This past weekend at DiBenedetto Stadium in Hartford, Conn., was a tough but telling stretch for Tufts baseball — a clear moment of reckoning against NESCAC rival Trinity College. Having three games to make a statement, the Jumbos stumbled early but finished with a dramatic flourish, cinching a victory in the third game after dropping the first two.
Friday afternoon began brightly enough for Tufts, exploding out of the gate with a four-run first inning. Junior outfielder Owen McKiernan punctuated the inning with a towering three-run homer. It seemed briefly like Tufts might take control, but baseball can turn swiftly — and it did, emphatically, in Trinity’s favor. Trinity retaliated immediately, scoring six runs in the third inning and never looking back.
Trinity’s designated hitter Aidan Stevenson was unstoppable at the plate, delivering eight RBIs on the afternoon and dismantling Tufts pitching. The Jumbos’ starting pitcher, graduate student Silas Reed, endured a tough outing, surrendering ten runs over four innings. Relief pitching struggled to find footing as well, with multiple Trinity hitters reaching base and driving in runs consistently in the later innings. Senior outfielder Ben Leonard provided a brief highlight with a solo home run in the third, but the offense stalled thereafter. The Bantams rolled to a 19–7 victory, leaving the Jumbos reeling.
Saturday presented Tufts with a chance to quickly erase the previous day’s disappointment with a doubleheader. The game initially seemed promising; Tufts jumped out to a quick 3–0 lead through two innings, driven by a timely hit from senior outfielder Cooper Smith and a sacrifice fly from junior infielder Jesse McCullough. Senior pitcher Connor Podeszwa started well, but trouble found him in the third inning as Trinity chipped away with two runs, capitalizing on walks and timely hitting from the heart of their lineup.
The decisive blow came in the sixth inning — the Bantams erupted for four runs, fueled by aggressive base running, opportunistic hitting and Jumbo defensive miscues, turning a tight game into a definitive 6–3 Bantam advantage. Despite a solid early effort, Tufts simply could not answer late, and as Trinity’s pitching tightened up, Tufts was limited to just one hit over the final five innings. Dropping their second consecutive game of the series, Tufts faced increasing pressure heading into the day’s final matchup.
With their backs against the wall, the Jumbos entered the last game of the doubleheader needing a win to salvage the weekend. Early innings hinted at another struggle, but Tufts refused to go quietly. They took a solid 5–1 lead into the sixth, led by key hits from Leonard, McKiernan and senior infielder Henry Fleckner. Yet, once again, Trinity roared back, plating an eye-popping eight runs in the bottom of the inning to take a commanding 9–5 lead.
What unfolded next was nothing short of remarkable. Trailing 10–6 entering the ninth inning, Tufts mounted a stunning four-run rally, sparked by first-year infielder James Henshon’s three-run homer, with a RBI groundout tying the game later in the inning. Momentum firmly on their side, the Jumbos’ bats weren’t done yet. In the tenth inning, Tufts delivered an offensive eruption of their own, scoring seven runs to seal an improbable 17–11 victory.
Henshon had a standout day, tallying five RBIs, including a clutch home run. Fleckner matched him step for step, also driving in five runs with a homer and a triple. Leonard, ever consistent, added three hits and an RBI, anchoring the comeback effort. The resilience in this final game offered a silver lining in an otherwise frustrating series.
Still, the series exposed areas needing improvement — pitching depth was tested severely, a point echoed by sophomore pitcher Ronan Hwang in a message to the Daily, emphasizing the need for consistency: “The biggest emphasis right now is throwing strikes. Other than that, we are still confident in ourselves, so we trust that it’ll pan out.”
Yet, the dramatic victory in the third game hinted at this team’s offensive potential. That volatility on the mound hasn’t gone unnoticed within the team. Reed, who’s been a steady presence in the rotation over the last few seasons, was candid about both the challenges and the bigger picture in a message to the Daily.
“I honestly feel like I haven’t pitched as well as I would have liked so far this year,” Reed wrote. “But Dez, Lapp, and Derek have done a great job keeping us in games and series this season. I think the staff will really grow heading into the playoffs because we’ve had so many more guys on the mound in big spots this year than we have in the past.”
Reed’s point speaks to where this group stands — not always sharp, not always clean but seasoned. And with a conference-heavy schedule still ahead, the Jumbos may benefit from having already been pushed hard in April.
Through 29 games, the Jumbos’ offensive leaders have emerged clearly. Smith leads the team with a .355 batting average, while Henshon closely follows at .354. Leonard, a consistent power threat, has launched a team-high six home runs and boasts an impressive .604 slugging percentage. On the mound, Podeszwa and Reed have anchored the rotation with ERAs of 3.55 and 3.76, respectively, providing stability despite the team’s overall ERA sitting at 6.01.
The weekend against Trinity was certainly a mixed bag, but Tufts emerged knowing precisely what they must address. If their late-game comeback is any indication, the Jumbos still have plenty to prove as the season continues.
