The Jumbos dropped a tough doubleheader against the Mules on Friday afternoon for their final NESCAC series of the season. A third game was intended to take place on Saturday but was postponed to Sunday due to inclement weather. In a final push to improve their standing in the NESCAC, the Jumbos lost a tough match.
Game 1 started at 3 p.m. in the afternoon with sunny conditions.
Graduate student pitcher Silas Reed struggled in the bottom of the first. The Mules capitalized on contact to right-center field, sending four consecutive RBI singles through.
Tufts did not strike back until the seventh inning, when a fielder’s choice by Tufts junior outfielder Owen McKiernan and an error by Colby second baseman Henry Silva let senior catcher Connor Brala and sophomore designated hitter Max Pavlik score.
Senior outfielder Ben Leonard went 2–3 with a walk and two hits, and Brala knocked the only extra base hit of the game — a double.
Pitchers’ Duel
After the Mules’ early punches, the game was a pitchers’ duel. Reed displayed dominance this year, recording 54 strikeouts in 46.2 innings pitched and winning NESCAC pitcher of the week on March 31.
Reed settled in after the first inning — he gave up no walks nor hits past the initial rally. He allowed one baserunner on a hit by pitch in the sixth. All four earned runs were charged to Reed, whose ERA now sits at 4.05 and record is 3–4.
Right-handed Ryan Grecco started for Colby College. He gave up three hits, a walk and struck out six over five innings, ultimately earning the win. Pitchers Kyle Borque and Matt Higgins took one inning each. Borque received both earned runs.
Despite another clean performance from Reed, the Jumbos’ offense did not pull through and the Jumbos dropped the game, 4–2. Close margins in the NESCAC East mean that one win can be influential to seed determination for the playoffs — making the season’s final series especially important.
Game 2
Tufts took to Combs Field again just an hour later, with senior Connor Podeszwa as starting pitcher. Podeszwa also earned NESCAC pitcher of the week in March.
After the first matchup, the Jumbos had their work cut out for them, and they got straight to work. Senior infielder Henry Fleckner led off with a single to shortstop, bringing up senior outfielder Ben Leonard, who sent a fly ball over the fence, bringing Fleckner home and putting two runs on the board.
Colby soon cut that lead to one with an RBI single in the bottom of the inning. After allowing two hits and a run, Podeszwa settled in.
Tufts rallied again in the fourth inning. McKiernan singled to left field, advancing Pavlik, who led the inning off with a walk. Both advanced on a balk and stayed a few pitches. Pavlik trotted home when graduate student shortstop Ozzie Fleischer reached on a fielder’s choice. Fleischer stole second, again putting runners in scoring position for Fleckner.
Fleckner reached on an error by Colby shortstop Myles Gythfeldt, giving Fleischer and McKiernan ample time to run home and increase Tufts’ lead to four runs.
The Mules struck again in the fifth, tacking on an unearned run. Tufts responded right back with another run in the sixth.
Tufts took a 6–3 lead into the seventh, when things started to crumble. Podeszwa hit the leadoff batter and gave up two base hits immediately after, letting one run score. This ended Podeszwa’s outing, bringing in first-year pitcher Derek Desmarais.
But the pitching change could not save the Jumbos. Desmarais gave up a walk, which loaded the bases. Pinch hitter Ben Croteau struck the decisive blow with a grand slam to give the Mules an 8–6 lead.
The Jumbos struggled offensively throughout the remainder of the game, failing to connect for any chance at a comeback. Colby added one more run in the eighth.
The Jumbos dropped the second game 9–6 after a promising start followed by offensive struggles. Podeszwa put up a final line with six runs, eight hits and four strikeouts over six innings. Desmarais received the loss with two hits, two runs and a strikeout.
Sophomore pitcher Ronan Hwang acknowledged that the losses hinged on one play. “For both games, if that one play went our way … it would [be a] completely different series and situation,” Hwang wrote in a message to the Daily. “But that’s kind [of] what baseball is, and we just have to move on and focus on whats ahead of us!”
Team leaders
Fleckner and Leonard had the best offensive performances for this double-header. Senior outfielder Cooper Smith leads the team with a .355 batting average. Leonard leads the team with seven home runs and 38 hits for the season.
On Deck
The Jumbos will take a 14–19 record into their final two games of the year with a 6–6 record within the NESCAC. They played the Mules once more on Sunday and will travel to Worcester on Wednesday for a day game at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. They currently stand at fourth in the NESCAC East. The NESCAC playoffs start on May 3, with the seven-game championship occurring from May 9–11.
