Game 1: Tufts 7, Bates 2
Game 2: Tufts 6, Bates 5 (10 innings)
at Medford, Mass.

BATES BASEBALL DROPS NESCAC EAST DH TO TUFTS

MEDFORD, Mass. — The Bates College baseball team dropped its first two NESCAC East contests of the season today against Tufts. Because of field conditions in Lewiston, the contests were played in Medford with the Bobcats as the home tea. Tufts won the opener, 7-2, before capturing the nightcap in 10 innings, 6-5.

The first game was tied 2-2 when Tufts (8-3-1, 2-0 NESCAC East) erupted for five runs in a decisive top of the sixth. Junior SS Brian Shapiro (Swampscott, Mass.) doubled to lead off the inning and scored on an error on the play. Senior 1B Tim Ayres (Irvine, Cal.) followed with a solo home run, then rookie C Bob Kenny (Milford, Mass.), junior 2B Jon Herbert (Davidsonville, Md) and senior RF Dan Callahan (Medfield, Mass.) stroked RBI singles. Tufts junior pitcher Dave Martin (Arlington, Mass.) went the distance for the win, allowing just four hits and striking out eight. Bates (2-4-1, 0-2 NESCAC East) scored both of its runs in the third on a sacrifice fly by senior RF John Merriman (Clinton, Mass.) and a single by sophomore SS Nate Maxwell (Newport, Vt.).

In the nightcap, Tufts scored a run without a hit in the top of the tenth for the winning run. Sophomore Nick Palange (Hudson, Mass.) was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning, then was bunted to both second and third, and then scored on a deep sacrifice fly to center by Ayres. That spoiled a dramatic solo home run with one out in the bottom of the ninth by Bates sophomore CF Rob Maguire (Wayland, Mass.) that had tied the score at 5-5. The nightcap was a back-and-forth affair. Sophomore 3B John O'Neill (Cumberland, R.I.) gave Bates a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the first with a two-run single. The Jumbos surged to a 5-2 lead in the top of the fourth on a three-run home run by junior CF Evan Zupancic (Lake Oswego, Ore.). The Bobcats scored single runs on sacrifice flies in the fourth and fifth to pull within 5-4. Shapiro, who gave up Maguire's game-tying blast to right center, earned the win in relief with relatively easy tenth.

GAME ONE
Tufts (7-3-1, 1-0 NESCAC East)   110 005 0  -  7 15  1
Bates (2-3-1, 0-1 NESCAC East)   002 000 0  -  2  4  3

Batteries: B, Ryan Weaver, Adam Waite (6), Chris Gwozdz (6) and Ben Donaldson..
           T, Dave Martin and Bob Kenny.
W: Martin (2-0). L: Weaver (0-1).

2B - T, Adam Kacamburas, Evan Zupancic, Brian Shapiro; B, Jeff Kowaleski.
HR - T, Tim Ayres (1).
SB - T, Zupancic; B, Nate Maxwell.

GAME TWO
Tufts (8-3-1, 2-0 NESCAC East)   101 300 000 1  -  6 11  0
Bates (2-4-1, 0-2 NESCAC East)   200 110 001 0  -  5  8  3

Batteries: T - Randy Newsom, Mike Byron (6), Brian Shapiro (8) and Greg Hickey.
 B, John Furbush, Shane Delaney (6), Mike Kinsman (8) and Matt Peterson.
W - Shapiro (1-0); L - Kinsman (0-1).

2B - Tu, Adam Kacamburas; B, Ben Donaldson.
HR - Tu, Evan Zupancic (1); B, Rob Maguire (1).