Box Score Recap courtesy of Wesleyan University
NASHUA, N.H. - Amherst juniors Keenan Szulik and Riley Streit combined to hold Tufts University to four hits and two runs while the Lord Jeffs picked up seven hits and five runs off a pair of Jumbo hurlers to gain a berth in the winner's bracket game of the NESCAC baseball tournament here at Holman Stadium Saturday against Wesleyan University with its 5-2 win.
Tufts now takes on Bates in an elimination game Saturday. Wesleyan downed Bates, 4-2, in a first-round matchup. The loser of the Wesleyan-Amherst game will then take on the winner of the Tufts-Bates contest in the third game Saturday to narrow the playoff field to two teams. The championship is slated for Sunday.
Amherst inaugurated the scoring in the top of the first inning when junior Mike Odenwaelder hit a shot into left field that caromed off the top of a brick wall in the outfield for a triple. He then scampered home on a wild pitch.
Odenwaelder was integral in the Lord Jeffs' second run, coming in the fourth inning, as he led off with a single past second base, stole second, move to third on a sacrifice bunt by sophomore Yanni Thanopoulos and tagged up on junior Conner Gunn's deep fly ball to center field for the run.
The Jumbos cut the lead in half in their half of the fourth when junior Matt Moser sent a shot over the left field wall by a good margin for his fifth home run of the season, tops for Tufts.
Amherst added an unearned run in the sixth inning for a 3-1 margin when freshman Harry Roberson began the frame with a single and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by junior Andrew Vandini. With two outs, an errant throw on a ground ball allowed Roberson to score from second base.
Tufts got the run back in the bottom of the sixth as sophomore Oscar Kutch led off with walk. He advanced to second on another walk, moved to third after tagging up on a fly ball and scored when junior Cody McCallum roped a single into left field.
Amherst moved ahead by its largest margin in the game, which proved to be the final score, in the eighth inning on a two-run triple to right field with two outs by sophomore Anthony Spina with Vandini, who singled, and Thanopoulos, who walked, crossing the plate.
Szulik, who improved to 5-3 on the year, went six innings, giving up three hits and two runs with four strikeouts and four walks. Streit was nearly perfect in his three innings of work, allowing just one hit with a walk and three strikeouts.
Sophomore Tim Superko (5-4) absorbed the loss for Tufts, going four innings, touched for just three hits and two runs, but left the game trailing, 2-1. Amherst never lost the advantage. Senior Tom Ryan tossed the final five innings and gave up four hits and three runs, two of them earned.
McCallum paced the Jumbos with two hits in the contest. Odenwaelder and Spina both had a pair of safeties for the Lord Jeffs.
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