HARTFORD, CT (April 22, 2023) -- The Tufts University baseball team upped its win streak to 10 games on Saturday, taking both ends of a New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) doubleheader with host Trinity College with scores of 7-5 and 5-1. The Jumbos are now 9-0 in the NESCAC East Division, leading Colby College by three games in the standings with a three-game set with the Camels set for next weekend up in Waterville, ME.
Game 1: Tufts 7, Trinity 5
Tufts rallied from down 5-0 late in the contest to Trinity, scoring seven runs in the final three innings including two runs in the top of the seventh for the come from behind victory.
The Bantams scored three runs in the bottom of the first, followed by two in the bottom of the second to take a quick 5-0 lead. Tufts reliever
Cameron Mayer came in and settled down the Trinity bats, as he allowed no runs from the third to the sixth to keep the Jumbos within striking distance.
Tufts got on the board in the top of the fifth, as
Henry Fleckner delivered a RBI single up the middle to plate
Patrick Solomon who had earlier singled with one out. The Jumbos had a chance to add on more in the frame but stranded three to keep the score 5-1 in favor of the hosts.
In the sixth inning,
Ben Leonard started a big rally for the Jumbos with a walk, followed by a hit by pitch on
Connor Davidson to put runners at first and second. Back-to-back walks forced in a run to make it 5-2, and
Ozzie Fleischer reached on a catcher's interference to push in another run. With two outs in the sixth, first-year
Jesse McCullough came up with a clutch hit, scoring Solomon with a single to left to tie the game at five.
Trinity loaded the bases in the bottom of the sixth, but Mayer was able to work out of the jam, and Tufts took advantage in the top of the seventh.
Connor Flavin doubled to start the inning, followed by a walk and hit by pitch to load the bases. Solomon would push in the game-winning run on a sacrifice fly, and an error on the play allowed another run to score to make it 7-5.
Brendan McFall came in in the bottom half of the seven and worked a 1-2-3 inning to pick up his seventh save of the season.
McCullough followed his first multi-hit game on Friday night with another one Saturday, going 2-for-4 with a RBI. Fleckner was 1-for-4 with a RBI, and Solomon went 1-for-2 with two runs batted in and two runs scored.
Connor Davidson also scored twice, and
Jimmy Evans was 1-for-3 with a walk and double. Mayer allowed just one earned run and four hits over 5.1 innings of relief to move to 2-0 on the season.
Game 2: Tufts 5, Trinity 1
Fleckner blasted his second homer of the season in the top of the third, a solo shot over the left field wall to give the Jumbos the lead for good in a 5-1 lead.
The junior hammered a inside pitch way over the fence to put the Jumbos up 1-0 in the third, and sophomore pitcher
Connor Podeszwa was sensational throughout to make the lead stand up. Tufts added three more in the top of the fifth on one swing, as Evans cleared the bases with a double down the left-field line to put Tufts up 4-0.
In the top of the sixth, Davidson would pick up his second homer of the season as he led off the frame with a shot to make it 5-0. Trinity pushed across a run in the bottom of the seventh off of Tufts reliever
Justin Wells, but that would be all the Bantams could manage as Tufts secured the weekend sweep.
McCullough added another three hits for the Jumbos, walking once as well, and
Connor Bowman was 2-for-4 in the win. Fleckner was 1-for-3 with a walk, RBI and run scored as well. On the hill, Podeszwa moved to 4-3 on the season with a marvelous performance, going six scoreless while scattering four hits and fanning six Bantam hitters. McFall came out of the bullpen to work two scoreless innings, picking up his second save of the day and eighth on the season.
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The Jumbos win streak of 10 is the longest since a 10-game win streak to start the 2021 season, and the longest since an 11-game win streak back in 2013. Tufts will look to keep its winning ways going Tuesday at home, taking on Eastern Nazarene College at 6 p.m. at home on Sol Gittleman Park.
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