the fifth, however. Brian Casey started things off with a one-out double, and two batters later, junior Steve Ragonese singled him home for his NESCAC-leading 33rd RBI.
Meanwhile, the Tufts pitchers held down the fort. Lopez allowed an RBI double from senior Tom Haugh in the fourth inning, but the Jumbos silenced the Bentley offense for the rest of the game. Stefaniak, Rice, Telian and Casey all held the Falcons scoreless, and Bentley didn't manage a single baserunner in innings six through nine.
"Our pitching did well today - they held them to one run," Decembrele said. "Everyone threw strikes and did what they had to do win today, and that's really all you can ask from those guys. Throwing just one or two innings doesn't give you much of a rhythm to get into, but they still pitched well."
The win over Bentley was the Jumbos' 19th of the season, and if they pick up number 20 this weekend, they can book their tickets for a return trip to the NESCAC playoffs. Tufts enters the final weekend of its league schedule with a NESCAC East record of 7-2, mired in a three-way race with 8-4 Trinity and 5-3 Bowdoin.
Luckily for the Jumbos, they took two games out of three from each division rival in head-to-head play earlier this season, which gives them the tiebreaker advantage over both teams. One win in this weekend's Colby series is enough to clinch a playoff spot, and a second one would give them nine wins and the division title. Despite the Mules' 2-6 division record two wins may not be easy to come by.
"I think Colby's playing very well," Casey said. "They're hitting the ball well - we're going to have to play very good baseball to beat them. But it's okay. We've got to earn it."
The Jumbos are heavy favorites against Colby, as they're undefeated in their last 22 meetings with the Mules, a streak dating back to 2001. But in a game of this magnitude, this team isn't taking anything for granted.
"It's an away game, it's the NESCAC, and anything can happen," Decembrele said. "But we're pretty confident. Our pitchers are pitching well right now, and we had a couple of good wins last week. We've got some confidence, and we're ready to go up and take the NESCAC East."
