Jumbo Baseball Opens with 13-4 Victory Against Castleton in Virginia on Friday Afternoon

Sophomore catcher Nick Barker scored twice for Tufts

NEWPORT NEW, VA - Junior LF Nate Izzo (Saunderstown, RI) was 2 for 4 with three runs batted in and two runs scored to lead the Tufts baseball team to a season-opening 13-4 victory over Castleton in Virginia on Friday afternoon.

Izzo's two-run triple highlighted a seven-run fifth inning for Tufts to break the game open. Sophomore Connor McDavitt (Holden, MA) went 1 for 3 with two runs and two rbi at the top of the order, while senior SS Scott Staniewicz (Boca Raton, FL) finished 2 for 6 with two rbi.

Tufts got a good start from junior tri-captain Christian Sbily (Gaithersburg, MD), who went five innings allowing three hits and no earned runs. Freshman Matt Moser (Great Falls, VA) and sophomore Joe Harrington (Burke, VA) both pitched scoreless innings in relief. Jumbo pitchers allowed just four Castleton hits.

The Spartans (1-2) had led 2-1 before the fifth-inning outburst by Tufts. The Jumbos scored first when sophomore DH James Howard (Rockville, MD) earned walked, moved to third on a double by sophomore 2B Matthew Luciani (Woodbridge, CT), and then scored on a balk. The Spartans scored a pair of unearned runs in the third on a two-run single by junior Matt McNamee.

The first seven batters in the Jumbo fifth reached base as 12 men batted in total. Staniewicz and senior RF Eric Weikert (Avondale Estates, GA) both scored and knocked in runs during the frame, helping Tufts to an 8-2 lead.

Castleton narrowed the margin to 8-4 in the seventh after a pair of lead-off walks by Tyler Lord and Mat Pause both came around to score. However, the Jumbos added on five in the late innings and Izzo was a part of both rallies. He hit a one-out single in the eighth, stole second, and scored on McDavitt's triple. McDavitt then scored on a single by sophomore 3B Wade Hauser (Palo Alto, CA). In the ninth, Tufts worked six walks and Izzo, McDavitt, and Staniewicz all had rbis. The Jumbos finished with 10 hits and 11 walks in the game.

Senior 2B Ryan Zielinski was 2 for 5 at the top of the Castleton order.

The teams will play again tomorrow morning at 9 am. Tufts also faces St. Vincent later in the day.

Game Box Score

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