WILLIAMSTOWN, MA -- Williams was swept by Bates, 12-4 and 11-7, in a NESCAC non-division doubleheader today at Bobby Coombs Field.  With the wins, Bates moves to 18-16 overall, while the Ephs finish the season at 15-23.

In game one, Bates went through its lineup three times in the first three innings to build an early 10-0 lead.  They went on to win, 12-4.

Thanks to several walks and a pair of clutch hits, Bates led 6-0 after two.  They extended their lead to 10-0 with a four-run third.  The Bobcats added single runs in the fourth and sixth to build a 12-0 lead.

Williams got its only runs in a four-run sixth.  Chance Rueger started the inning with a solid single to right.  He eventually would advance to third on a pair of wild pitches.  With one out, pinch hitter Bryan Jones walked, and Patrick Blizzard followed with another walk to load the bases.  Thomas Stephens was then hit by a pitch, which brought Rueger home to score the Ephs' first run.  Luke Pierce followed with another walk, which brought home Jones.  A sharply hit single by Matt Kastner brought in Blizzard and Stephens to make the game 12-4.  The Ephs were unable to close the gap further and fell in the first game.

Bates starter Brad Reynolds (2-2) earned the win, going 5.0 innings and giving up no runs on two hits.  He walked four and struck out five.  Williams starter Steve Marino (1-5) took the loss, giving up eight runs on six hits, while walking six and striking out one.

Offensively, Sam Berry led the Bates offense, going 4-4 with three doubles and seven RBI.  Kevin Davis went 3-3 with three doubles, three runs scored, and two RBI.  Samuel Warren was the third Bobcat to have a multi-hit game, going 2-4 with a double, a walk, and three runs scored.  Williams got hits from Rueger, Kastner, Darren Hartwell, and Andrew Bishop.

In game two, the teams traded early runs and were tied, 3-3, after two.  Bates broke the game open with a five-run third, and eventually led the game, 11-4.  Williams got three runs back, but lost, 11-7.

The Bobcats again got out to an early lead, scoring three in the first, but Williams responded immediately.  In the bottom of the first, a pair of two-out walks by Taylor Mondshein and Phil McGovern put two men on for KC Murphy.  Murphy crushed a double down the left field line, scoring Mondshein and sending McGovern to third.  McGovern then came in to score on a passed ball, cutting Bates' lead to 3-2.

The Ephs tied the game in the bottom of the second, again scoring with two outs.  Matt Kastner reached on an error to begin the threat, also advancing to second on the play.  When Darren Hartwell also reached on an error, Kastner scored as the ball bounced past the Bates shortstop into center field.

Bates, however, built an 8-3 lead with a five-run third.  Kevin Davis, with one RBI, and Nate Pajka and Kevin McGregor, each with a pair of RBI, were key to the Bobcats' runs.  The Ephs got a run back on a Thomas Stephens RBI triple in the bottom of the third, but Bates stretched its lead to 11-4 after four and a half.

Senior relievers Lucas Casso and Jimmy Ray were able to hold the Bobcats at 11.  Casso gave the Ephs three innings of one-run baseball, striking out a Bates hitter in the process.  Ray would throw a scoreless eighth and ninth, striking out four Bobcats.  He walked off the field in the ninth to an ovation from the home crowd after a fine career as the Ephs' closer.

With Casso and Ray holding Bates, the Ephs offense battled back to keep the game close.  In the bottom of the fifth, another Stephens RBI triple closed the lead to 11-5.  They added two more in the bottom of the sixth.  With runners on first and third and one out, Taylor Mondshein singled in Pierce.  A Phil McGovern grounder then scored Hartwell for the senior center fielder's 37th run of the season.  Bates' lead was cut to 11-7, but the Bobcats bullpen settled down for the rest of the game to complete the victory.

Bates reliever Mark Cunningham (2-0) got the win, while Williams starter Patrick Blizzard (2-2) took the loss.

Offensively, four Bobcats had two-RBI games (Sam Berry, Mekae Hyde, Nate Pajka, and Kevin McGregor).  Ryan Sonberg, Kevin Davis, and Alex Parker each scored two runs.  For Williams, Thomas Stephens went 3-5 with two triples and two RBI, and Marco Hernandez was on base four times.

After the game, Wiliams head coach Bill Barrale spoke highly of his senior class, who played their last games for the Ephs: "They gave great effort this whole season, and great leadership.  We're going to miss them.  I feel sorry for the way they went out.  I thought Lucas Casso and Jimmy Ray did a great job today.  Darren [Hartwell], Taylor [Mondshein], and KC [Murphy] did a great job all year at the plate.  Andrew Bishop chipped in and did a good job.  Chance Rueger's developed into a heck of a catcher.  I'm going to miss those guys, and my heart goes out to them the way the season's played out, and the way we ended.  ...  They're definitely going to be missed."

Williams' season is over, and Bates wraps up its season with a home doubleheader against St. Joseph's on Wednesday, May 8 at 1:00 PM.