Hartford, Conn. – Sophomore RHP Sean Meekins (Rockville Centre, N.Y.) scattered 11 hits in a complete-game effort and senior 1B Joe Papa (Stoneham, Mass.) doubled twice and drove in four runs to lead the Trinity College Bantams to an 8-2 victory over the Bowdoin College Polar Bears in New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) East Division baseball action this afternoon.  Trinity improves to 9-7 with its second win in a row, while the Polar Bears fall to 8-7.  The game was the opener of a three-game series that was moved to Trinity due to unplayable field conditions at Bowdoin, and was also the NESCAC East Division opener for both squads.  The teams will finish the series with a doubleheader tomorrow at noon.  Bowdoin serves as the "home" team in all three games of the series.

Trinity jumped on Bowdoin senior captain RHP Oliver Van Zant (Westport, Conn.) in the top of the first inning, as senior OF Alex Almeida (Bridgeport, Conn.) opened the game with a single, and senior captain OF Michael Rueger (Teaneck, N.J.) followed with a walk.  Both players stole, Almeida scored on a sacrifice fly by senior captain SS Stephen Rogers (Watertown, Mass.), and Rueger scored on a ground ball by Papa.  The Bantams added three more runs in the third inning on back-to-back walks by Almeida and Rueger, an RBI double by Papa, and a two-out, two-run single by sophomore OF Scott Huley (Greenwich, Conn.).

Each team scored in the fourth frame, as Papa doubled home two in the top of the inning, and Bowdoin sophomores Cole DiRoberto (Worcester, Mass.) and Mike McQuillan (Andover, Mass.) each provided RBI singles in the bottom of the inning.  Trinity added another run in the ninth inning on a run-scoring base hit by Huley, and Meekins did not allow a Polar Bear past second base the after the fourth. 

Meekins struck out two and did not walk a batter to improve to 3-0, while Van Zant dropped to 1-2.  Bowdoin senior Dave Bernstein (Hanover, N.H.) provided quality relief, going four innings and allowing two hits and one run with 4 K's.  Almeida, Huley and sophomore Robert Ferrara (Fairfield, Conn.) joined Papa as multiple hitters for the Bantams, while sophomore 3B Sam Canales (Saco, Maine) was 3-for-4 at the plate for the Polar Bears.