VIRGINIA WESLEYAN SWEEPS TUFTS IN SPRING TRIP FINALE
COLLEGE BASEBALL FINAL SCORES
Game 1: Virginia Wesleyan 9 Tufts 4
Game 2: Virginia Wesleyan 6 Tufts 4
At Virginia Beach, VA
Sunday, March 23, 2003
VIRGINIA BEACH – The Tufts Baseball team was swept by Virginia Wesleyan College in a double-header that ended the team's spring trip on Sunday. Head Coach John Casey's team returns home with a 5-4 record. The Jumbos went down 9-4 in the first game and 6-4 in the nightcap.
Virginia Wesleyan never trailed in the first game, opening up a 3-2 lead with a three-run fourth inning, highlighted by John Kasiski's lead-off triple. Tufts scored its two runs in the top of the third when sophomore 1B John McBride (Billerica, MA) led off with a double. He later scored on a fielder's choice. The second run scored on a passed ball. The Marlins extended a 6-2 lead to 9-2 in the bottom of the fifth, scoring three more runs, helped by singles by Dan Rosendale and junior Jason Watson and a sacrifice by first-year Marlin Mike Snapp.
Tufts' senior pitcher Jon Lee (Manhasset Hills, NY) was tagged for eight hits, including an Adams homer, in his four innings of work. Jeff Volinski (Andover, MA) and Mike Byron (Hanover, MA) finished for the Jumbos. McBridge and sophomore 2B Frank Dinucci (Wilton, CT) had two hits for Tufts. Johnson had three of VSC's 12 hits.
In game two, Tufts built a 4-0 lead on the strength of a three-run top of the first. Tufts posted the three runs without a hit. The Jumbos took advantage of two walks, two batters hit by pitches, a fielder's choice, and a VWC error to jump onto the scoreboard. Momentum stayed with the Jumbos into the third when they opened up a 4-0 lead as Hickey led off with a double and scored on a two-out single by sophomore 2B Frank Dinucci (Wilton, CT).
Virginia Wesleyan (15-4) cut into the Jumbos' lead with runs in the bottom of the third and fourth, and wiped it out completely with a four-run fifth inning. The offense was bolstered by denying defense that backed first-year pitcher Chris Rivera. He faced only 11 batters in Tufts' final three innings, surrendering only a single.
After allowing Tufts only a single in the top of the fifth, a fired-up VWC squad returned to the offense and built on momentum when junior Paul Johnson led off with a double to right field. Adams, senior John Kasiski, and senior Dan Rosendale all followed with singles and sophomore Brandon Hill added a double, combining to drive in three runs that gave the Marlins a 5-4 lead. Elliott came back to the plate with two outs and knocked out an RBI-single to cap VWC's break-out inning.
Tufts'
comeback hopes were squelched by a 1-2-3 sixth inning and ended completely with
a 1-2-3 seventh, following a lead-off walk.
Rivera picked up the pitching win, working the last four innings and
allowing only two hits and a walk.
Junior Derrick Rawlings improved to 5-1 with the pitching win in the first game, pitching through five innings, scattering five hits and a walk, and striking out seven batters. Sophomore Adam Hamilton picked up the save.
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