Coming off a 19−5 loss, the baseball team bounced back in a big way.
After falling to nationally ranked No. 15 Eastern Connecticut on Tuesday, the Jumbos rebounded the very next day to trounce Newbury 17−4 in a five−inning, rain−shortened game. Tufts was clearly anxious to get the bitter taste of defeat out of its mouth, as the first 10 Jumbo batters of the game reached base and the team went on to plate 12 runs in the first inning.
"It was good for guys to stay back and have quality at−bats," said senior tri−captain Alex Perry, who had the day off against Newbury. "It was great just to see guys take pride in their bats and not waste at−bats and put a good swing on the ball — stick to their mechanics and swing the way they should be swinging."
The Jumbos added another run in the second and four more in the fourth — the last inning in which they batted. That was enough room for sophomore pitcher Dave Ryan to work with, as he let up four runs — one of which was earned — over five innings pitched to improve to 3−1 on the year. He recorded seven strikeouts while walking four and surrendering eight hits.
Despite the contest being called due to weather, five Jumbos enjoyed multi−hit performances, including three−hit games from junior tri−captain Dave Leresche and classmate Ian Goldberg. The Jumbos sent 34 hitters to the batter's box on the day and came away with 16 hits, four free passes and two hit batsman — good for a stunning .571 average and .647 on−base percentage. Tufts also recorded nine doubles, putting the team slugging percentage at .893.
"I think we were all really excited to get back on the field and get momentum going into the weekend," Goldberg said. "We've got a lot of games left, and at least for me, I had to get my confidence back after a couple shaky performances at the plate."
The day before, things were not as pretty for Tufts. Looking to make a statement against a nationally ranked opponent, the Jumbos — who are not ranked despite their 22−5 overall record and 2−0 record against No. 25 Trinity — stumbled out of the gate and never recovered.
The Warriors scored eight runs in the first two innings of the game, which ended up being more than they would need. Tufts did show signs of life in the bottom of the second, managing three runs thanks to a couple of sacrifice flies and an error. But the Jumbos only sent two more runners across home plate for the rest of the game, as Warriors senior pitcher Will Musson twirled seven strong innings to move to 4−0 on the season.
On the Tufts side, junior Pat O'Donnell suffered his worse pitching performance of the season, surrendering 15 runs — eight of which were earned — on 12 hits and five walks over six innings of work.
"I think we just didn't come to play," Perry said. "With every game, you want to move forward, want to progress as a team. It doesn't necessarily mean win the game, but leave everything out there and move forward as a team. That game was sort of a setback for us. They certainly made us pay for that and took advantage."
The Jumbos' next contest will come this afternoon, when the team plays a makeup game against Trinity to close out the season series. Tufts will then take part in back−to−back doubleheaders over the weekend, as well as a game on Tuesday, in preparation for the NESCAC Tournament, which it will host.
"I think just in terms of outlook in terms of regional stage, [beating Trinity would be] a huge win for us if we can go out and play our type of baseball," Perry said. "At same time, it's a conference game and you always want to do well in−conference. We're already hosting the NESCAC Tournament, but to go out and beat Trinity would be great for us and would be great momentum for our big weekend."
