MEDFORD, MA (May 4, 2024) -- The Tufts University baseball team added their eighth and ninth straight wins as they defeated visitor Hamilton College in the quarter-final round of the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) playoffs at Sol Gittleman Park Saturday.
Game 1: Jumbos 7, Continentals 2
Senior ace Silas Reed was given the ball for game 1 and he was in control the whole game. Reed punched out five batters going the full nine-inning distance, walking two throwing 120 pitches with five hits and two earned runs. Reed started the first two innings without allowing a base runner and striking out two batters.
The Jumbos' offense scored first as they struck in the bottom of the second inning. Sophomore Malcolm Whitfield started the inning with an infield single then stole second. Junior Cooper Smith then walked, and Whitfield and Smith would steal second and third in the next at-bat. Senior Ozzie Fleischer brought home Whitfield on a ground out to put the Jumbos up 1-0. Senior Patrick Solomon would also earn an RBI in the second as he brought home Smith on a ground-out to first to make the score 2-0.
The Jumbos would add three more runs in the bottom of the third inning to add to their lead. With one out in the inning and the bases loaded Smith would come through as he drove home junior Ben Leonard on a base hit single to left to extend the Jumbos to 3-0. Grad student Connor Flavin got hit by a pitch that brought the fourth run home, then Fleischer hit a sac fly to right that scored Whitfield to give the Jumbos a 5-0 lead.
The Continentals would add their first run of the game on a home run to right field to cut the lead to 5-1. The Jumbos would answer with a homer of their own in the bottom of the seventh as first-year Malachi Pena crushed his fifth long ball of the season to make the score 6-2.
Junior Henry Fleckner brought home the seventh run of the game as he singled to left field and scored Fleischer. The Continentals added one final run in the top of the ninth, but it would not be enough as Reed slammed the door on them completing his third game of the season and earning his sixth win on the season.
The Jumbos stole a season-high-10 bases on the game as Leonard and Whitfield had three on the day, Fleckner had two and Smith and sophomore Jesse McCullough also had one. Fleckner went 3-5 on the day as the Jumbos had nine hits overall.
Game 2: Jumbos 7, Continentals 2
In Game 2 the Jumbos would have a big test as they faced the best pitcher statistically in the NESCAC in Jack Eshleman. Eshleman had a 1.62 ERA coming in to today. The Jumbos answered with junior Jacob Lapp.
Lapp pitched amazingly as he was two outs short of a complete game, Lapp had three strikeouts walking zero batters throwing 91 pitches allowing six hits and two runs.
In the bottom of the second, the Jumbos would once again score first. The inning started with Pena hitting an infield single, then was moved to second on a sac bunt by McCullough. Whitfield ripped a double to right to score Pena. The Jumbos would not stop there as later in the inning Flavin hit a two-out RBI single to right-center to score Whitfield and give the Jumbos a 2-0 lead.
Lapp held the Continentals scoreless in the third, fourth, and fifth innings and the Jumbo offense would strike again in the bottom of the fifth. Solomon hit a one-out single then was moved to third on a double by Fleckner, then Leonard brought home Solomon on a ground out to second for the third run of game 2. Pena later in the inning roped a two-out RBI single to right-center that scored Fleckner to give them a 4-0 lead.
The Jumbos chased Eshleman in the bottom of the seventh, as they would add three more runs in the seventh as Pena recorded another RBI on a single scoring Fleckner. McCullough would add an RBI later in the inning as he drove home Pena for the second run of the inning. Then McCullough scored on a balk to make the score 7-0.
The Continentals would score two in the top of the ninth, but it would not be enough as Tufts senior closer Robert Gray would record an out to secure the win and advance the Jumbos to the semi-finals.
Lapp received the win in the game as he advanced to 5-2 on the season. The Jumbos added three more steals in the game. Fleckner and Pena went 3-4 in the game as the Jumbos had 12 hits.
Up next the Jumbos will stay home as they will play in and host the Championship Weekend of the NESCAC playoffs at Sol Gittleman Field. The next round will start Friday, May 10; stay tuned for times and opponents on Tufts University's Official Athletics Website
-JUMBOS-
