Trinity 46, Bates 34
at Hartford, Conn.

Bates  (0-1)        14      10       7       3       -       34
Trinity  (1-0)      14      16       6      10       -       46

TEAM   Q   TIME   PLAY						SCORE
TRI    1   8:54   Greg Ward 2 run (Skip Sullivan kick)		7-0
BAT    1   6:24   Sean Atkins 3 run (Rejean Guerriero kick)	7-7
TRI    1   5:24   Brian Fabrizio 69 pass from Ward 
					(Sullivan kick)		14-7
BAT    1   5:01   Atkins 80 run (Guerriero kick)		14-14
TRI    2   8:58   Sullivan 27 FG				17-14
TRI    2   5:11   Fabrizio 1 run (kick failed)			23-14
TRI    2   3:24   Steve Cella 52 punt return (Sullivan kick)	30-14
BAT    2   3:04   Atkins 66 run (Guerriero kick)		30-21
BAT    2   0:25   Guerriero 31 FG				30-24
BAT    3   7:44   Tim Price 18 INT return			30-31
TRI    3   3:22   Fabrizio 31 pass from Ward (pass failed)      36-31
BAT    4  14:00   Guerriero 24 FG				36-34
TRI    4  13:22   Fabrizio 12 run (Sullivan kick)		43-34
TRI    4   7:06   Sullivan 37 FG				46-34

Full Game Stats

BATES FOOTBALL DROPS SHOOTOUT TO TRINITY IN SEASON OPENER, 46-34

HARTFORD, Conn. -- In a game that featured over 900 yards of total offense, two players who earned over 300 yards indivudally, and one punt return and one interception return each for a touchdown, the Bates College football team (0-1) came out on the short end of a 46-34 decision against the Trinity College Bantams (1-0) here today.

The Bobcat effort was led by sophomore tailback Sean Atkins (New York, N.Y.). In his first career start, Atkins carried 25 times for a career-best 218 yards and caught three passes for another 91 yards, giving him 309 yards of total offense on the day. Atkins matched his three-touchdown performance against Bowdoin from a year ago with scoring runs of three, 66 and 80 yards. The 80-yard run capped a first quarter that ended tied at 14 when Atkins scored just 23 seconds after a 69-yard Trinity touchdown pass from sophomore Greg Ward (Avon, Conn.) to classmate Brian Fabrizio (Norwell, Mass.). Fabrizio had 302 total yards on the day, with 108 on the ground and 194 receiving yards on seven catches. He scored four TDs.

Trinity notched the first three scores of the second quarter, capped by a 52-yard punt return by junior Steve Cella (Peabody, Mass.) that gave the Bantams a 30-14 lead at the 3:24 mark. Once again, Atkins answered the Trinity challenge, scoring from 66 yards out just 20 seconds later to cut the Bates deficit to 30-21. The Bobcats looked to have another TD before the half expired when seniors Pat Collins (Walpole, Mass.) and Kevin Jackson (Woodbury, N.J.) jarred loose a fumble that rookie linebacker Pat Foley (Newburyport, Mass.) recovered and seemed to have returned for a score. Foley was ruled out of bounds at the Trinity 14, and the Bobcats had to settle for senior Rejean Guerriero's (Spofford, N.H.) first field goal of the season from 31 yards out, making the halftime score 30-24, Trinity.

A pair of turnovers on the first two drives of the second half led to Bates' best drive of the game, picking up four first downs and reaching the Trinity nine-yard line before getting stopped on fourth down. Two plays later, however, senior Tim Price (Wakefield, Mass.) recorded his fourth career interception and returned it 18 yards for the touchdown. Guerriero's extra point gave the Bobcats their first lead of the game, 31-30, with 7:44 remaining in the third quarter. The Bantams regained the lead two drives later, 36-31, and would not give it back. Bates closed to within two points early in the fourth quarter on Guerriero's second field goal of the day at the 14:00 mark, but Fabrizio's fourth TD of the day iced the game just 38 seconds later.

The Bobcats play at Tufts next Sunday, Oct. 1, while Trinity heads to Williams on Sept. 30.