TUFTS CLINCHES PLAYOFF SPOT IN SPLIT WITH BOWDOIN

COLLEGE BASEBALL FINAL SCORES
Game 1: Bowdoin 4 Tufts 2 (10 inn.)
Game 2: Tufts 6 Bowdoin 5

Date: Saturday, April 28, 2001
At Medford, MA

T – Steve Lapham (2-4) and Joe Surprenant; B – Andy Workman, Andrew Nichols (7), Scott Boruchow (10) and Manny Lora.
WP – Nichols (3-1); SV – Boruchow (1).
2B – T, Brian Shapiro, Dan Callahan, Tim Ayres; B – Joe Nicastro, Wes Ridlon.
HR – B, Workman (1).

Click here for Game 1 box score

T – Dave Martin, Brian Shapiro (7) and Joe Surprenant; B – Scott Boruchow, Jared Porter (5) and Manny Lora.
WP – Martin (4-1); LP – Boruchow (1-3).
2B – T, Jon Herbert, Greg Hickey,
HR – T, Dan Callahan (5); B, Seth Paradis (1).

Click here for Game 2 box score

Records – T, 16-10-1; B, 12-16.

MEDFORD – The Tufts University baseball team won the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) East Division regular-season title by splitting a double-header against Bowdoin College in baseball action on Saturday afternoon. Visiting Bowdoin won the first game 4-2 in 10 innings, but Tufts posted a 6-5 win in the second game.

The victory improved Tufts (16-10-1 overall) to 9-2 in the NESCAC East. Trinity College has already finished its NESCAC East schedule with a 9-3 mark. Tufts' ninth win against Bowdoin, along with a three-game sweep of Trinity earlier in the year, locks up the #1 seed in the East regardless of how the Jumbos fare in their division finale versus Bates on Monday. Tufts and Trinity will join the top two seeds from the NESCAC West (still tba) in the conference tournament May 11-13 at the site of the highest West seed.

The first game between Tufts and Bowdoin on Saturday was scheduled for seven innings, but went 10. Bowdoin won it with two runs in the top of the 10^th on an RBI single by junior CF Rob Metzler (West Hartford, CT) and another run that scored on a Tufts error. After freshman LF T.J. MacLeod (Gorham, ME) reached first base after failing on a sacrifice bunt attempt, he stole second and scored on the single by Metzler. Metzler then stole second, advanced to third on a fly ball and scored on the error. Tufts put two runners on base in the bottom of the inning, but could not score.

The Jumbos had led 2-0 with a pair of runs in the second following a lead-off double by sophomore SS Brian Shapiro (Swampscott, MA), a run-scoring single by junior 1B Tim Ayres (Irvine, CA) and an RBI ground out by senior DH Cory Dolich (Alameda, CA). Bowdoin tied the score at 2-2 in the fifth when freshman P Andy Workman (Ipswich, MA) launched a two-run homer to left field after senior SS Greg Lovely (Milton, MA) had reached on an error. Workman pitched 6.1 innings for Bowdoin, allowing just the two runs. Freshman Andrew Nichols (Barnstable, MA) pitched 3.1 solid relief innings to earn the win, but not until sophomore Scott Boruchow (Malvern, PA) entered to record the last out with two Jumbos on base in the tenth. Junior Steve Lapham (Newburyport, MA) pitched all 10 innings for Tufts and was the hard-luck loser.

In game two, Tufts sophomore P Dave Martin (Arlington, MA) allowed just three hits and one run in six innings as the Jumbos built a 6-1 lead. Junior RF Dan Callahan (Medfield, MA) drove home three runs with a solo home run in the third – his third tater of the series – and RBI singles in the fourth and sixth. Sophomore CF Evan Zupancic (Lake Oswego, OR) spanked a two-run single in the fourth, when Tufts scored three times. Bowdoin came alive in the top of the seventh off reliever Shapiro, who walked two of the first three hitters he faced. Polar Bear junior LF Seth Paradis (Auburn, MA) then blasted a three-run home run to close the gap to 6-5. Shapiro retired the next to batters and Tufts had its much-needed victory.

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