Box Score 
MEDFORD – Sophomore Patrick Solomon (pictured) of the Tufts University baseball team blasted a walk-off grand slam in the bottom of the ninth inning to give the Jumbos a 10-9 NESCAC victory over the Colby College Mules in Tufts' home opener on Friday afternoon.
Solomon entered the game in the eighth inning as a pinch hitter and became the hero with two outs in the ninth. He finished 2 for 2 with two runs scored and five rbis in the game. Ozzie Fleischer and Peter DeMaria were also key contributors at the plate for the Jumbos (13-1, 1-0 NESCAC East), both finishing 4 for 5. Fleischer added a run and rbi, while DeMaria hit a solo home run in the third and crossed the plate twice with two rbis.
Cole Palmeri led the Mules' (10-2, 0-1) offense, hitting two solo home runs and finishing 3 for 5 with three runs scored and two rbis, while Charlie Furlong went 2 for 4 with two runs scored and two rbis.
Colby took a 5-0 lead in the second inning, starting with a Clint Flippo rbi single to drive in Cabot Maher who singled to lead off the inning. Furlong followed that up with a two-rbi double to left-center to score Drew Miller who reached base on a single. Flippo scored on the next at bat when Genki Leclair drove him in on a grounder to second, then the Mules' fifth run of the inning coming on a Brady O'Brien rbi single to score Furlong. Both teams scored one run in the third inning on Palmeri and DeMaria solo home runs.
Colby added a run in the fourth inning and Tufts answered back with one of their own in the bottom of the fifth. O'Brien hit a sacrifice fly to right field in the fourth to drive in Furlong after he led off the inning with a double. Fleischer led off the fifth with a single to center field before DeMaria drove him in with an rbi single. Colby tacked on another in the top of the sixth on a Patrick McConnell rbi single to score Marcus Forrester who doubled earlier in the inning.
The Tufts offense woke up in the eighth and ninth innings, scoring four runs in each inning. Miles Reid led off the eighth with a single down the right field line and Ryan Noone eventually drove him in with a sacrifice fly to left. Solomon entered the lineup as a pinch hitter in the next at bat and hit an rbi single up the middle, scoring DeMaria who reached first on a single. Connor Bowman followed that up with a single and was driven in by a Ben Leonard rbi single. Fleischer then hit an rbi single to right to make it 8-6, but was thrown out trying to stretch it into a double to end the inning.
Colby started the ninth inning with a Palmeri solo bomb over the left field fence to extend their lead to 9-6 going into the bottom of the ninth. The Jumbos started the bottom half with two quick outs, but managed to load the bases when Noone was hit by a pitch after DeMaria and Kyle Cortese singled, bringing up Solomon with two outs and the bases loaded and down by three runs. Solomon went deep into the count and with two strikes, then launched the ball over the left field fence for the walk-off grand slam, giving Tufts the 10-9 victory. The home run was the first of Solomon's career. The win was the team's first at home under new head coach Paul Svagdis.
Jack Schwartz got the win for the 'Bos, throwing 4.1 innings and allowed two runs on four hits with two strikeouts. Maher was credited with the loss for the Mules after pitching one inning and allowing four runs on four hits. Michael Volgende started on the mound for Tufts, tossing two innings and Gavin Brown relieved him and pitched 2.2 innings before Schwartz entered the game.
Both teams will return to Huskins tomorrow to finish off the series with a double-header starting at 12 pm.
Written by Tim O'Brien, Athletic Communications Intern
Watch Patrick Solomon's Walk-Off Grand Slam ...
