Baseball team wins season opener against Elms College, 9-6
PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. — The Bates College baseball team plated seven runs combined in innings five and six, then held off a last-inning rally to defeat Elms College 9-6 in Bates’ season opener Thursday afternoon.
Sophomore Erik Hood (Berlin, N.H.) hit RBI doubles in both the fifth and sixth innings, and first-year Dave Farrell (Chatham, Mass.) hit a two-run triple in the fifth for the Bobcats (1-0). Farrell was 2-for-3 with three RBIs, and Hood was 2-for-4.
Junior starting pitcher Griffin Finan (Bethesda, Md.) earned the win for Bates, allowing five runs, four earned, over 6 1/3 innings. Sophomore Brian Buckley (Andover, Mass.) came on in relief of first-year Dan Cook (Sudbury, Mass.) with two men on and got the last two outs, after first allowing an RBI single to Elms junior Joe Sawa (Chicopee, Mass.).
Sophomore Alex Egelson (Fairfield, Conn.) went 2-for-3 with two runs and two RBIs for Bates, and senior Adam Worrall (Duxbury, Mass.) was 3-for-4 with an RBI and a pair of runs. Sophomore Denis Hogan (Franklin, Mass.) scored three runs.
Bates jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning when a single by Worrall scored Hogan, who had walked and stolen second base.
Elms came back to knot the score at one apiece in the top of the second when shortstop Nathan Hawes singled, stole second, and came home on a sharp single to right by third baseman Joe Esile.
But Bates answered in the fourth with another singleton. Egelson slapped a one-out single up the middle, advanced to second on a wild pitch by Elms starter Joe Guditus, and scored on a single to center by Farrell.
The Bobcats added four more in the fifth inning when they sent eight men to the plate. Hogan led off with a walk and Worrall advanced him to second with his second hit of the game. Then, with one out, a double by Hood down the left-field line scored Hogan, and Egelson’s second hit scored Worrall. With two out, Farrell’s triple to deep right field scored Hood and Egelson.
But the Blazers weren’t done, as they tallied two more in the sixth inning on a double by left fielder Joe Prattico and a triple to right by shortstop Nathan Hawes.
The Bobcats answered that outburst by one their own in the sixth inning, scoring three runs on a double by junior centerfielder Rob Schuler (Hanover, Mass.), another single by Worrall and a double by Hood.
Elms attempted a last-inning comeback in the top of the seventh with three runs coming on three walks and a pair of singles, but Buckley came on to shut the door and preserve the victory.
The second game of the doubleheader between the teams was rained out in the first inning, and will be resumed Friday at 9 a.m. Bates has a doubleheader scheduled for Friday afternoon against Western Connecticut State.
Bates College 9, Elms College 6
———————————————————————-
Elms College…….. 010 002 3 - 6 8 2 (0-1)
Bates College……. 100 143 X - 9 11 1 (1-0)
———————————————————————-
Pitchers: Elms College – Guditus, J; Prattico, J(5). Bates College – GFinan; DCook(7); BBckly(7).
Win-GFinan(1-0) Loss-Guditus, J(0-1) T-1:57 A-100
DCook faced 2 batters in the 7th.