MEDFORD - The Colby College baseball team scored early in both games and held the leads with good pitching as the Mules swept a NESCAC East Division double-header at Tufts on Saturday afternoon at Huskins Field. The scores were 5-2 in seven innings and 10-4.
Tufts had won 30 of the previous 31 games between the teams entering Saturday, but the Mules scored four runs in the first inning of each game to take early leads. Junior starter Brady Hesslein (Newton, MA) in game one and senior reliever Connor Sullivan (Hamilton, MA) in game two pitched well to give Colby the sweep.
The wins were the first two of the season in NESCAC East play for Colby, which improved to 11-12 overall and 2-4 in the division. The Jumbos are now 13-8 overall and 4-5 in the NESCAC East.
Colby freshman LF Jason Buco (Methuen, MA) led off game one with a home run and Colby scored four times in the inning. Senior 1B Robb Arndt (Yarmouth, ME) also singled home a run and scored in the inning.
Hesslein got through the first three innings scorless, and then the Mules added to their lead with a two-out run in the fourth. Buco doubled and scored on a single by senor CF Nikolas Atsalis (West Hyannisport, MA).
Tufts narrowed the gap to 5-2 in the bottom of the fourth. Senior DH Matt Collins (Hopkinton, MA) led off with his second home run of the season. Freshman 3B Wade Hauser (Palo Alto, CA) then reached second on an error, stole third and scored on a sacrifice fly by junior 1B Tom Howard (Rockville Centre, NY).
However, Hesslein would retire the final 11 Jumbo batters to earn his third win of the year. He allowed just four hits and two runs (one earned) with two strikeouts and no walks in his seven innings.
Buco was 4 for 4 with two runs and an rbi at the top of the Colby line-up. Atsalis and Arndt also had two hits, scored a run and drove home one for the winners.
For Tufts in game one, sophomore Dean Lambert (Cross River, NY) and freshman Willie Archibald (Milton, MA) pitched well in relief. Lambert went four innings allowing four hits and a run with four strikeouts and two walks. Archibald gave up two hits and no runs with a strikeout in three innings.
In the second game, a two-run double by Colby senior catcher Brendan Gallagher (Dublin, NH) keyed a four-run first inning. Senior 3B Mike Mastrocola (Southbury, CT) also singled home a run and scored in the first. The Mules then struck for six more in the second inning to lead 10-0. Arndt, freshman RF Luke Duncklee (Augusta, ME), senior 2B Taro Gold (Belmont, MA) and senior SS Brandon Nieuw (Port Chester, NY) had rbis in the inning, while a Tufts error led to the other two runs.
The Jumbos got four back in the bottom of the second, including a three-run double by senior SS Sam Sager (Cranston, RI). Collins followed with an rbi single.
The game was scoreless from then on. Sullivan, who entered with one out in the Tufts second, allowed just four hits and no runs with two strikeouts and a walk in 7.2 innings for the victory. For Tufts, senior Jake Crawford (Boise, ID), freshman Tom Ryan (Walpole, MA), senior Kevin Gilchrist (Medford, MA) and freshman Joe Harrington (Burke, VA) all pitched scoreless innings of relief.
Colby had 16 hits in the nightcap. Duncklee (3 for 4 with two rbi and a run), Matrocola (2 for 5 with two runs and an rbi) and Gallagher (2 for 4 with two rbi and a run) were the leading producers.
Sager was 3 for 5 with three rbi and a run for Tufts, while Collins and sophomore DH Max Freccia (Stamford, CT) both had a pair of hits.
The Jumbos continue a nine-game homestand with a double-header against UMass Dartmouth on Monday starting at 1 pm. Colby hosts Maine-Farmington for a single game on Wednesday at 4 pm.
Game 1 box score
Game 2 box score
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