Hartford, Conn. – The Colby College White Mules took both games of a New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) East Division baseball doubleheader, 5/6-3/5, against the Trinity College Bantams this afternoon. Trinity falls to 6-12 overall and 1-4 in the NESCAC, while Colby improves to 10-2 overall and 2-0 in the division. The three-game series was moved from Waterville, Maine to Hartford due to unplayable field conditions at Colby, and the teams will close it out tomorrow at noon.
Trinity struck first, scoring once in the first inning on a walk by junior Evan Abraham (Pacific Palisades, Calif.), a single by sophomore 3B Daniel Pidgeon (Darien, Conn.), a hit batsman, and a sacrifice fly by junior Scott Huley (Greenwich, Conn.), and once again in the third on another Abraham walk and an RBI double by Huley. The Bantams led, 3-2, after six innings when Colby put up three runs in the bottom of the seventh to take the lead for the first time. Senior Nathan Ellis (Milton, Mass.) singled to lead off the inning and junior Jason Buco (Methuen, Mass.) followed with a two-run homer to put Colby ahead, 4-3. Sophomore Tyler Starks (Milton, Mass.) added a two-out, RBI single to account for the fifth Colby run. Trinity junior 1B Bryan Wolfe (La Habra Heights, Calif.) and sophomore Matt Mortimer (Spencer, Mass.) singled in the ninth, but a double play ruined the rally.
Senior Lucas Geoghegan (Boston, Mass.) pitched 4.1 innings of scoreless relief for the Mules, allowing four hits and no walks with 4 K's to earn the victory on the hill. Trinity junior RHP Sean Meekins (Rockville Centre, N.Y.) allowed six hits and one run with five strikeouts and three walks over six innings, but was left with a no-decision. Pidgeon, Wolfe, and junior 2B Connor Sullivan (Fairfield, Conn.) each had two hits for Trinity, while Buco finished 2-for-4 with two homers and three RBI for Colby.
Colby jumped out to a 3-0 lead with runs in the first, third, and fourth innings, and added three runs in the sixth frame to take a 6-0 lead. In a game scheduled for seven innings, Trinity rallied in its final time at bat with five runs, but left runners on first and third base when Colby junior Greg Ladd (Danvers, Mass.) recorded the final out. Buco drove in the first Colby run on a sacrifice fly, while Ellis added an RBI single in the third inning, and rookie Andrew Della Volpe (Concord, Mass.) had an RBI single in the fourth and sixth frames. White Mule sophomore Nils Carlson (Worcester, Mass.) had a run-scoring single in the sixth inning and the last Colby run came home on a sacrifice fly.
In the Trinity seventh, freshman Ryan Reuther (Wilton, Conn.) doubled home the first run and two more came home on a bases-loaded walk by fellow rookie Nick Pezzella (Worcester, Mass.) and a sacrifice fly by Abraham to make the score, 6-3, with one out. Pidgeon delivered a two-run double to pull Trinity within one, but Ladd recorded his first save with a ground out to end it. Sophomore righty Soren Hanson (Billerica, Mass.) earned the win for Colby, allowing six hits and five runs in six innings with four walks and nine K's. Trinity senior captain Peter Burrows (Floral Park, N.Y.) yielded three runs and six hits over six innings in a losing effort.