Game 1: Bates 2, Thomas 0
Game 2: Thomas 5, Bates 2
at Waterville, Maine

BATES SPLITS DOUBLEHEADER WITH THOMAS

WATERVILLE, Maine Ð The Bates College baseball team split a doubleheader with Thomas College in Waterville on Wednesday. Bates was the home team in the first game, a makeup of an earlier rain date. Senior co-captain Drew Blicharz (Rutland, Vt.) went the distance for the Bobcats, scattering five hits and two walks while striking out five to get the shutout. The Terrier defense was stingy, but Bates managed to push a run across in the second inning. Senior C Frost Hubbard (Walpole, Mass.) led off the inning with a double in the gap. Sophomore SS Ben Donaldson (Lemoine, Maine) moved Hubbard to third on a sacrifice bunt. Sophomore 3B John Merriman (Clinton, Mass.) singled to right to score Hubbard. RF Ben Bines (Lexington, Mass.) singled to lead off the third. Bines advanced to second on a passed ball. Senior CF Jason Coulie (Manchester, N.H.), hit a hard ground ball that was misplayed by the shortstop, allowing Bines to advance to third. Bines scored when the Thomas shortstop threw the ball away at third. Thomas had the bases loaded with two outs in the top half of the seventh inning, but Blicharz sealed the victory by inducing a pop fly to first baseman Matt Pound (Santa Fe, N. Mex.)

In the second game, the Terriers shut the Bobcat bats down for the first five innings. In the bottom of the fifth inning, Thomas took advantage of Bates miscues to score a run. Bates scored a run in the top of the sixth inning on a bases loaded walk of Hubbard. In the bottom of the inning Thomas got to Bates starter Kevin Walsh (Wakefield, Mass.) The Terriers scored four runs to take a 5-1 lead. Bates first-year PH Brandon Breen (Grand Rapids, Mich.) led off the top of the seventh inning with a single. Bines doubled to score Breen. Bates was unable to score any more runs in the inning, as Thomas secured the victory.

Bines is currently second in NCAA Division III in doubles, and is one double away from tying his single-season record set last year, and the school record for doubles in a career. The Bobcats play their next game on Saturday, April 29, at Colby College. Click Here for Full Box Score, Game 1
Click Here for Full Box Score, Game 2