JUMBOS ADVANCE TO ECAC SEMIS WITH 10-1 WIN OVER WPI

COLLEGE BASEBALL FINAL SCORE
ECAC New England Division III Quarterfinal
Tufts 10 WPI 1

At Medford, MA

W –Eric Thiboutot, Brandon Perry (8) and Mike Sorrentino; T – Zack Brown, Jon Lee (6) and Joe Surprenant.

WP – Brown (7-2); LP – Thiboutot (7-1); Sv – Lee (1).

2B – T, Cory Dolich 2, Todd Boutwell 2.

HR – T, Zack Brown (1), Dan Callahan (1).

RBI – W, Jay Katz; T, Dan Callahan 3, Cory Dolich 2, Zack Brown, Evan Zupancic, Joe Surprenant, Kevin Marotta, Tim Ayres.

Records – W, 16-13-1; T, 25-11.

MEDFORD – Sophomore RF Dan Callahan (Medfield, MA) had three hits and three RBIs as the Tufts University Jumbos advanced to the semi-finals of the ECAC New England Division III Baseball Tournament with a 10-1 win over the WPI Engineers in the first round.

The Jumbos (25-11), seeded second, will play the winner of the Salem State-Amherst quarterfinal to be played today at 3:30 pm. Seventh seed WPI finishes its season with a 16-13-1 record.

Host Tufts scored three runs in the bottom of the first inning sparked by a two-run double from junior 2B Cory Dolich (Alameda, CA). Senior P/DH Zack Brown (Melrose, MA) and Callahan each smacked solo home runs in the bottom of the second to push the Tufts lead to 5-0.

WPI scored its only run of the game in the third off Brown when sophomore P/DH Eric Thiboutot (Nashua, NH) singled, stole second and scored on two Tufts errors. Brown allowed just three hits in five innings of work to improve his record to 7-2. Freshman Jon Lee (Manhasset Hills, NY) came on in relief to start the sixth and allowed three hits in four innings of work for a save.

Callahan added an RBI single in the sixth, then Tufts scored three times in the seventh and once in eighth. The Jumbos had 12 hits overall off Thiboutot and freshman reliever Brandon Perry (South Carver, MA), including three (two doubles) by junior LF Todd Boutwell (Woburn, MA). The Jumbos were also aided by a tremendous diving-towards-the-fence catch by freshman CF Evan Zupancic (Lake Oswego, OR) on WPI senior 1B Steve Horsman's (Abington, MA) drive with two on and two out in the sixth in a 5-1 ball game.

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