BASEBALL SWEEPS WESLEYAN IN DOUBLE HEADER, 8-5 AND 5-1
COLLEGE BASEBALL FINAL SCORES
Tufts 8 Wesleyan 5 (8 inn.)
Tufts 5 Wesleyan 1
At Middletown, CT
Saturday, April 9, 2005
MIDDLETOWN, Conn. -- Junior RF Jim O'Leary (North Easton, MA) hit a two-run single to key an eighth inning rally in game one, and senior pitcher Jeremy Davis (Little Falls, NY) threw a one-hitter in the nightcap as the Tufts Baseball team swept a double-header at Wesleyan University on Saturday. In the two games scheduled for seven innings each, Tufts took the first 8-5 in extras and the second 5-1.
The Jumbos have now won seven straight and improved to 10-5 overall. Wesleyan dipped to 2-14.
O'Leary entered the first game in the fourth inning for Tufts and went 3 for 3 with two singles, an inside the park home run off the top of the center field fence and three runs batted in. The home run tied the score at 4-4 in the top of the sixth. His two-run single in the eighth inning triggered a three-run, game-winning rally for the Jumbos. Wesleyan had tied the game at 5-5 in the bottom of the seventh on an RBI double by Jason Vitko.
Sophomore Aaron Narva (Albuquerque, NM) picked up the win in relief for Tufts. Sophomore Ben Simon (Providence, RI) started and allowed 10 hits and four runs in six innings. Senior LF Jeff Volinski (Andover, MA) went 2 for 4 with a go-ahead RBI single in the seventh. Wesleyan starter Tom Bloss allowed 10 hits and eight runs in seven innings, but only three were earned as Wesleyan errors cost them in the game. Four Cardinals had multiple hit games, led by a 3 for 3 performance by Rob Coughlin.
In game two, Davis allowed only one ball out of the infield, an RBI single by Wesleyan's Adam Kopiec in the fifth. That tied the score at 1-1 at the time. Davis recorded 17 infield outs and one strike out overall. Freshman DH Steve Ragonese (Upper Saddle River, NJ) had a pair of doubles for Tufts, one for the game-winning RBI in a three-run sixth inning that put the Jumbos up 4-1. Sophomore 1B Bryan McDavitt (Holden, MA) hit a run-scoring double in the seventh. He finished 2 for 4, while sophomore OF John Rothermel (Knoxville, TN) also had two hits.
Spotty defense plagued the Cardinals again in the second game, as only two of the five runs allowed by starter Andre Sternberg were earned. He went all seven innings allowing 11 hits.
The teams will pair up again for another double-header tomorrow in Medford. First pitch is scheduled for 1:00.
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