Two Games, Two Pitchers as Tufts Sweeps Doubleheader

MEDFORD, MA (April 6, 2025) - The Tufts University baseball team swept the unexpected home doubleheader versus Amherst College behind fantastic pitching and scrappy offense with a 4-3 win in the seven inning game one, and a 4-1 win in game two on Sol Gittleman this Sunday.

Senior Connor Podeszwa got the ball to start game one and would not give it up until it was over. It was not without its ups and downs, however, as he found out soon after the first pitch. Leo Foust gave the ball a ride to deep left field, homering over the 376 marker in left center to put the Mammoths (8-11, 1-1 NESCAC West) on the board. The Jumbos (10-11, 2-1 NESCAC East) responded with a gritty run in the bottom of the second. Rookie James Henshon pounded a fly ball past the centerfielder, giving the speedy corner infielder ample time to round the bases for a triple. The next man up fouled out before Jesse McCullough knocked a ground ball to second, scoring Henshon on the groundout to even the score at 1-1. 

E.J. Nevills, the starter for Amherst, settled in after the Tufts run. He was mowing down the Jumbos, keeping them off the board until the bottom of the fifth. In the meantime, his offense put up a pair of runs in the top of the fifth to give the visitors a 3-1 lead.

The Jumbos managed to get a run off of the flamethrowing Nevills in the bottom of the fifth after McCullough drew a walk to lead off the frame. Connor Brala followed him up with an infield single, and the bases filled up after A.J. Lysko was hit by a pitch. An unlucky pop up and ground ball leading to a force out at the plate put two outs on the board, but a wild pitch allowed Brala to touch the plate and bring the Jumbos within one before Nevills escaped the jam. 

Podeszwa finished the seventh inning with four strikeouts, five hits and three earned runs allowed and only one walk issued to earn the complete game, but it would take the offense to earn him the winning decision in the bottom of the frame.

The Amherst starter left the game in lieu of closer Jack Sampedro. The two-way player struggled to find the zone, which Brala took advantage of by singling off of a get-me-over fastball. Pierson Cooper came on as a pinch runner, and advanced following a Lysko walk. Ben Leonard wore a pitch to reach base and load up the bags which allowed Cooper Smith to drive the ball to the gap in left center field to score the winning run. The walk off hit was a dramatic end to a gutsy win.

The second game of the doubleheader saw senior Jacob Lapp take over on the mound. Right away, the right handed starter fired off a one-two-three first inning. An rbi fielder's choice in the top of the second gave the Mammoths an early lead, but the Tufts offense had their pitcher's back.

They immediately responded in the bottom of the second, when Henshon knocked a double down the left field line. Rookie catcher Nick Banner wore a hit by pitch to reach base after a wild pitch moved Henshon over to third. A sacrifice fly by Lysko scored Henshon to tie the game, and a two-out single by Ozzie Fleischer scored Banner to give the home team the lead. The Jumbos were off and running, and their pitcher had the run support to match his efforts. 

While Lapp mowed down the Mammoths like his ancestors of past millennia, the Jumbos added another run in the bottom of the fourth. Another leadoff hit put the Jumbos in prime position to score, as Owen McKiernan doubled down the line to left field. Henry Fleckner punched a single through the infield to score the speedster rookie, giving Tufts a 3-1 lead. 

They added another run an inning later when the leadoff batter reached base once more. Smith got hit by a pitch and advanced following yet another Henshon base hit. Banner laid down a perfect sac-bunt to move the runners over, which set up McKiernan to knock a single up the middle to score the lead runner Smith. Tufts had their 4-1 lead, and it was where it would hold for the rest of the game.

Lapp was making it look easy on the bump, as he sat down batter after batter. The top of the ninth saw him make it another one-two-three inning to make it 23 consecutive Mammoths retired. His complete game line was some real eye candy, with only one hit and one earned run against over nine full innings with four strikeouts and one walk. It was agonizingly close to a Maddux, with the earned run being the only stat keeping him from the title following the 89 pitch outing.

It was the longest outing for Lapp since his complete game versus Amherst in May of last year, and the fewest hits he has allowed this season.

Tufts takes the series win into a midweek matchup with No. 6 Endicott in Beverly on Tuesday at 3:30 pm.