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Nate Izzo threw out the potential winning run at home in the ninth
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AMHERST – Tufts University senior David Orlowitz (Wakefield, MA) and junior Sam Sager (Cranston, RI) recorded a pair of rbis in the top of the 12th inning as the Jumbos rallied past Bowdoin College 4-2 on the second day of the NESCAC Baseball Championship at Amherst College on Saturday.
With the win, Tufts improved to 26-7-1 overall on the season and earned a berth into the conference final slated for Sunday. The Polar Bears fell to 23-14 on the year and will face tournament host Amherst College in an elimination game later today at Memorial Field in Amherst.
Tufts senior starter Pat O'Donnell (Worcester, MA) surrendered just two runs on seven hits in seven innings of work, while senior righthander Edward Bernstein (Foxborough, MA) pitched four and two-thirds shutout innings en route to the win, allowing just three hits and striking out five.
Orlowitz and Sager each notched three hits and an rbi to lead the Jumbos, while sophomore Eric Weikert (Avondale Estates, GA) finished 2 for 6 with an rbi. Seniors Ian Goldberg (Lake Forest, IL) and Chase Rose (Paradise Valley, AZ) and freshmen Nick Cutsumpas (White Plains, NY) and Nate Izzo (Saunderstown, RI) each tallied a hit in the win.
Bowdoin starter Jordan Lefeber (Branford, CT) went seven and a third innings, giving up two runs on eight hits, while reliever Ian Edwards (Bangor, ME) surrendered two runs on four hits in four innings in the loss.
Lefeber went 4 for 6 from the plate, while freshman Duncan Taylor (Washington, DC) had a pair of base-knocks. Seniors Adam Marquit (New York, NY) and Brett Gorman (Bedford, NY) each finished with a hit and an rbi in the loss.
With Lefeber and O'Donnell surrendering just one hit over the first inning and a half, Bowdoin strung together a couple of base-hits in the second, threatening to break the deadlock. Senior Joe Comizio (Vienna, VA) got things started with a one-out single through the left side. After O'Donnell got a much-needed strikeout to put two away, Taylor laced a double down the left field line. An aggressive Comizio turned the corner at third in an attempt to score from first, but Tufts' David LeResche (St. Louis, MO) took the cut-off from Goldberg before making a strong throw home to catch the would-be go ahead run.
Orlowitz notched Tufts' first hit in the top half of the fourth with a one-out infield single to short, but a locked-in Lefeber induced a tailor-made double-play ball to second, ending the inning. The Jumbos again threatened in the fifth with a Weikert lead-off single down the right field line, but Lefeber then retired the next two batters on a pop-up to short and a fly-out to right. Cutsumpas beat out a grounder to third that took a bad hop on the edge of the infield grass, but with two out and two on, Lefeber bared down, recording his third strikeout of the afternoon to close out the frame.
Still in search of the game's first tally, senior Dan Hicks (New York, NY) drew a lead-off walk to start the Bowdoin fifth. Taylor then laid a perfect bunt down the third base line to move the runner to second. Hicks later advanced to third on a passed ball setting the stage for Marquit, who lifted a sacrifice fly to deep center, bringing home the contest's first score.
Hoping to jump-start the Tufts' response, Orlowitz reached on a hit by pitch before moving to third on Sager's single to right-center. Down to his last strike, Weikert came through with a big two-out single past a diving Hicks, pushing Orlowitz across to knot the game at 1-1.
Looking to help his own cause, Lefeber led off the bottom of the sixth with a come-backer up the middle. Junior Jordan Edgett (Lynn, MA) moved Lefeber to second with a bunt down the first base line before Gorman ripped a one-out rbi single to left, plating the go-ahead run.
Trying to pull back even, Rose started the Tufts seventh with a single to center before Cutsumpas laid down a sacrifice bunt to first to put the runner in scoring position. Lefeber then issued his first walk of the day to put two aboard, but pitched out of trouble, registering another strikeout before inducing a fly-out to right to get out of the inning unscathed.
With Tufts still trailing 2-1 in the eighth, Orlowitz singled through the left side to put the tying run on. After a fly out to left, Weikert hit a ground ball up the middle. Edgett would make a nice diving play behind second, keeping it in the infield, but a Marquit error on the flip left both runners safe. Goldberg promptly singled to left, loading the bases and spelling the end of Lefeber's day. Edwards entered the game, inducing a ground ball to short, but a hustling Rose slid into first, beating out the double play, allowing Orlowitz to score.
Lefeber singled to right to kick-start the Polar Bears' half of the eighth. Edgett then laid down a bunt, reaching first on a Tufts error. Senior Brendan Garner (Swampscott, MA) followed it up with a sacrifice bunt of his own, advancing the runners to second and third, while knocking O'Donnell out of the game. Bernstein would issue a walk to Gorman, loading the bases before striking out Comizio and inducing pinch hitter Matt Ruane (Belmont, MA) to fly out to right, getting Tufts out of a jam.
Taylor led off the Polar Bear ninth with a single to left-center. With two out and Taylor on second, Lefeber poked a single to right, but a charging Izzo came up firing, gunning the would-be game-winning run out at home to send the game into extra innings.
Deadlocked at two in the top of the 12th, Izzo jump-started the Jumbo attack with a single to center. After a ground out to third, Orlowitz belted a triple into the right-center field gap, giving Tufts their first lead of the game. Sager followed up Orlowitz's big base-knock with an rbi single of his own, putting the Jumbos up 4-2.
In the bottom of the inning, Bowdoin put the lead-off runner on with Marquit slapping a single to center. However, Bernstein retired the next three batters on a fly out to center and a pair of strikeouts to close the door and secure Tufts' come-from-behind win.
Game Box Score
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Game release courtesy of Amherst College
