SUFFOLK TAKES ECAC TITLE OVER JUMBOS, 12-3
COLLEGE BASEBALL FINAL SCORE
ECAC New England Division III Championship Game
Suffolk 12 Tufts 3
at Medford, Mass.
May 13, 2000
| Tufts | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | = | 3-7-3 |
| Suffolk | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | x | = | 12-13-1 |
T – Nick Svencer, Brian Shapiro (3), Dave Martin (6) and Joe Surprenant; S – Jeff Russell (8-2) and Adam Pellerin.
LP – Svencer (3-1).
2B – T, Joe Surprenant, Dave Martin; S, Nick Melchionna 2, Jared Leach, Gabe Soto, Joe Duca.
HR – T, Evan Zupancic (3).
RBI – T, Todd Boutwell, Evan Zupancic, Dave Martin; S, Nick Melchionna 3, Jared Leach 3, Gabe Soto, Joe Duca, Mike Anastasia.
Records – T, 26-12; S, 36-7.
MEDFORD – Senior P Jeff Russell (Quincy, MA) went the distance, and senior 3B Nick Melchionna (Revere, MA) and junior CF Jared Leach (North Kingston, RI) combined for seven hits and six RBIs at the top of the batting order, as the Suffolk University Rams won the 2000 ECAC New England Division III Baseball Championship with a 12-3 victory over the Tufts University Jumbos on Saturday afternoon.
Suffolk (36-7), the top seed in the tournament who were preparing for next weekend's start of the NCAA Tournament, won their first ECAC title. Senior P Max Nunez (Lawrence, MA) was named tournament MVP after throwing a three-hit shutout in Suffolk's 6-0 semi-final win over Worcester State earlier in the day. Second seeded Tufts finished its season with a 26-12 mark, the most wins in team history.
Suffolk jumped to a 9-0 lead after five innings, scoring in every inning but the third. Leach, who finished 4 for 5, had RBI singles in the first and fourth innings sandwiched around a run-scoring double in the second. Melchionna, who was 3 for 5, blasted a three-run double in the fifth.
Russell cruised through the first seven innings. He didn't allow a hit until Tufts freshman CF Evan Zupancic (Lake Oswego, OR) singled back up the box with two outs in the fifth. The Jumbos spoiled his shutout bid when junior C Joe Surprenant (Tewksbury, MA) doubled to lead off the eighth and scored on a single by junior LF Todd Boutwell (Woburn, MA). Tufts added two more in the ninth, including a solo home run by Zupancic.
Suffolk added three runs in the eighth with a double by junior DH Joe Duca (East Boston, MA) and two Tufts errors.
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