MEDFORD, MA (March 6, 2023) -- The Tufts University baseball team opened its new home on Monday afternoon in dramatic fashion, as the Jumbos scored two runs in the bottom of the ninth to earn the first win on Sol Gittleman Park with a 7-6 non-conference victory over MIT on a cold and windy day in Medford.
Tufts (1-0) fell behind early after the first two batters of the game, as Kyle Sonandres singled in Zev Moore to make the score 1-0 Engineers in the top of the first. The Jumbos would tie the game in the bottom half of the second, as
Clay Sowell hit the first homerun in Gittleman Park history, a towering blast to left field to deadlock the game at one.
MIT answered right back in the top half, as Sonandres lined a shot off the outside of the foul pole in left field to put the Engineers back up a run at 2-1. Wasting no time getting back into the game, the Jumbos scored four times in the bottom of the third highlighted by a three-run shot from
Jackson Duffy to make it 4-2.
Ozzie Fleischer singled to chase MIT starter Karl Meyer, and
Henry Fleckner welcomed the Engineer reliever with a RBI double to left-center to make it 5-2.
The back-and-forth game continued in the top of the fourth as MIT pushed across three runs to deadlock the game at five, scoring two runs on fielder's choice plays while Sonandres singled in Reed Tubbs to tie the game. The pitchers would settled in from that point on, as both teams combined for just one base runner over the next three and a half innings.
The Engineers would regain their lead in the top of the eighth inning, as Graham Cartwright connected for a blast to deep left field to make the score 6-5 MIT. Cartwright had left the game earlier in the contest after being hit in the face with a pitch, but was allowed back into the contest due to concussion protocol rules. He made it pay with his second home run of the season.
In the bottom half of the eighth, Tufts loaded the bases with two outs but MIT reliever Matthew Spenner came in and got a strikeout to wiggle out of the jam. Tufts reliever
Connor Podeszwa worked a 1-2-3 ninth inning, setting up a rally situation for the Jumbos. In the bottom half of the ninth,
Connor Bowman started the frame by reaching on an error and moved ot second on a wild pitch. After Sowell walked, Duffy reached on an error to load the bases.
MIT would get a strikeout to push Tufts down to its last out, but the Jumbos tied the game on a wild play as Bowman thought a pitch in the dirt got away from MIT catcher Tyler Godfrey. Godfrey tried to throw behind Bowman at third base, but the throw went into left field and Bowman scampered home to even the game at six. Fleckner would walk to reload the bases with two outs, and
Ben Leonard was hit by a breaking ball in the foot to force in the winning run and hand the victory to the Jumbos.
Duffy finished 2-for-4 with three RBI and a run scored for Tufts, while Sowell added two hits and two runs scored in addition to his 10th career homer. Bowman scored twice to go with a double, and
Patrick Solomon walked twice as well.
Cameron Mayer got the start and allowed four hits and five runs, fanning four MIT hitters, while
Jack Schwartz allowed one hit and no runs. Podeszwa got the victory after shining in relief, allowing three hits and one run while striking out eight over five innings.
Sonandres finished with three hits and three RBI for the Engineers (1-4), and Chase Rubin tossed 4.1 innings of scoreless relief as he struck out four.
The Jumbos will have a day off Tuesday but are right back in action on Wednesday afternoon at 3:30 p.m. at Gittleman Park, taking on Brandeis College in a non-conference game moved up from April.
--JUMBOS--
