Box Score 
DANVILLE, Va. – The Tufts University baseball team scored three runs in the first and ninth innings on their way to an 8-0 shutout victory at Averett University on Tuesday afternoon.
Graduate student Kyle Cortese had a productive day at the plate for the Jumbos, going 2 for 2 with two runs scored while also getting hit by three pitches. Miles Reid and John Fritz (pictured) also had multi-hit games, finishing 2 for 5. Reid scored two runs while Fritz crossed the plate one time along with an rbi.
The Jumbos wasted no time, as Ozzie Fleischer led the game off with a double down the right field line, scoring on a Ben Leonard single up the middle to take the early 1-0 lead. After Reid reached on a fielder's choice to advance Leonard to third base, Peter DeMaria grounded to third to score Leonard and move Reid to third, making it 2-0. Tufts added one more run in the inning when Ryan Noone hit an rbi single through the right side of the infield to drive in Reid.
After three innings of scoreless baseball, the Jumbos added one run apiece in the fifth and sixth innings. Cortese was hit by a pitch in the top of the fifth, eventually scoring on a Noone sacrifice fly to left field. They would make it a 5-0 game in the sixth on a DeMaria rbi double to the leftcenter gap to drive in Reid after he singled up the middle.
The lead was extended in the top of the ninth inning when Cortese and Clay Sowell started the inning with a single and walk respectively, and Fritz drove Cortese in with a single up the middle. Connor Davidson followed that up with an rbi single to score Sowell, and Fritz went on to score on a Fleischer sacrifice fly to center. Sophomore pitcher Silas Reed entered the game in the bottom half of the ninth to record the final three outs for the 8-0 victory.
Throughout the game, Averett left 17 total runners on base, including a runner on third base in five different innings. Tufts pitched well and played clean defense to keep the shutout, with five scoreless innings from freshman pitcher Connor Podeszwa. Podeszwa got the win, allowing eight hits and striking out six batters in his five innings. The combination of Justin Wells, Steven Landry and Reed finished the shutout, with Wells throwing two innings and allowing two hits while Landry and Reed each tossed one inning with Landry striking out the side in the eighth.
Averett starter Wesley Payne pitched one inning and allowed three hits and one earned run in the loss. Avery Spicer and Caden Grider led the Averett offense going 2 for 4 and 3 for 4 respectively, with Grider smashing two doubles.
The Jumbos will now travel to Fayetteville, N.C. for another spring trip matchup against Methodist University on Wednesday, March 23rd at 3 pm.
Written by Tim O'Brien, Athletic Communications Intern
