Hartford, Conn. – The visiting Bowdoin baseball team spoiled Trinity's home opener on Friday afternoon, beating the Bantams, 4-2, in New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) East Division action at Campus Field. With the loss, Trinity moves to 4-9 on the year and 0-1 in conference play, while the Polar Bears improved to 9-3-1 and 1-0 in league tilts.
In cold and rainy conditions, Bowdoin's Erik Jacobsen tossed seven impressive innings, scattering six hits and striking out a pair for his second win of the year. On the other side, junior Sean Meekins (Rockville Center, N.Y.) went four innings and allowing four runs (three earned), while striking out four and surrendering four hits in a losing effort.
The teams went scoreless over the first three innings as both Jacobsen and Meekins were dealing. In the top of the fourth, Bowdoin got on the board by manufacturing a pair of runs. With the bases loaded and one out, Sean Mullaney was hit by a pitch for the game's first run. The next batter, Kyle LeBlanc, hit an RBI groundout to second to give the visitors a 2-0 lead. With two down, Meekins forced John Lefeber to fly out to get out of the jam.
An inning later, the Polar Bears added two more runs as Peter Cimini hit a sac fly and Cole DiRoberto knocked a two-out RBI single. In the bottom of the frame the Bantams would cut into the lead with a two-out rally. After freshman Chris Leach (Belle Meade, N.J.) worked a walk with two down, both Scott Huley (Greenwich, Conn.) and Daniel Pidgeon (Darien, Conn.) hit singles. With the bases loaded, freshman Bryan Wolfe (La Habra Heights, Calif.) was hit by a pitch to make it a three-run game. Jacobsen gained his composure forcing the next Trinity batter to fly out and the threat.
The division rivals played scoreless baseball from there until the bottom of the ninth as Trinity threatened once again. With one out, the Bantams placed two runners on as Evan Abraham (Pacific Palisades, Calif.) smacked his third single of the game and Leach was hit by a pitch for the second consecutive at bat. The runners each advanced a base after a passed ball and Huley brought Abraham charging home with a sacrifice fly to left. With the tying run at the plate, Pidgeon grounded out to the pitcher to end the inning.
Both bullpens pitched well as the Bantams saw David O'Brien (Fairfield, Conn.) and Dylan Callahan (Greenwich, Conn.) combine to toss five scoreless innings with five strikeouts. For the Polar Bears, David Zabinksy worked the eighth and Henry Van Zant closed out the victory in the ninth to earn his first save of the year.
The Bantams and Polar Bears continue their weekend of action tomorrow, Mar. 29, with a doubleheader beginning at 10:00 a.m.