The baseball team keeps on rolling. Tufts outscored Colby-Sawyer 20-0 Saturday in a doubleheader sweep at Huskins Field, followed by a 12-7 win over Mass. Maritime last night to improve to 17-1 overall and extend its winning streak to nine games.
Tufts won the first game of the doubleheader 6-0 and the second game 14-0, continuing a trend of beating up on non-league foes. For the season, the Jumbos have outscored opponents 140-57, including six offensive outputs of 10 runs or more.
While the Jumbos continues their strong play at the plate, their starting pitchers continue to mow down opposing hitters. Junior southpaw Kyle Slinger started the first game and looked once again like the ace of the staff. Slinger struck out seven, walked one and allowed four hits over six shutout innings, improving to 5-0 and lowering his ERA to 0.84. Entering Monday's game at Mass. Maritime, Slinger and freshman lefthander Tim Superko (2-0, 0.86 ERA) ranked second and third, respectively, in the NESCAC in ERA.
In the second inning of the first game, Tufts took advantage of Colby-Sawyer's sloppy defense to plate two runs against senior starter Kevin Keith. After a one-out error put runners on first and second, a passed ball allowed the runners to move up to second and third. Then, after an RBI single by senior catcher Nick Cutsumpus, Cutsumpus stole second and sophomore shortstop Matt Moser dashed home from third on the throw.
That was all the support Slinger would need. He retired seven straight batters between the second and fifth innings, and the Jumbos tacked on a run in the fifth and three more in the sixth. Freshman second baseman Tom Petry had an RBI in each of those rallies, helping the Jumbos establish a six-run lead.
Freshman righthanderSperosVarinos pitched a lights out seventh to seal the win. No Colby-Sawyer baserunner advanced past second base.
Superko started the back end of the doubleheader - also a seven-inning game - and, like Slinger, he baffled the Chargers' hitters. The first-year twirled six shutout innings, fanning 10 and walking none.
The Jumbos pulled ahead with four runs in the second. Senior designated hitter Max Freccia and junior catcher Bryan Egan were each hit by a pitch to start the inning, and junior first baseman James Howard reached on an error to load the bases. After a Moser sacrifice fly, freshman outfielder Oscar Kutch delivered the big blow, a two-run double into the right-center field gap.
Tufts added one run in the third inning and then exploded for nine in the fourth. The nine-run frame marked the most by the Jumbos in a single inning since April 19, 2012, when they scored 10 in the fifth inning of a 15-4 win at Bentley.
In the seventh inning, freshman Charlie McQuinn struck out the side to complete the 14-0 victory.
The Jumbos had 17 hits, including three from senior second baseman Tim Mitropoulos, his first three-hit effort - and his first multi-hit effort - since April 21, 2012. Junior center fielder Connor McDavitt went 2-for-3 with two runs and three RBIs; junior co-captain third baseman Wade Hauser, who entered Monday's game slugging a team-high .603, was 2-for-3 with two runs and two RBIs; and junior left fielder Nick Barker continued his stellar season by going 2-for-4 with a run and two RBIs.
On Friday and Saturday at Huskins Field, the Jumbos will host Trinity in a three-game NESCAC East series. Weather permitting, it will mark Tufts' first multi-game conference weekend; the Jumbos played just one of three scheduled contests against Bates on March 29 to 30.
