Three out of four ain't bad.
The baseball team, which had dropped its last three NESCAC games against Trinity two weekends ago, got back to winning ways on Friday and Saturday, taking three out of four against the Middlebury Panthers after playing two doubleheaders -- the first at Tufts and the second at Middlebury -- over the weekend. The wins improve Tufts to 9-14 overall, but unfortunately for the Jumbos, although Middlebury is a conference rival, their standing in the NESCAC East does not improve, as the Panthers play in the NESCAC West. Tufts is currently third in its division behind Trinity and Bowdoin, with a 2-4 record against fellow East teams.
"It was great for momentum, especially to get back on track," junior co-captain and catcher Alex Perry said. "We had the win against Brandeis during the week, then taking three out of four was big, especially with the week we have coming up -- we have an important conference series against Bowdoin. It was really big to get these wins and get some momentum."
The final game of the series featured perhaps its best pitching performance, as sophomore lefty Derek Miller, in only his second collegiate start, pitched a four-hit, seven-inning complete game against the Panthers to improve to 2-1 on the year.
"It felt great," Miller said. "After seeing them put up a huge [16-run] offensive explosion the first game, it was a big confidence booster to go out and hold them to one run." Miller had some control problems, walking five compared to only two strikeouts, but allowed only four hits and one run to a Middlebury squad that is second in the NESCAC with averages of 12.8 hits and 9.0 runs per game.
"I think it was really just focusing on hitting the spots the whole time," Miller said. "I really just did my best to focus on hitting the glove and not try to strike everyone out. I let the ball do the work and got some ground balls and flyouts in clutch situations."
The Tufts offense also performed well, putting up eight runs against the Panthers, a feat the Jumbos accomplished in three out of the four games. The offensive outburst was highlighted by sophomore infielder David Orlowitz, who was making only his third collegiate start. Orlowitz went 2 for 4 with four RBIs, including a three-run homer in the top of the sixth that turned an uncertain 3-1 Tufts lead into a comfortable five-run advantage.
A day earlier at Tufts, the Jumbos took both ends of their home twinbill, winning 6-4 in the first game and 9-4 in the second. Sophomore righty Pat O'Donnell started the first game, allowing four runs in 5.2 innings, but was picked up by freshman Chris DeGoti, who struck out three batters in 1.1 innings to pick up the win. In the nightcap, senior Mike Stefaniak showed his veteran prowess, striking out six over six innings while giving up only three earned runs to improve to 3-1 on the season.
The only game Tufts lost in the series was the first contest at Middlebury. The Jumbos' offense again did well, putting up eight runs, but the pitching dropped the ball, allowing 16 total runs to the Middlebury offense. All four Jumbo pitchers in the game struggled, as each gave up at least three runs.
While the Jumbos believe they have yet to display their peak performance, they're happy with the overall results of the weekend.
"We have to continue to get better," Perry said. "We're not at our full potential, and we know that. Still, it was nice to get some production on offense, defense and from the pitching. We're not satisfied, but we're happy that things are heating up a little bit, and we're just trying to keep it going and keep getting better every day."
Tufts will next face Bentley at home on Tuesday, followed by a three-game homestand against East rival Bowdoin. While the Jumbos have no chance of catching the first-place Trinity Bantams, who sit at 9-0 in the East, winning the series against the Polar Bears, who are just a game ahead of Tufts at 3-3, would put the Jumbos in second place in the division -- exactly where they need to be if they want to make the playoffs.
"These are probably the biggest three games of our season so far," Perry said. "With us and Bowdoin both losing to Trinity three times, this could potentially be for second place in the conference, so these three games are huge."
