JUMBOS TAKE TWO FROM VIRGINIA-WESLEYAN
COLLEGE BASEBALL FINAL SCORES
Game 1: Tufts 3 Virginia-Wesleyan 1
Game 2: Tufts 9 Virginia-Wesleyan 1
At Norfolk, VA
March 24, 2002
Game 1
| Tufts | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | = | 3-9-2 |
| Virginia-Wesleyan | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | = | 1-8-3 |
Game 2
| Tufts | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 0 | = | 9-12-2 |
| Virginia-Wesleyan | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | = | 1-8-1 |
Records: T, 6-3-1; V, 13-12.
NORFOLK, VA -- Tufts University capped off their Spring Break trip by squeaking out an extra-innings victory in the first game, then exploded for five funs in the fifth inning of game two in a double-header sweep of host Virginia-Wesleyan College in Division III baseball action on Sunday afternoon. With their fifth and sixth straight wins, the Jumbos now return home with a 6-3-1 record, while the Blue Marlins dropped to 13-12.
Game one was a pitchers' duel. While both ends of the doubleheader were scheduled for seven innings, it took two extra frames before the Jumbos pulled out the win. Junior P Dave Martin (Arlington, MA) pitched a complete nine-inning game, allowing a single run while striking out four. Blue Marlin P Adam Hamilton also pitched a strong game, going six innings and allowing only one run on six hits.
After scattering two hits over the first three innings, the Jumbos were the first to get on the board. With one out in the top of the fourth, senior RF Dan Callahan (Medfield, MA) crushed a 0-1 pitch over the fence, giving Tufts a 1-0 lead on his third home run of the season. The lead held only until the next inning, however, when Virginia-Wesleyan responded with a pair of singles to even the score, 1-1.
That score held until the end of the seventh, when it seemed the Jumbos would break open the game. But with the bases loaded and two outs, Virginia-Wesleyan reliever Casey Ireland struck out junior CF Evan Zupancic (Lake Oswego, OR) to end the threat. The Blue Marlins squandered an opportunity of their own in the bottom of the eighth. With one out and runners on second and third, Martin intentionally walked 3B Brandon Hill to load the bases. He then got SS Paul Johnson to hit into a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning. Freshman 3B Adam Kacamburas (North Reading, MA) and sophomore C Greg Hickey (Medway, MA) scored the winning and insurance runs in the top of the ninth on LF Drew Blewett's (Great Falls, MT) two-out single, putting the Jumbos up 3-1. A double-play and pop-out by the Blue Marlins in the bottom of the ninth sealed the victory.
The nightcap was not quite as dramatic. Tufts received an equally impressive effort on the mound, this time from freshman P Jeff Volinski (Andover, MA), who pitched a complete seven-inning game and allowed a single run on eight hits. At the plate, the Jumbos jumped on the Blue Marlin pitching early and often, taking an 9-0 lead through the middle of the sixth. Kacamburas, Hickey, and freshman 2B Frank Dinucci (Wilton, CT) drove in two runs apiece to lead the way for the Jumbos. The Blue Marlins finally got on the board with one run in the bottom of the sixth, but the rally was short-lived as the Jumbos rolled to a 9-1 victory.
Between the two games, Kacamburas went 5-for-7 with a double to raise his season average to .391. Tufts pitchers had a combined ERA of 1.13.
#