Medford, Mass. - Junior 1B Johnny Stamatis (Ridgefield, Conn.) had three hits, scored twice and added a crucial ninth-inning RBI to lead the visiting Trinity College Bantams to a 6-5 win over the Tufts University Jumbos in the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) East Division baseball opener for both teams this afternoon at Huskins Field. Trinity improved to 5-7 with its third victory in a row, while Tufts fell to 6-5 in its home opener. The teams will close out the three-game set at Huskins with a doubleheader tomorrow at noon.
Stamatis singled and scored in both the first and sixth innings to give the Bantams a 2-0 lead. He singled through the left side, stole second and scored on a double by sophomore Matt Koperniak (Adams, Mass.) in the first. In the sixth, Stamatis hit a one-out single up the middle, stole second, took third on a ground out to the left side and then scored unearned on a passed ball. Trinity junior starter Erik Mohl (Milton, Mass.) allowed just two Tufts hits in the first six innings. One runner was picked off and the other eliminated on a fielder's choice.
The Bantams padded their advantage to 4-0 with a pair of runs in the seventh. Sophomore DH Mack Lauder (Chappaqua, N.Y.) led off with a single to left and scored on a double to right-center by senior 2B Cooper Mooney (Southbury, Conn.). Senior CF Brendan Pierce (Hingham, Mass.) followed with a double down the left-field line scoring Mooney. The Jumbos broke through in the seventh, pulling within 4-3. Freshman DH Ryan Daues led off with a walk and came around to score when senior 3B Tommy O'Hara singled and the ball was misplayed in center field. Senior RF Malcolm Nachmanoff scored O'Hara with an infield single making it 4-2. A two-out double by junior SS Will Shackelford pulled Tufts within one, but Bantam sophomore reliever Andrew DeRoche (North Reading, Mass.) got a strikeout to leave Tufts runners on first and second.
Trinity added much-needed single runs in the eighth and ninth. Senior RF Christian Orsini (Livingston, N.J.) was hit by a pitch and scored on an error making it 5-3 in the eighth. The visitors went ahead 6-3 in the ninth as Pierce led off with a single, stole second and scored on Stamatis' base hit. Tufts would made it interesting in the bottom of the ninth. With one out, senior 1B Nick Falkson was hit by a pitch. Trinity went to senior closer McLane Hill (Marlborough, Conn.), but he was greeted by a base hit from sophomore pinch hitter Ryan Day that brought the tying run to the plate. Hill got the second out on a strikeout, but Tufts senior pinch hitter Boomer Saraga singled down the right field line scoring Falkson. Day then scored on a wild pitch, which made it 6-5 with the tying run on second base. However, Hill earned his fourth save with a strikeout to end it.
Pierce finished 2 for 4 for Trinity. Mohl was the winning pitching (1-2), giving up five hits and three runs (one earned) with four strikeouts and two walks in 6.2 innings. Nachmanoff and Shackelford each had two hits for Tufts, while Falkson scored twice. Junior starter R.J. Hall look the loss, going eight innings allowing six hits and five runs (three earned) with six K's and two walks.