The baseball team took a big step forward in the NESCAC East pennant race this weekend, winning two games out of three in a crucial series with division rival Bowdoin.
After downing the Polar Bears 8-3 in Friday afternoon's series opener, the Jumbos returned to Huskins Field Saturday and split the ensuing doubleheader, prevailing 6-5 in nine innings in the first game before falling victim to a pair of huge Bowdoin rallies in game two, losing 9-2.
"We're definitely disappointed that we couldn't get the sweep," said junior pitcher Jason Protano, who took the mound in two of the three games. "That third game was really important in terms of putting us in the driver's seat for the remainder of our NESCAC East schedule. The fact that we couldn't get the win means we let them hang around. It's unfortunate that we couldn't move closer to putting an end to their season."
Bowdoin junior Ryan Turgeon improved to 4-0 on the year in the series finale, allowing two runs in five innings. Meanwhile, his counterpart, Protano, struggled on the mound, allowing six runs in two-plus innings before coach John Casey pulled him two batters into the third. Freshman Thomas Hill didn't fare much better, allowing three runs in an inning and two thirds, as Bowdoin ran away with the win early.
"They have a bunch of guys that can sit on the fastball," Protano said. "They have a lot of good hitters, and if you don't make good pitches, they're going to hit you hard. Hopefully, I can bounce back and pitch better next weekend against Trinity."
It was a taxing weekend for Protano, whose start on Saturday came less than 24 hours after pitching two innings of relief in Friday's opener. While he was stellar Friday, retiring all six Polar Bears he faced and striking out two, his second appearance was tougher. Still, Casey defended his decision to use the junior in both games.
"Protano threw 30 pitches, which he would have done in the bullpen anyway," Casey said. "He was going to have his workout today anyway, so we thought we'd just use him. We're trying to win each one as they come. We're going to do whatever we have to do to win the series."
Senior tri-captain Bryan McDavitt was a bright spot for the Jumbos, going 3-for-4 with a home run, while freshman Corey Pontes went 3-for-4 as well, finishing out a 6-for-10 weekend and pushing his average to a team-leading .417.
Saturday's first game initially appeared to be a pitching duel, as both Tufts' senior Derek Rice and Bowdoin's freshman Carter Butland kept their opponents hitless through two.
The two teams exploded in the third, however, as the Polar Bears posted three runs and the Jumbos plated four. Tufts managed only three hits in the inning, relying mainly on Butland's control troubles.
"We're not putting the ball in play enough," Casey said. "I thought we ran a little bit better - when we put the ball in play, we got infield hits. But we're looking at too many strikes. That was a pretty big strike zone, but it was consistent for both sides, so we can't complain about that. We've just got to hit the ball better."
Both squads turned to their bullpens to calm the storm, and both succeeded. Polar Bears' freshman Luke Potter and senior Tyler Turgeon each surrendered just one unearned run in 2.2 innings of work, while Tufts senior tri-captain Brian Casey kept Bowdoin hitless in three and a third innings.
"I actually thought Rice pitched well," coach Casey said. "But we made some horrible pitch calls, and that's my fault. But Brian came in and pitched his ass off, so we won."
The game headed into extra innings tied 5-5, and no one from either team reached base in the seventh, eighth or top of the ninth inning.
McDavitt broke the hitless streak with a leadoff hit in the ninth inning. As he attempted to stretch his hit into a triple, Polar Bears' junior shortstop Kenneth Kozens' cutoff throw went past the third base bag and into the Bowdoin dugout. McDavitt was awarded home plate and the winning run.
In the series opener, Tufts cruised to the victory, riding a four-run fourth-inning rally to an 8-3 win, the fourth of the year for junior southpaw Adam Telian. Telian allowed just six hits in seven innings of work, while Protano closed the game with two perfect innings.
"I thought Telian pitched great," coach Casey said. "They had six hits off of him, and no earned runs. Then Protano came in and shut the door for two innings, and he did a great job."
With the Polar Bears behind them, the Jumbos will look ahead to next weekend, which may be their biggest of the season. The Trinity Bantams are fresh off a weekend sweep of Colby, improving to 21-3 on the season and 7-2 in NESCAC play. Tufts must head to Hartford, Conn. for next weekend's three-game set, one with obvious playoff implications for the 5-1 Jumbos.
"This weekend is huge," Protano said. "We just have to take them one game at a time. We feel like we can beat Trinity. We're going to go up there and take that attitude there with us. We're very confident that we can take them."
The following weekend brings another road trip for the Jumbos, who finish their conference slate in Waterville, Maine against Colby. The last-place Mules may be winless at the moment, but they still have a chance to play spoiler.
"We've got to beat Trinity in two out of three to make sure we're in [the playoffs]," coach Casey said. "Just beat Trinity two of three, and Colby two of three, and we're in. We didn't make it any easier by not winning this last game. We win this last game, and we probably take Bowdoin out in a lot of ways, but that didn't happen, so we made it a little tougher for ourselves."
