WHITTIER, CA (March 22, 2024) -- Junior right-hander
Connor Podeszwa tossed a complete-game, striking out 11 Whittier College batters, but the Tufts University baseball team stranded 16 runners as the Jumbos dropped game one of a three-game set with the host Poets 4-3 in non-conference play from Hugh B. Mendez Field.
The story of the game for the Jumbos (5-6) was the inability to get runners in as the Jumbos left a season-high 16 runners on base while going 2-for-13 with runners in scoring position. That would spoil a marvelous start by Podeszwa, who went the distance allowing just five hits over eight innings. He tossed 121 pitches, his last coming on a strikeout in the bottom of the eighth to get out of a jam.
The Jumbos had an early threat in the first inning, but stranded three before Whittier tallied two runs in the bottom half to take a 2-0 lead. The Poets (7-9-1) added two more in the bottom of the third, scoring a pair of unearned runs on a single by Luis Chavarin with two outs.
Tufts would get their lead-off batter on in the top of the fourth on double by first-year
Malachi Pena, followed by a walk by
Owen McKiernan but those two would be left stranded. Tufts would get on the board in the top of the fifth, as
Henry Fleckner singled in
Ben Leonard to make the score 4-1. The Jumbos loaded the bases in the frame with two outs, but a hard-hit ball by
Jesse McCullough was reeled in to end the rally.
In the seventh inning, Tufts once again threatened as McKiernan scored Leonard with a sacrifice fly to make the score 4-2. After a double-steal put runners at second and third, Poets' reliever Nate Burke was able to get a fly-out to escape the pressure.
The rallies continued for Tufts in the eight as
Patrick Solomon singled with one out and then stole second and third before scoring on a RBI single from
Ozzie Fleischer to pull Tufts to within one at 4-3. Back-to-back walks loaded the bases with one out, but a shallow fly and strikeout would leave the bases loaded.
In the top half of the ninth, walks by McCullough and Solomon sandwiched an infield single by
Jackson Reydel to load the bags with one out. Whittier pitcher Teige Barrett would get strikeouts on the next two batters to get out of the jam and claim the win.
Fleckner finished 2-for-4 with a walk, stolen base and RBI, while Pena was 2-for-3 with two walks. Solomon logged a 1-for-4 ballgame with a run, walk and two stolen bases as well. Barrett was Whittier's lone player with two hits, going 2-for-4 with two runs and the save on the mound.
Tufts and Whittier will play a doubleheader Saturday to conclude the Spring Break trip for the Jumbos, as first-pitch is slated for 11 a.m. local time.
--JUMBOS--
