WHITTIER, CALIF. (March 20, 2025) - The Tufts University baseball team dropped the series opener to the Whittier College Poets 11-6 at Hugh B. Mendez Stadium on Thursday afternoon.
The Jumbos (4-8), playing their sixth game in California in as many days, started the day slowly as the Poets (5-13) jumped ahead with two runs in the bottom of the first inning. Tufts responded well as
James Henshon singled to right field to lead off the second inning.
Connor Brala doubled to the same area to put a pair of runners in scoring position, and
Ozzie Fleischer scored Henshon with a single up the middle. Tufts tacked on another run after Brala came home on an error before Fleischer made it a third for the lead off of a balk.
The lead was short lived as the Poets fought to plate two runs during a two out rally. The Jumbos were struggling to reach base despite making good contact, and the home team figured out reliever
Patrick Fanning in his first inning of work to make it a 9-3 ball game after three innings.Â
Brala wasted no time in starting Tufts' steep climb towards evening the score, smashing a solo shot to right field to make it 9-4. The Jumbos added another in the fourth on an RBI
Ian Robertson ground out to score Fleischer, but the 9-5 score held as the Poets closed the door on the inning.
Whittier added a 10th run in the fifth inning, but the Jumbos responded with a
Ben Leonard sacrifice fly to score
Jesse McCullough following his triple in the top of the sixth.
The Poets were extremely aggressive on the basepaths, exemplified by their 11th run. Sevon Battle shrugged off a hit by pitch, stole second and came around to score off of a base hit to drive the Whittier lead up to 11-6.Â
Tufts made an attempt at a comeback, but the Whittier pitching sat down the Jumbos in order through the final two innings.
Tufts will have a chance to claim the series tomorrow as they take on Whittier College in a doubleheader beginning at 12:00 pm PDT (3:00 pm EDT).
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--JUMBOS--
