LEWISTON, Maine -- Senior Sam Hough turned in an outstanding performance on the mound and the Bates baseball team upended No. 24 nationally ranked Colby by a score of 9-3 in NESCAC action Friday afternoon.

Hough (Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.) tossed seven innings of two-run ball, scattering six hits and striking out four along the way.

Bates (12-15, 3-7 NESCAC) jumped out to an early lead against Colby starter Nicholas Thompson. 

Senior captain Jack Brennan (West Hartford, Conn.) got the offense going in the bottom of the first with a lead-off single up the middle. With one out, senior captain Chris Cimino (Scarborough, Maine) reached on a Colby error, putting runners at first and second. First-year Henry Prince (McLean, Va.) stepped to the plate and ripped a single into left, scoring Brennan for a 1-0 Bates lead. Junior Ben Genser (Newton, Mass.) followed with a double to dead center, which one-hopped off the fence. Cimino and Prince came around to score and the Bobcats grabbed a 3-0 edge over the visitors.

The Bobcat offense kept the pressure on in the bottom of the second. Sophomore Gibby Sullivan (Yarmouth, Maine) led off the inning with a single up the gut. Sophomore Liam Yardley (Keene, N.H.) reached on an infield single to put runners at first and second. Then the Bobcats played some small ball. First, they pulled off a double steal, putting both runners in scoring position with Brennan at the plate. Brennan grounded out to second, scoring Sullivan, and first-year Keagan Ryan (Salem, N.H.) drove in Yardley with a sacrifice fly. 

Now up 5-0, the Bobcats just had to hang on against the top offense in the NESCAC. Marcus Forrester got the Mules (23-8, 7-3 NESCAC) on the board with a solo home run in the top of the third. But Bates got the run back against Thompson (3-3) in the bottom half of the frame. Prince and Genser smacked back-to-back singles to start the bottom of the third. Junior Brandon Biggane (Rensselaer, N.Y.) followed with a hot smash to short that might have been a double play ball, but it bounced off the Colby shortstop's glove into shallow center for an error. Prince scored on the play and Bates led 6-1.

The Mules took advantage of a lead-off walk in the fourth to Brady O'Brien. With runners at first and second and one away, Patrick McConnell singled in O'Brien to trim the Bates advantage to 6-2.

But that's as close as Colby got the rest of the way. The Bobcats answered with two runs in the bottom of the fourth. Yardley walked to start the frame and one out later Ryan got hit by a pitch. Cimino singled in Yardley, chasing Thompson from the game. Prince greeted new pitcher Charles Collins with a sacrifice fly to left, making the score 8-2.

Hough (2-2) shut the Mules down in the top of the fifth and senior Noah Jankowski (Methuen, Mass.) launched his fourth home of the season to extend the lead to 9-2 in the bottom of the fifth. 

Junior Christopher McGrail (Dedham, Mass.) entered the game in the top of the eighth, as Hough departed after throwing 112 pitches in his seven innings of work. The Mules loaded the bases with one out, but Cimino turned a sweet 5-3 double play on a hard-hit ball down the third base line, getting the Bobcats out of the jam.

First-year Kenny Carlisle (South Portland, Maine) relieved McGrail to pitch the top of the ninth, and the Mules were able to push across a run on a Ryan Grace sacrifice fly. They loaded the bases with two outs, but Carlisle struck out Noah Reichman looking to end the game and secure the victory.

The two teams combined for 21 hits, with Bates tallying 11 to Colby's 10. But the visitors left 11 runners on bases. Brennan, Cimino, Prince, and Genser tallied two hits apiece for Bates. Genser also drew two walks and drove in two. 

Bates is back in action Saturday when the Bobcats visit Colby for a doubleheader, which gets underway at 12 pm. Bates must sweep the Mules in the twin bill and Bowdoin must sweep Trinity on Saturday in their doubleheader in order for the Bobcats to make the NESCAC tournament.