Baseball sweeps doubleheader at UMPI
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Murphy |
C. Burke |
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Webb |
Gallant |
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Velotta |
Lynd |
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N. Burke |
Farrell |
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Murphy-Romboletti |
Devin |
PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — The Bates College baseball team swept a doubleheader at the University of Maine at Presque Isle on Wednesday, in the Owls’ first home games since 2005. The visiting Bobcats won Game 1 8-3 and took Game 2 4-3.
Bates raised its record to 12-19 with its fourth straight win, while UMPI dropped to 14-25.
In Game 1, sophomore Pat Murphy (Cape Elizabeth, Maine) started on the mound for Bates and earned the win with a five-inning effort, allowing three runs on three hits and no walks while striking out five. The Bobcats collected 14 hits in the seven-inning contest, with sophomores Chris Burke (Andover, Mass.), Gordy Webb (Hampden, Maine), Alex Gallant (Bangor, Maine) and Rich Velotta (Fairfield, Conn.) getting two hits apiece, with Burke adding in an RBI and two stolen bases. Sophomore Noah Lynd (Meriden, N.H.) hit a solo home run in the second inning, his first round-tripper of the season.
The Owls’ DJ Charette went 2-for-3 with a home run, his first this season, and three RBIs, collecting half of UMPI’s four hits in the game. Caleb Hale pitched a complete game, allowing all eight runs and 14 hits.
In Game 2, UMPI starting pitcher Brandon Elie had better luck against Bates’ bats, allowing four runs on 10 hits in another seven-inning, complete-game effort. The Bobcats scored two in the first as sophomore Noah Burke (Appleton, Maine) and first-year Mike Ciummei (Acton, Mass.) walked and were chased home on singles by senior Dave Farrell (Chatham, Mass.) and Gallant. UMPI got a run back in the fourth inning off of Bates starter Noah Lynd, but Bates went ahead 4-1 in the fifth on a two-run homer by Chris Burke, his second homer of the season. The Owls rallied for two runs in the seventh, but senior Chuck Murphy-Romboletti (Holyoke, Mass.) stamped it out from going any further in earning his first save of the season. It was the 16th appearance this season for Murphy-Romboletti and the 41st of his career, tying him with Kevin Walsh ’01 for the Bates record. Murphy-Romboletti now owns the Bates record for career relief appearances, with 34, and has tied Rick LaFleur’s 1990 record for relief appearances in a season, with 15.
Noah Burke, Chris Burke and senior Matt Devin (Bridgewater, Mass.) all had two hits for the Bobcats, with Devin adding two stolen bases. AJ Pennartz had three of UMPI’s five hits in the game, including his fourth home run of the season.
Chris Burke has now hit safely in nine straight games, has raised his batting average to .407 and has 48 hits on the year, just two away from the Bates single-season record set by Brian Mahoney ’08 last year. Prior to last season the record was 48, set by Mahoney in 2006. This is only Burke’s second longest hit streak of the season — he started the year off with an 18-game hitting streak.
Bates, in the middle of seven games over a four-day period, will play a nine-inning game at Colby tomorrow at 4 p.m.
Game 1 Box Score: Bates 8, UMPI 3
Game 2 Box Score: Bates 4, UMPI 3