CLAREMONT, CA (March 16, 2024)- The Tufts University mens baseball team played their first of eight games in California this afternoon as their first contest of the trip was against Pomona-Pitzer. The Jumbos beat the Sagehens 5-4.
The Jumbos (4-2) saw themselves on the road for the first time this season. The Jumbos got going early as Sophomore Malcolm Whitfield led the game with a double. The next batter, sophomore Jesse McCullough moved Whitfield over to third with a ground out to second. Junior Henry Fleckner would get Whitfield home on an RBI ground out to second to put the Jumbos on the board 1-0. The Jumbos gave the ball to senior Connor Podeszwa who is in his second start of the season. Podeszwa struck out six batters over six innings allowing four runs over 25 batters faced. In the bottom half of the first Podeszwa struck out one batter for a scoreless bottom of the inning.
The Jumbos got two runs to home in the second inning. Senior Patrick Solomon hit a sac fly RBI out to center field, and junior Cooper Smith tagged from third to score. Later in the inning grad student Connor Flavin was hit by a pitch then senior Ozzie Fleischer laced a two-out double to left center that scored Flavin from first to home to give the Jumbos a 3-0 lead.
The Sagehens would answer back with two runs in the bottom of the second as they got a two-run home run from Nate Jakobs to make the score 3-2 in favor of the Jumbos. Later in the bottom of the third inning, the Sagehens would take the lead for the first time in the game as JC Ng also hit a 2-run homer to give the Sagehens a 4-2 lead.
Podeszwa pitched lights out for the next three innings, not allowing a run and striking out three. The Jumbos would take back their lead in the top of the fifth as Fleischer scored on a throwing error to make the score 4-4 then Fleckner hit a one-out sac fly RBI that scored Whitfield to give the Jumbos a 5-4 lead
Junior Jacob Lapp came out of the bullpen for the Jumbos in the seventh inning and he was perfect. Lapp didn't allow a base runner as he saw nine batters in three innings, he struck out two. Lapp earned the save and Podeszwa earned the win for the Jumbos.
Fleckner had a two RBI game while Whitfield scored two runs. The Jumbos had eight hits on the day.
The Jumbos will continue to play at Pomona-Pitzer tomorrow as they will play the Sagehens in a doubleheader the first game will be played 12 p.m. PST followed by the nightcap.
