Teams: Baseball: Schedule & Results

TUFTS SWEEPS DOUBLE-HEADER OF CRITICAL GAMES AT BOWDOIN COLLEGE

COLLEGE BASEBALL FINAL SCORES
Game 1 -- Tufts 13, Bowdoin 12
Game 2 -- Tufts 9, Bowdoin 2

At Brunswick, ME
Saturday, April 12, 2008

Game 1 Box Score

Game 2 Box Score

Junior co-captain Kevin Casey was 6 for 8 in the double-header for Tufts

BRUNSWICK, Me. -- In an important NESCAC East Division battle, the Tufts University baseball team scored 13 unearned runs in a doubleheader sweep of Bowdoin College on Saturday afternoon, winning 13-12 and 9-2. The Jumbos improve to 13-8 and 4-2 NESCAC for second place as Bowdoin drops to 11-10 and 3-5 in third place. Only the top two teams from the division qualify for the conference tournament May 9-11.

A thrilling opening game saw Bowdoin rally from 7-0 and 10-5 deficits to force extra innings. The Jumbos chased Polar Bear starter Ryan Turgeon after 3.2 innings, as Tufts scored seven unearned runs to take the early lead. Bowdoin cut the lead to 7-5 in the fourth inning as a two-run single by Joe Comizio keyed the Polar Bear rally. Tufts pushed the lead back to 11-5 entering the bottom of the sixth inning. Six outs from defeat, Bowdoin scored three times in the sixth and seventh frames to force extra innings. Pat Duchette rapped a two-runs single in the sixth before a Kevin Zikaras two-run hit deadlocked the game at 11 in the seventh.

In the top of the eighth, Jumbo sophomore Corey Pontes (Milton, MA) led off with a hit-by pitch and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt. Junior Eric Catalanotti (Grafton, MA) hit a groundball to short, and Zikaras- who was playing out of position- threw too low to first. The ball got past 1B Joe Berte and out of play as Pontes scored the go-ahead run. Tufts tacked on another score on a bases-loaded walk later in the inning to take a 13-11 lead. Brendan Garner drew Bowdoin to within 13-12 with an RBI single in the bottom of the inning, but Bowdoin couldn't find the equalizer.

The Jumbo continued to take advantage of Bowdoin's defense in the second game, scoring five unearned runs in the first inning to grab the early lead. That proved enough for freshman starter Pat O'Donnell (Worcester, MA), the current NESCAC Pitcher of the Week who tossed seven strong innings and allowed just two earned runs.

Tufts junior Kevin Casey (Milford, MA) went 6 for 8 with three runs scored over the two games, while freshman Chase Rose (Scottsdale, AZ) went 4 for 7 with three runs scored and four RBI on the day. Bowdoin's offense was led by Pat Duchette, who collected four hits and three runs batted in.

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