WHITTIER, CA (March 20, 2023) -- The Tufts University baseball team got back in the win column Monday afternoon as it pounded out 20 hits in a 14-6 win over host Whittier College in non-conference play.
The Jumbos (5-2) bounced back after dropping two games Sunday at Pomona-Pitzer, posting a season-high for hits in a contest and the most in a game since posting 20 in a win at Brandeis April 29, 2022.
The victory didn't come east though for the Jumbos, as the host Poets plated three runs in the bottom of the first on three RBI singles. Tufts came right back in the top of the second, pushing across a pair of runs on RBI base hits from
Clay Sowell and
Ozzie Fleischer.
An inning later,
Connor Flavin tied the game with a solo homer to deep center field, his first homer fo the season. The Jumbos took the lead for good in the top of the fourth, as Tufts sent 11 batters to the plate while scoring six runs on eight hits.
Henry Fleckner gave the Jumbos a 4-3 lead with a RBI single, followed a batter later by a run-scoring single by
Patrick Solomon.
After a pitching change,
Connor Davidson singled in Solomon and then came around himself after a double by Flavin.
Jackson Duffy would also have an RBI double in the inning to put the Jumbos ahead 9-3. In the top of the fifth, Solomon knocked in another run as Fleckner came around to score after he singled earlier in the frame.
That would be plenty of offense for the Jumbos, but Tufts still added a run in the seventh and eighth and two in the ninth to secure the victory.
Fleischer finished 3-for-3 with two RBI, a stolen base and a run scored, while Flavin was 3-for-6 with two RBI, three runs scored and a stolen base.
Connor Bowman was 3-for-4 with three runs scored and a double, Sowell added a 2-for-3 afternoon with run and RBI and Fleckner added two hits and two RBI.
Solomon was 2-for-6 with two RBI and a stolen base, and Duffy finished with two hits and a stolen base as well. Every starter had at least one hit on Monday, while Tufts ran wild on the bases with seven stolen bases in 11 attempts.
On the bump,
Matt Donato earned the victory with 1.2 innings of scoreless relief, allowing just one hit.
Brendan McFall struck out three in two sparkling innings of work, while
Lucas Gustavson worked two-thirds of a frame in his first action since 2021, striking out one Poet hitter.
Tufts will get a few days off before getting back into action Thursday, March 23 at 3 p.m. PT against the University of La Verne in La Verne, CA.
--JUMBOS--
