HARTFORD, Conn. – The Trinity College Baseball team split a pair of games against visiting Tufts University in a New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) doubleheader at Murren Family Field at DiBenedetto Stadium Saturday afternoon. The Bantams improve to 14-14 on the season and 4-5 in conference, while the Jumbos fall to 13-16 overall and 5-4 in the NESCAC.
Prior to the doubleheader, the Bantams honored their departing senior class of 2025:
Tyler Colditz, Tommy Fahey,
Jake Leonard and
Jonathan Link.
Game 1: Trinity 6, Tufts 3 (7 Innings)
The Jumbos grabbed a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning as James Henshon laced a triple into the right field gap, and then scored on an RBI single from Connor Smith. The Bantams looked to even the score with runners on first and third with no outs, but Tufts starter Connor Podeszwa struck out three straight batters to preserve the 1-0 lead.
Tufts added a pair of runs in the top of the second as Henry Fleckner scored on a throwing error, and then a sac fly from Jesse McCullough to extend the lead to 3-0. The Bantams loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom of the frame and chipped away at the lead with an RBI single from
Dylan Schnitzer, and then an RBI groundout from Will Sawyer to make it a 3-2 game. Trinity looked to take the lead in the fifth, loading the bases again, but Podeszwa logged a clutch strike out to maintain the Jumbos edge.
Trinity delivered a two-out rally in the sixth, beginning with a Bernstein walk, who came around to score on an RBI double from Timmy Domizio, knotting the game at 3-3. Schnitzer followed with an RBI single through the right side, plating Domizio and putting Trinity ahead 4-3. The Bantams added two more insurance run on a two-run single from
Aidan Stern to seal the 6-3 victory.
Bantams starter
Brendan Grady (4-0) earned the win, allowing three runs, one earned, on five hits with two strikeouts in six innings of work. Fahey collected his third save of the season with a strikeout in an inning of relief.
Game 2: Tufts 17, Trinity 11 (9 Innings)
The nightcap began as a pitcher's duel between Trinity starter
Drew McGowan and Tufts starter Jacob Lapp with both sides only allowing one run over the first five innings. Tufts broke a scoreless game in the second inning as Brala scored on a Trinity error, and then Mascolo knocked an RBI single in the fifth to even the game at 1-1.
The game quickly turned into a slugfest as the teams combined for 12 runs in the sixth inning. Tufts took the lead as Ben Leonard belted a leadoff home run, followed by a three-run home run from Henry Fleckner to hand the Jumbos the 5-1 advantage. The Bantams battled back in the bottom of the frame, scoring eight runs, beginning with an RBI sac fly from Will Sawyer and an RBI single from Stern to narrow the gap to 5-3. Stern came around to score on an RBI double from Park, followed by Park scoring on an RBI single from
Luis Saldivia to knot the game at 5-5.
With two outs and the bases loaded, the Jumbos dropped a called third strike on Stevenson, allowing Saldivia to score, and then Mascolo raced home after Saldivia due to an errant throw from the catcher, putting Trinity ahead 7-5. The Bantams added two more runs in the inning as Bernstein scored on a double steal, and then Schnitzer knocked an RBI single up the middle to extend the gap to 9-5. Bernstein tacked on an RBI single in the seventh to put Trinity on top 10-5.
Trailing 10-6 in the top of the ninth, the Jumbos mounted one final comeback as James Henshon launched a three-run home run over the left field fence to trim the deficit to 10-9. Fleckner knocked a triple into the left field gap to put the tying run on third, and then Brala brought him home on a RBI groundout to tie the score at 10-10.
In the top of the tenth inning, Henshon fought off a 2-2 strike to drop a two-run single into right field, followed by an RBI double from Mike Pavlik as Tufts regained at 13-10 lead. Fleckner brought in two more runs with a double down the left field line, and then scored on an RBI double from Brala, who later came home on an error to put the Jumbos ahead, 17-10. Bernstein launched a solo home run in the bottom of the tenth en route to the 17-11 final score.
The Bantams will be back on the diamond when they host Amherst in a non-conference tilt at Murren Family Field at DiBenedetto Stadium Wednesday at 6:00 p.m.
TRINITY ATHLETICS
