Trinity Baseball Loses Late In NESCAC East Division Series Opener Against Tufts

Medford, Mass. - The visiting Trinity College Bantams led, 3-1, after its seventh time at bat but allowed six runs in the seventh and eighth innings in a 7-4 setback against the Tufts University Jumbos in the opener of a New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) East Division baseball series this afternoon at Huskins Field.  Trinity drops to 9-12 overall and 4-3 in the NESCAC East, while the Jumbos improve to 14-4 overall and 3-0 in the division.  The teams will play a doubleheader tomorrow at noon.

In the bottom of the seventh, Christian Zazzali and Eric Schnepf both had base hits for Tufts.
Back-to-back walks to Cody McCallum and Harry Brown forced home a run making it 3-2 Bantams. Tommy O'Hara gave Tufts a 4-3 lead with a two-out, two-run single up the middle.  Trinity answered immediately in the eighth to tie the score. First-year Johnny Stamatis (Ridgefield, Conn.) led off with a double to right-center and scored on a single by senior Daniel Pidgeon (Darien, Conn.). With Bantams on second and third with one out in the inning, Tufts reliever Joe Thomas struck out two straight to prevent further damage.  Tufts added three more in the bottom of the eighth on two hits, two walks, and two hit-by-pitches to lead 7-4. A single by McCallum and back-to-back hit-by-pitches from Brown and Will Shackelford brought home the runs. The Jumbos left the bases loaded with one out in the eighth, but Thomas finished off the Bantams in the ninth for his first collegiate win.

Brown had hit an opposite-field home run off the top of the fence in right in the first inning for a 1-0 Tufts lead. He would finish 2-for-3 with three RBI and a run.  Trinity tied the game in the third when sophomore 2B Cooper Mooney (Southbury, Conn.) led off with a walk, went to second on a single by junior OF Nick Pezzella (Worcester, Mass.), took third on a fielder's choice, and scored on a wild pitch. Trinity rookie SS Ben Reinisch (Troy, N.Y.) led off the Trinity fifth with a single, was sacrificed to second, took third on an error and scored unearned on a bunt by Pezzella. A pinch-hit home run by junior Jake Bennett (Norwell, Mass.) to lead off the seventh put the visitors up 3-1.

Junior Tim Superko started for for Tufts and allowed five hits and four runs (three earned) with six K's and three walks in seven innings. Thomas pitched two innings of one-hit, no-run relief with four strikeouts. Oscar Kutch was 2-for-4 with a run for Tufts and Zazzali scored twice.  After allowing Brown's home run, Trinity starter Jed Robinson settled in and blanked the Jumbos over the next five innings. However, the Jumbos chased him in the seventh and then scored three off Pidgeon in relief. Pezzella was 2-for-4 for the Bantams.