Jumbos on six-win streak, sit at No. 2 in NESCAC

No.7 Tufts defeated Roger Williams 14-2 Tuesday behind nine runs scored in the bottom of the eighth, clinching the sixth consecutive win and a 16-2 record overall for Tufts. The team swept Lesley in a doubleheader on Saturday in two seven-inning games winning 9-0 and 4-1 respectively, and it defeated Keene State 10-2 on Sunday.

Tufts exercised its depth and emptied the bullpen against Roger Williams using five relief pitchers, including senior Matt Rothstein, junior Kevin Galasso, first-year Brad Marchetti and senior Rory Ziomek.Collectively, Tufts' relievers allowed no runs and three hits.Entering the eighth inning, the game was close at 5-2 until it opened up in the bottom of the frame. Tufts capitalized on three errors and six walks by Roger Williams and the Roger Williams’ pitching staff deteriorated against the Tufts offense. Six of the nine runs scored in the frame were unearned and Tufts solidified the 14-2 victory.

“Our guys have done a really good job of playing the whole game and not sitting back," coach John Casey said. "We have tendencies to score runs late because our guys stay in the game and keep fighting."

The team saw two early doubles from junior third baseman Tommy O’Hara and senior tri-captain outfielder Harry Brown.

“Whoever gets to the bullpen first wins the game, and it took us a long time to get to their bullpen yesterday,” Casey said.

On Sunday, Tufts defeated Keene State handily 10-2 with a grand slam from junior Malcolm Nachmanoff in the third frame. The team totaled six runs in the third inning alone with a single up the middle through the gap from junior infielder Nick Falkson and a double from senior infielder Tom Petry. Senior tri-captain pitcher Tim Superko pitched seven innings while allowing two runs, four hits and striking out eight. Marchetti and junior pitcher Ian Kinney closed out the game with two scoreless innings.

Lesley was unable to get on the scoreboard in the first game of the doubleheader on Saturday after tri-captain pitcher Speros Varinos pitched six innings while allowing just five hits, winning his fifth start on the season with a 1.36 earned run average.First-year pitcher Brent Greeley closed the game, pitching the top of the seventh and allowing no hits or runs. Tufts got on the scoreboard early with one run in the first inning and three runs in the second after sophomore infielder Will Shackleford grounded out to the short stop, earning an RBI, and O’Hara doubled to left-field, scoring senior outfielder Oscar Kutch and sophomore catcher Harrison Frickman.

In the bottom of the third frame, Petry crushed a double down the left-field line, scoring Brown and junior outfielder Mike McLaughlin for two runs. This was followed by a ground-out from Kutch, scoring Frickman for an unearned run. O’Hara walked, and in the next at-bat Petry scored on a wild pitch. To finish the inning, Falkson singled to left field scoring in O’Hara to clinch the 9-0 victory.

“I think everyone has been feeding off of each other in the lineup," Casey said. "Tom Petry has been phenomenal as a lead-off hitter. He has never hit there in his life so he’s been doing great. O’Hara is just O’Hara. He makes you work and he won’t swing at bad pitches. He takes his walks and moves to the next guy, so I think he has been solid. Falkson has been getting a lot of pitches, because O’Hara has been on so he’s also been doing a great job."

In the second game against Lesley, O’Hara led the team in hitting once again, going two for five at the plate. With junior short-stop Christian Zazzali and Petry on base, O’Hara stepped to the plate in the bottom of the third and hit his first home run on the season, earning three RBIs and getting the team on the scoreboard. McLaughlin crushed a single to the left side for the final run of the game, scoring in Nachmanoff and solidifying the 4-1 victory.

“The wind was howling to the left, so I was able to get a pitch middle out and drive it to left center [for the home run]. It was nice to finally get on the board for home runs and do something for the team,” O’Hara said.

“There is definitely a learning curve for the freshman, and upperclassmen help them out a lot, but they have been doing a great job so far. They all have contributed in their own ways, and everyone has found their role on the team. Everything is clicking,” O’Hara said.

Tufts hosts MIT today at 3 p.m.