Tufts pitching shines in strong Patriot's Day weekend

Tufts moved one step closer to the postseason this weekend with a strong series against Colby and a convincing win at home over UMass Dartmouth on Monday. The Jumbos pounded the Mules 9-0 on Friday in Waterville, Maine before dropping the second game on Saturday 6-4. They bounced back Saturday night to win their third rubber game in as many chances this season in a 15-3 blowout, then returned to Medford to take down the UMass Dartmouth Corsairs 14-1 on Monday. The scheduled second game of the doubleheader Monday was postponed due to rain.

The weekend featured both the Jumbos’ high-powered offense and impressive pitching staff, as the hitters put up 42 runs on 57 hits over the four games and three different pitchers threw complete games.

Senior Tom Ryan came out strong for the Jumbos in their win over the Corsairs, allowing just one run on four hits in the whole seven innings while striking out six and walking just one. He was especially dominant in the early innings while his hitters gave him substantial run support, keeping a no-hitter going until a two-out single in the fifth.

“I felt good on the mound,” Ryan said. “I did a good job of keeping the leadoff man of each inning off the bases, which allowed me to have some efficient innings early on. I attacked the strike zone and forced them to put the ball in play, [and] our defense did a good job making plays behind me.”

Ryan said that the impressive performances on the mound preceding his game inspired him.

“As a pitching staff I think we try to feed off each other,” said Ryan. “[Monday], I went into the game looking to build off of the solid performances from this weekend at Colby.”

The Jumbos' offense once again put on a show, scoring all 14 runs in the first five innings before the Corsairs got on the board; every Jumbo starter got at least one hit. Senior designated hitter Bryan Egan and senior first baseman James Howard paced the team at the plate, going 3 for 4 with three RBIs and three runs scored and 4 for 4 with three RBIs and two runs scored, respectively. Egan hit a three-run homer as part of an explosive fifth inning that saw Tufts put up seven runs while sending 13 men to the plate.

Tufts' normally prolific offense was relatively quiet in Saturday morning's game, putting up just four runs in the loss -- the team’s lowest run total since a March 27 loss to Bowdoin and just the fifth time this season -- 28 games so far -- that the team scored fewer than five runs. Colby junior pitcher Soren Hanson starred for his team both on the mound and at the plate, getting the win to improve to 4-0 while driving in four runs.

The Jumbos bounced back later that day, though, exploding for a much more characteristic 15-3 win. The 2-4 hitters had no trouble against the six different Mules pitchers as all three -- sophomore outfielder Harry Brown, first-year infielder Tommy O’Hara and Egan -- had three hits each, including all four of the team’s extra base hits. The three were critical to the team’s mid-game offensive explosion as the Jumbos broke open a 2-2 tie in the fourth and put up 11 runs in the fourth through sixth innings.

Junior pitcher Andrew David was the second Jumbo starter of the weekend to throw a complete game, giving up just two earned runs on seven hits and a walk. David has been one of the team’s most reliable starters this season, with a 5-0 record and an impressive 1.96 ERA.

The series opener against Colby on Friday saw Tufts dominate both offensively and defensively. Junior shortstop Matt Moser and senior center fielder Connor McDavitt each had three hits. McDavitt scored a run and is currently tied for the team lead in runs scored with O’Hara at 36, while Moser drove in five runs and is currently tied for the team lead in RBIs with Egan at 36.

On the mound, sophomore pitcher Tim Superko inaugurated the weekend’s complete game trend, throwing his seven-inning gem while giving up no runs and striking out 13 Mules hitters while allowing just five hits and two walks.

“Everything was clicking on Friday,” Superko said. “It was one of those days where I was in a groove early on and guys were making plays behind me all day.”

Superko credited the offense for letting him settle in with an early lead.

“Having a lead, especially early in a game, helps a ton as a pitcher,” Superko said. “You can feed off a big offensive inning and use that energy to shut teams down.”

Superko, David and Ryan all have two complete games apiece on the season now. Along with last year’s D3Baseball.com New England Pitcher of the Year, senior Kyle Slinger, and an accomplished staff, the Jumbos have no shortage of strong pitchers as they head into the final games of the season and the tightly packed postseason schedule that will follow.

“Our pitching staff has been awesome all year,” said Superko. “We know our biggest weapon is our pitching depth and [we] use that to our advantage in league play. And complete games are always helpful considering our dense schedule towards the end of the season.”

With the wins, the Jumbos improved to 22-6 overall and 6-3 in conference play as they hold onto first place in the tight NESCAC East division. They need to win just one of the three games this weekend against the Bates Bobcats to clinch a spot in the NESCAC Championship tournament, though they would certainly like to win the series and hold onto first for a better seed heading into the postseason.

The Bobcats likely won’t be an easy foe this weekend, however, as they are currently second in the NESCAC East and have consistently challenged the Jumbos in recent seasons.

Superko acknowledged how important pitching will be in the series.

“We keep a similar mentality every week,” said Superko. “The two biggest things for us as a staff are attacking hitters and having the ability to keep them off balance with offspeed pitches.”