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The Tufts Daily
Where you read it first | Friday, March 29, 2024

Jumbos post 5–4 record in first week of 2018 season

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Senior infielder and co-captain Nick Falkson connects with a pitch during Tufts' game against Roger Williams at Huskins Field on April 11, 2017.

On its annual spring break trip, the Tufts baseball team played nine games in 10 days. The Jumbos went 5–4 in that stretch, scoring 92 total runs and posting a team batting average of .282. Tufts fell short in the final game of the trip, losing by 12 runs to Virginia Wesleyan, 25–13.

"I think every year is a new year and everyone gets an opportunity, and it’s all about what you do with that opportunity regardless of the year," junior infielder Casey Santos-Ocampo said. "I think the key moving forward is to continue making progress and controlling what we can control, which is our attitude, effort and energy."

The game against Virginia Wesleyan remained close in the first few innings, and Tufts closed the gap to two, 4–2, after the top of the fourth. However, the Marlins responded immediately in the bottom of the inning with five runs, powered by a double, a single and a home run.Virginia Wesleyan continued to light up the scoreboard, tacking on six runs in the bottom of the fifth and seven in the sixth inning.

Tufts senior outfielder Malcolm Nachmanoff responded in the top of the sixth with a solo home run to center field, which made the score 15–3.The Jumbos totaled four runs in the sixth and five runs in the eighth with hits from senior second baseman Boomer Saraga, junior first baseman John Moschella, junior shortstop Will Shackelford and senior third baseman and co-captain Tommy O’Hara, among others. Despite the negative result, Tufts' first-years had a strong showing, with designated hitter Ryan Daues registering a multi-hit game and second baseman Will Burgess scoring three runs. Unfortunately, the runs were not enough to close the deficit.

The team also suffered a close loss to the Apprentice School on Saturday after conceding three runs in the bottom of the ninth to forfeit its two-run lead.The third inning ended with the Jumbos leading 5–1, but a three-run home run from Builders sophomore outfielder Maxwell Burcham in the bottom of the fourth inning left the teams knotted at five.

To lead off the sixth inning, O’Hara doubled to left field, scoring sophomore second baseman Elias Varinos, who walked in the previous at-bat. Senior first baseman and co-captain Nick Falkson then singled to right, scoring O’Hara and opening a two-run lead for the Jumbos.

It wasn’t until the bottom of the ninth that the Builders scored again, as junior third baseman Dalton Dye's single to left field scored a run, making the score 7–6. Soon after, sophomore left fielder Brent Byrum hit a walk-off single to left, scoring two runs for an 8–7 victory.

Tufts' losses followed two straight resounding victories over Lynchburg and Averett, 13–2 and 16–2, respectively.Against Lynchburg, sophomore pitcher Brent Greeley claimed his second win of the trip, going seven innings and conceding just eight hits and two runs.The Jumbos exploded in the third inning, scoring nine runs with hits from O’Hara, Nachmanoff and junior catcher Eric Schnepf.Three Jumbos were hit by pitches in the third, and the Hornets were unable to recover from the huge deficit, ultimately falling 13–2.

"[I was] focusing on location and accuracy as a pitcher, and I just tried to work on that the entire winter so when we moved outside, I was prepared and I just tried to work on my pitches and having command of my fastball," Greeley said.

Against Averett, Tufts dominated with a 16–2 victory.Senior pitcher R.J. Hall (2–0) struck out seven in seven innings while conceding just seven hits, two runs.

On March 19, the team conceded its second loss of the trip against Guilford.The Jumbos trailed for the entire game, eventually falling 11–6.The loss followed Tufts' two commanding victories over Marymount (Va.) and St. Vincent, 17–2 and 8–2, respectively. Greeley earned his first win of the season against St. Vincent, pitching eight innings and holding the opponents scoreless through six innings.

Tufts avenged its first loss of the season — to Marymount on March 17 by a 10–4 scoreline — with a 17–2 victory the following day. The Jumbos clinched a victory in their season debut, defeating the Castletown Spartans 8–4 with Hall pitching six innings and allowing only two runs.Senior pitcher Ian Kinney and senior pitcher Kevin Galasso closed the game, allowing a total of two runs on four hits.

Tufts will face Massachusetts Maritime (6–6) today and will play its first home games of the season against Trinity (4–7) on Friday and Saturday.

"It’s good that we have games under our belt now and have been able to get outside and play, but I think we are trying to focus on being the same all of the time and trying to get better every day and stay focused," Greeley said.