ORANGE, CA (March 24, 2023) -- Senior right-hander
Connor Kinney tossed a complete-game shutout Friday evening, lifting the Tufts University baseball team to a 4-0 victory over Chapman University in action from Hart Park.
Kinney posted his first career complete game and shutout with the victory on Friday evening, as he scattered nine hits while striking out six and walking none. Kinney needed just 111 pitches to move to 2-0 on the season, as he finished the game with just one earned run over the first 15.1 innings of work this spring.
It didn't always come easy for the Rancho Sante Fe, California native, who grew up just 90 minutes from Chapman University. The first two batters of the game singles off of Kinney, but he worked out of the jam to keep the Panthers off the board.
Tufts would get on the board in the top of the third, as
Patrick Solomon doubled to left field after
Connor Bowman started the frame with a walk.
Ben Leonard stepped up next and roped a double to right-center field to score two and give the Jumbos the lead.
Kinney would get into a groove, retiring seven in a row before a single in the fourth inning. Tufts would double its lead in the top of the fifth, as
Henry Fleckner started the rally with a single and stolen base to get to second with no outs. Later in the frame,
Jimmy Evans came through with a two-out double to score Fleckner. Two batters later, Bowman drove in Evans with a single up the middle to make it 4-0.
Chapman would post singles in each of the next four innings, but Kinney was able to work around the hits to keep the Panthers scoreless. In the bottom of the ninth, CU got a one-out double and added another runner on an error but Kinney got a flyout and strikeout the final batter to clinch the win.
The complete-game shutout was the first for a Tufts pitcher since
Brendan McFall tossed a nine-inning shutout against Trinity College on May 2, 2021.
Leonard was 2-for-5 with two RBI, while Bowman was 1-for-2 with a RBI, run scored and two walks.
The Jumbos will be right back on the field with Chapman Saturday afternoon for a non-conference twinbill starting at noon local time in the final games of the West Coast trip.
--JUMBOS--
