Box Score
NEWPORT NEWS, VA - Junior pitcher Kyle Slinger went six innings allowing two hits and one run, and junior CF Connor McDavitt was 3 for 6 with three rbis as the Tufts baseball team opened its 2014 season with a 7-1 victory over Castleton in a game played at the Apprentice School on Friday night.
Tufts out-hit the Spartans 11-3 overall. Junior 3B Wade Hauser and sophomore SS Matt Moser both had two hits for the Jumbos. Junior Willie Archibald and freshman Speros Varinos both pitched no-hit innings of relief.
Playing as the visitor, Tufts trailed 1-0 after the first. Castleton lead-off man Tyler Lord walked, stole second and scored on a two-out single by Ryan Crowly.
The Jumbos scored their first run of the season in the top of the second. Sophomore RF Cody McCallum reached on an error and eventually scored on McDavitt's ground out to first. Tufts would move ahead for good in the third 2-1 with a two-out rally. Sophomore 1B Mike Barry was hit by a pitch and scored when Moser followed with a double.
After allowing the first-inning run, Slinger cruised through the fifth. He gave up a one-out double to Chaz Millet in the second, but struck out the next two batters swinging. Castleton did not have a hit off him in the third through sixth, though they did work two walks in the sixth and five overall against the Tufts lefty. A 7-6-4 double play helped keep the Spartans off the board in the sixth.
Tufts had broken the game open with four in the top of the fifth. Two hit-batters helped the cause, but Varinos drove home a run with a fielder's choice and McDavitt plated two with a single to right. The Jumbos led 6-1 heading into the sixth.
The Tufts bullpen allowed only a two-out single by Matt McNamee off Tom Ryan in the eighth as the staff finished off a three-hitter. Tufts scored its final run after McDavitt hit a one-out single, moved to third on a single to right by junior LF Nick Barker, then scored on Hauser's sacrifice fly.
Barry and McCallum both scored a pair of runs for Tufts. Ryan and Varinos had two strike outs in their relief innings.
Samuel Spencer took the loss for Castleton, allowing nine hits and six runs in five innings.
Tufts (1-0) plays two tomorrow at Apprentice, facing St. Vincent at 9 am and then local rival MIT at 3 pm. Castleton (3-3) faces host Apprentice at noon.
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