MEDFORD - Down to their final out and trailing by a run, the Tufts Baseball team scored twice to rally for a 3-2 game-one victory over Middlebury College highlighting a double-header sweep Sunday afternoon at Huskins Field.
Freshman 3B Tommy O'Hara went 3 for 3 with a grand slam and six rbis in the second game, an 8-2 Tufts victory.
The Jumbos head into the NESCAC Championship tournament next weekend at 26-8 overall. Middlebury completes its season at 4-24.
Senior CF Connor McDavitt was hit by a pitch to start the late rally in game one for the Jumbos. Junior pinch-hitter Cody McCallum and O'Hara followed with singles. McDavitt scored on O'Hara's base hit to tie the game at 2-2. After an intentional walk to senior catcher Bryan Egan loaded the bases, senior SS Matt Moser beat out a grounder to third with a head-first slide into first on a close play that scored McCallum for the win.
The Jumbos had taken a 1-0 lead in the first after O'Hara was hit by a pitch and scored on Egan's triple to right-center.
The Panthers took a 2-1 lead with single runs in the fourth and fifth. Freshman 2B Raj Palekar reached on a fielder's choice in the fourth and advanced to third on a pair of walks. He scored on a sac fly by junior 3B Joe MacDonald. In the fifth, sophomore 1B Jason Lock hit a one-out single and scored on a double by junior catcher Max Araya.
Tufts senior Tom Ryan earned the game-one win in relief with two perfect innings. McDavitt was 2 for 3 with a run atop the Tufts order.
Middlebury senior starter Eric Truss pitched well until the game unraveled at the end. He allowed nine hits and three runs with four strikeouts and a walk in 6.2 innings. Lock and Araya both had two hits for the Panthers.
O'Hara hit a two-run double in the third and the grand slam in the fourth helping Tufts take an 8-0 lead in game two. Also in the fourth, freshman 1B Michael McLaughlin doubled home a run and scored and McDavitt had an rbi single, stole second and scored.
The Panthers had taken a 1-0 lead in the nightcap. Freshman DH Robert Erickson hit a two-out single, went to second on a single by Araya and scored on Palekar's double. The visitors added a single run in the seventh on a pair of walks and a sac fly by senior CF Dylan Sinnickson.
Willie Archibald, one of eight Jumbos recognized on Seniors Day at Huskins Field, pitched well in relief for Tufts. He went four innings allowing three hits and no runs to get the win.
McDavitt was 3 for 4 with two runs, an rbi and two stolen bases in game two. McCallum scored twice while Moser went 2 for 4. The Jumbos turned five double plays in the game.
Middlebury senior Cooper Byrne was tagged with the loss, allowing nine hits and all eight runs with three walks and a strikeout in 3.1 innings. Sinnickson, Araya and Palekar all had two hits.
The Jumbos play Amherst College in the opening round of the NESCAC Championship at Holman Stadium in Nashua, N.H. Friday night at 7 pm.
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