Box Score MEDFORD - The Tufts Baseball team earned its seventh NESCAC East Division pennant with a double-header sweep of Bates College on Saturday at Huskins Field. The Jumbos won game one 5-0 and took the nightcap 19-4.
Senior tri-captain Tom Ryan went six strong innings while senior DH Bryan Egan and senior catcher Nick Barker both had two rbis in the opener. Senior catcher Will Glazier had eight rbis to lead game two's offensive onslaught.
Tufts entered the day needing one win to earn one of the East's two spots in the upcoming NESCAC Championship tournament (May 8-10) and two victories to win the East. They accomplished both while improving to 24-7 overall and finishing their East slate at 8-4.
Bates, who won the series opener on Friday 9-4, is still alive for the other East Division berth into NESCAC's. The Bobcats are now 12-15 overall and 4-4 in the division.
Ryan allowed five hits and one walk while striking out eight to improve to 4-2. With Tufts leading 2-0 in the second, Bates put runner on first and second with no outs including a double by sophomore SS Brendan Fox. Ryan retired the next three, including two by strikeout, to end the threat. He struck out three in the third to negate back-to-back singles by senior RF Nate Pajka and senior 3B Sam Berry.
Tufts scored all of its runs in the first two innings. After senior CF Connor McDavitt and junior LF Cody McCallum led off the first with singles and both stole second, Egan's single to center put Tufts up 2-0. Barker's two-run single and an rbi hit-by-pitch to freshman 3B Tommy O'Hara in the third gave Tufts a 5-0 advantage.
McDavitt was 3 for 3 at the top of the Tufts order in game one.
Bates starter Connor Speed settled down and allowed just three Tufts base runners from the third through sixth. He gave up seven hits and five runs with six strikeouts and a walk in six innings while taking the loss.
Game two was over quickly as Tufts scored six in the first and five in the second to lead 11-0. Glazier cleared the bases with a double in the first and hit a two-run triple in the second. Sophomore 2B Tom Petry had a two-run double in the second.
The Jumbos would add four more in the fifth, with Glazier in the middle of it again. He hit a two-run single helping Tufts take a 15-0 lead. He would cap his game with an rbi fielder's choice in the sixth.
Freshman 1B Michael McLaughlin, who entered in the fifth, hit a two-run home run in the eighth and had rbis in each of his other two at bats. Sophomore RF Oscar Kutch scored five runs in the game, junior SS Matt Moser was 3 for 5 with three runs and O'Hara finished 3 for 4 with three runs and an rbi.
Berry, whose two home runs helped Bates win on Friday, hit another two-run shot to put Bates on the scoreboard in the sixth. He finished game two 2 for 5 with three rbis and a run, including an rbi single in the seventh. Sophomore John Dinucci went 2 for 4 and scored a run in the seventh.
Tufts only out-hit Bates 14-10 in game two, but Bobcat pitchers walked 11 and hit three others. Junior Andrew David started for Tufts and went seven innings allowing 10 hits and four runs (three earned) with 11 strikeouts and a walk. He improved to 6-0 with the win. Sophomore reliever Speros Varinos struck out the side in the eighth.
The Jumbos travel to Eastern Connecticut for a single game on Monday at 4 pm. Bates plays a single NESCAC East game at home versus Bowdoin on Tuesday.
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