After a doubleheader sweep of non-conference foe UMass-Dartmouth yesterday and a three-game sweep of Colby this weekend, the baseball team extended its winning streak to 14, its best since at least 2000.
Tufts beat UMass-Dartmouth 16-1 and 4-3 yesterday in North Dartmouth, Mass. But the Jumbos' sweep of the Mules was more important to a team looking to repeat as NESCAC champions.
On paper, the weekend matchup between undefeated Tufts (17-4-1 overall, 9-0 NESCAC) and winless Colby (10-14, 0-6) seemed a mismatch. But by sundown on Friday, it was clear the Jumbos would not roll out of Waterville, Maine, with a much-needed sweep unless they stepped up their game.
Tufts was up to the task and, with a determined effort, clinched a berth in the NESCAC tournament and is two wins against Bowdoin away from the East division's No. 1 seed.
The Jumbos saved their best for last in the series against Colby, putting forth a strong performance at the plate, on the mound and in the field to take the finale by a final score of 10-4.
But even that game didn't start smoothly. Senior co-captain shortstop David LeResche, senior centerfielder David Orlowitz and junior co-captain third baseman Sam Sager each singled to start the game — a scenario that under most circumstances would almost certainly lead to at least one run. But LeResche was thrown out at the plate on Sager's hit, followed by senior designated hitter Chase Rose and junior catcher Matt Collins both making unproductive outs to end the inning.
"We definitely fought ourselves at times," senior pitcher Ed Bernstein said. "But we battled and found a way to get things done."
It didn't take long to do so, as the Jumbos put up a three-spot an inning later and followed with another in the third. Sophomore first baseman Eric Weikert started both of those rallies with a single and came around to score both times. Senior second baseman Frank Petroskey drove in the first run of the game on a single of his own, and the Jumbos pushed their other two second-inning runs across when Orlowitz was hit by a pitch and Rose walked with the bases loaded.
When Orlowitz came up with the bases loaded again in the third, he made sure that Colby starter Nathanael Sugarbaker paid a much steeper price. The senior cleared the bases with a triple, giving Tufts a four-run lead it would not relinquish.
Senior starting pitcher Derek Miller wasn't perfect, allowing four runs on five hits and five walks while striking out six in six innings, but thanks to the offense, he didn't need to be, and improved to 2-1 on the season. Freshman reliever Dean Lambert contributed three shutout frames to slam the door.
The Jumbos added three more runs in the fifth inning, sparked by a leadoff single from senior Ian Goldberg and a walk drawn by Petroskey. Sophomore transfer Nate Izzo then put down a sacrifice bunt attempt, which Sugarbaker played into a triple with a critical error that allowed both runs to score. LeResche cashed Izzo in with a sacrifice fly.
Tufts added one more run in the eighth inning, producing a double-digit output for the sixth time this spring.
Earlier in the series, the Jumbos were involved in a pair of much tighter affairs. They grabbed a 3-0 lead in the second inning of the seven-inning middle match, taking advantage of an error and a run-scoring wild pitch. Sager plated the other two runs with a double.
Junior starter Dave Ryan made that lead stand up through four, but a catcher's interference error, a passed ball by Collins and a wild pitch by Ryan helped catalyze a two-run rally for Colby.
Tufts was able to manufacture the winning run in the top of the sixth, when Goldberg walked, sophomore first baseman Tom Howard laid down a sacrifice bunt and LeResche picked up his second RBI of the game on a single.
An error by Petroskey enabled the Mules to post an unearned run in the sixth against Bernstein, but the senior stopped the bleeding there to earn his third save of the season. He also added three strikeouts, upping his team-high total to 26 in 16 1/3 innings after the 4-3 win.
Ryan had the unique distinction of starting game two after he finished game one, claiming two victories in the process. The righty is now 5-0 and has taken over the NESCAC lead in wins.
On the heels of two flawless performances against Bates and Trinity, junior pitcher Kevin Gilchrist struggled on Friday. He was tagged with seven runs (four earned) on seven hits, a walk and two hit batsmen. But the offense had Gilchrist's back, ensuring that he wouldn't also be saddled with a loss.
The teams traded four-spots in the first before the Jumbos surged ahead with a two-run second and three-run third. Weikert and LeResche each had two hits, while Sager chipped in a couple of RBIs.
Yet the Mules kept chipping away at the lead, scoring in each of the first five innings and tying the game in the seventh.
Freshman Christian Sbily and Lambert held Colby to just two runs (one earned) over their six innings of long-relief, but the offense couldn't solve Mules freshman Lucas Geoghegan to put Colby away. As twilight set over Coombs Field, the game was tied at 9-9 after nine innings and wouldn't be resumed until noon on Saturday.
But the Jumbos were unfazed.
"The way we looked at it was the same as if we were just playing the normal doubleheader," Howard said. "The only difference was that we were going to have to play 17 innings instead of 16. Nothing changed in our preparation. We just wanted to go out and take three games."
They took care of business quickly in the 10th inning. Rose was hit by a pitch, Goldberg doubled him home and Howard gave Tufts an insurance run with a single. That's when Ryan took the mound, pulling double duty as a closer and a starter. He pitched a scoreless inning, leaving the final score at 11-9.
"Going into the series, Coach [John] Casey emphasized that we continue to play the way we've been taught to play," Howard said. "When we were able to do that, things went our way and we were able to have success."
The Jumbos won't have time to savor the sweep, as they have seven more games to play this week. Two of those games — against Daniel Webster on Thursday and Bentley on Friday — will take place at Huskins Field.
"We're all really excited for this week," Bernstein said. "I can't think of anything we'd rather be doing than going out there every day and playing baseball."
