TUFTS, TRINITY TO PLAY FOR NESCAC BASEBALL TITLE

COLLEGE BASEBALL FINAL SCORES
NESCAC Tournament - SATURDAY, MAY 11, 2002
Game 3: Wesleyan 8    Williams 7
Game 4: Tufts 6    Trinity 2
Game 5: Trinity 6    Wesleyan 5

Game 3: Wesleyan, 8-7

At Wellesley, MA

Wes - Nate Whalen (6-2) and Angus Fredenburg; Wil - Bobby Coppola (5-3) and Matt Starkey.
2B - Wes, Matt Johnson; Wil, Mark Scialabba.
3B - Wes, Bill Robinson.
HR - Wes, Dave Vanech (3), Bill Robinson (3); Wil, Billy Casolo (3), Jabe Bergeron (10), Austin Lehn (2), Mark Scialabba (13).
SB - Wes, Angus Fredenburg 2, Dave Bushnell, Jason Vitko; Wil, Scott Johnson.

Records - Wes 21-15; Wil, 25-13.

Game 4: Tufts, 6-2

At Medford, MA

Game Box Score

Records – Tu, 25-7-1; Tr, 24-10.  

Game 5: Trinity, 6-5

At Medford, MA

W - Dave Vanech (3-4) and Angus Fredenburg; T - Mark Mahoney (4-2) and Rob Dolliver.
2B - W, Dave Vanech, Justin Vincent; T, Tom Osuch.
HR - W, Angus Fredenburg (3); T, Jeff Natale (2), Jayme Dorr (7).

Records – W, 21-16; T, 25-10.

MEDFORD – Tufts University and Trinity College will play for the NESCAC baseball championship on Sunday at 11:00 after both won critical games during tournament play on Saturday. Tufts is in the driver's seat with a 2-0 record in the tournament. Trinity (2-1) will have to beat the Jumbos twice on Sunday to win the conference title and the automatic NCAA Tournament berth that comes with it.

Three tournament games were played on Saturday. Wesleyan University beat Williams College in the first elimination game, 8-7. Tufts posted a 6-2 victory over Trinity in the winner's bracket to advance to the championship game. Trinity then eliminated Wesleyan by a 6-5 score in the last game of the day.

In the Wesleyan-Williams game played at Babson College, Wesleyan junior SS Bill Robinson (Berlin, CT) hit a two-run, walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth to give the Cardinals an 8-7 win. That blow erased a two-out, three-run home run by Williams senior 1B Mark Scialabba (Queensbury, NY) in the top of the eighth that had given the Ephs a 7-6 lead. Wesleyan had taken a 6-4 advantage in the bottom of the seventh when junior 1B Dave Vanech (Providence, RI) smashed a two-run home run. There were six home runs hit in the game, and Williams parked three of them in the first four innings to take a 4-1 lead. Wesleyan rallied to tie the score at 4-4 after five innings before the late-inning fireworks on both sides. Junior Nate Whalen (Chicago, IL), whose only two pitches in Wesleyan's opening round loss against Trinity on Friday were hit for home runs, went the distance for the win and retired 12 straight at one point in the middle innings. Robinson had three hits and three RBIs, while Vanech had two hits and three RBIs for Wes. Scialabba had two hits and three RBIs for Williams, while sophomore DH Jabe Bergeron (Chesterfield, NH) had two hits and two RBIs. Williams, the defending champion, ended its season with a 25-13 mark.

In the winner's bracket game between Tufts and Trinity, Jumbo senior P Steve Lapham (Newburyport, MA) went seven strong innings and senior RF Dan Callahan (Medfield, MA) drove home three runs in the 6-2 win. Callahan mashed a two-run home run in the first to give Tufts a 2-0 lead. The margin stretched to 4-0 during a two-run fourth that was highlight by an RBI triple from sophomore 3B Adam Kacamburas (North Reading, MA). Lapham allowed just three hits through six innings before Trinity got on the scoreboard with a lead-off home run in the seventh by junior 2B Kurt Piantek (Wallingford, CT). Lapham retired the next three hitters and finished seven innings allowing just four hits and a run to earn the eventual win. Junior Brian Shapiro (Swampscott, MA), who gave Tufts a 6-1 lead with an RBI single in the eighth, came on in relief and faced a bases-loaded with no outs situation in the Trinity ninth. He induced a double-play grounder and then a fly ball out to finish the game. Callahan, Shapiro and sophomore DH Greg Hickey (Medway, MA) each had two hits for Tufts. Piantek and senior SS Andy Freimuth (Bistol, CT) had a pair of hits for Trinity.

In the second elimination game between Trinity and Wesleyan, Bantam senior 1B Nick Callini (Westfield, MA) laced a run-scoring single to left in the bottom of the eighth that was the difference in Trinity's 6-5 win. Wesleyan sophomore C Angus Fredenburg (Concord, NH) had hit a two-run bomb to right with two outs in the seventh to give the Cardinals a 5-3 lead. Trinity responded with a two-run homer of its own by junior 3B Jayme Dorr (Osterville, MA) in the bottom of the seventh to tie the game at 5-5. The game was tight throughout. Wesleyan scored twice in the first on a two-run single by Vanech. Trinity freshman LF Jeff Natale (Hamden, CT) led off the bottom of the first with a home run. A run-scoring double by sophomore 1B Justin Vincent (Longmeadow, MA) gave Wes a 3-1 lead, but Trinity pulled even with a run in the third and another in the fifth on a single by Natale. Senior P Mark Mahoney (Newton, MA) went the distance on the mound for the victory. Natale and senior RF Tom Osuch (Fairhaven, MA) had two hits for Trinity. Vanech had three hits and two RBIs for the Cardinals, but was also the complete-game losing pitcher. Wesleyan's season ended with a 21-16 record.

Tufts (25-7-1) and Trinity (25-10) play for the title on Sunday at 11 am.

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