HARTFORD, CT (May 10, 2026) – The Tufts University baseball team took on Amherst College in Game 6 of NESCAC Championship weekend. The Jumbos took home the hardware for their eighth NESCAC Title in program history with a 16-8 win over the Mammoths.
 
For the Jumbos (29-9, 8-4 NESCAC), Michael O'Brien took the hill as the starting arm for the chance at a NESCAC Title. The junior produced 3.2 solid innings of work with plenty of run support behind him and registered a no decision.
 
The Jumbos struck first in the opening inning once again to take an early 2-0 advantage. James Henshon led off with a double to right center field and advanced to third on a wild pitch. Jack Kamin then plated Henshon from the corner bag with an RBI ground out to second base. Tate Bannish reached first on a throwing error from the Amherst shortstop, and an Owen McKiernan double sent Bannish home.
 
The Mammoths responded right away in the following inning with three tallies to grab a one run lead. After Justin Orridge and Zaner Carnahan singled, Jackson Boyer and Leo Foust brought a runner home with a double and a ground out, respectively.  Boyer then scored from another RBI ground from Hudson Fulcher-Melendy.
 
Tufts continued this back-and-forth battle with two runs in the bottom of the second to make it a 4-3 game in favor of the Jumbos. Cole Bohane led off with a hard hit infield single to second base and scored after Henshon rocketed an RBI triple into left center field. Kamin picked up his second RBI of the contest with a single into left to bring home Henshon.  
 
Amherst knotted the game at four in the top of the third. Charlie LaFreniere singled through the left side of the infield and touched home off an Orridge double to left center field.
 
In the bottom of the third, the Jumbos broke the tie with four runs in the inning to take an 8-4 lead. Malcolm Whitfield kept up his late season offensive success with a lead-off double into left center field. Whitfield advanced to third on a passed ball and scored from a McKiernan sacrifice fly ball to right field. Caden Abraham (1), Henshon (1), and Kamin (1) batted in the last three runs of the frame.
 
Whitfield led off for the second straight inning in the bottom of the fourth and reached first on a walk. Whitfield then moved all the way to third after a ground out from McKiernan and a single from Tom Pender. A strategic double steal allowed Whitfield to score on the catcher's throw to second.
 
Amherst cut their deficit to two in the top of the fifth inning to make it a 9-7 score. Orridge opened the inning with a single to center and advanced to second on single into left field from Carnahan. Fulcher-Melendy brought home Boyer and Orridge with a double into right field. With the bases loaded, Tyler McCord walked which scored Foust from third.
 
The Jumbos brought their lead back to three after posting a run in the bottom of the fifth. Henshon put a base runner on after taking a walk and advanced to third on a Jack Kamin base knock into left center field. Bannish brought Henshon to the plate with a sacrifice fly ball to center.

Amherst put a run on the board in the top of the seventh to bring the Jumbo lead back down to two.
 
Cole Donato came in in the fourth inning and allowed just one earned run in 2.2 innings on the hill, earning his team-leading ninth win of the season.  Derek Desmairais relieved Donato for the final two frames and closed out the victory with perfection as he whiffed one batter and held the Mammoths hitless.
 
The Jumbos tacked on five insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth to cruise to their eighth conference title in program history.
 
Tufts earns an automatic spot in the Division III NCAA National Tournament with their conference title victory.