LEWISTON, Maine -- Junior John Tully tossed seven and two thirds innings of three-run ball and senior captain Brandon Biggane recorded the eventual game-winning hit as the Bates baseball team earned a 4-3 victory over NESCAC rival Bowdoin Friday afternoon at Leahey Field. 

The Bobcats (4-11, 2-2 NESCAC East) snapped a seven-game losing streak to their oldest rival, as the history between the Bowdoin and Bates baseball teams dates back to 1872. 

Tully (Framingham, Mass.) turned in the longest outing of his collegiate career, throwing 114 pitches and striking out five batters along the way. 

Bates grabbed the lead for good in the bottom of the third. With the game tied at two, first-year David Swift (Yarmouth, Maine) reached on an infield single. Senior Ben Genser (Newton, Mass.) singled Swift to second. Then with two away, the Bobcats pulled off a double steal. Biggane (Rensselaer, N.Y.) delivered the clutch hit, singling through the left side to score both runners and put Bates up 4-2.

Tully (2-1) took it from there, working around a lead-off double in the fourth and a lead-off single in the fifth. He retired the side in order in the sixth and didn't let a two-out walk in the seventh get to him. He got to the eighth inning with the Bobcats still up by two before the Polar Bears (15-3, 2-1 NESCAC East) mounted a rally. Reuben Siegel singled to start the frame, and two outs later Lukas Tsai drew a walk. Liam Foley singled down the left field line, scoring a run and advancing pinch runner Robbie Perlman to third. 

At that point, head coach Jon Martin went to the bullpen and brought in reigning Maine Rookie of the Week Charlie Cariello (Bedford, N.H) to try to get out of the jam. The big right-hander walked Bowdoin's Finn Cahill to load the bases, but struck out Chris Dirks to end the inning, preserving the 4-3 lead.

Cariello went back out to the mound for the ninth inning, looking for the four-out save. He walked Will Cooke to start the frame. Cal Thompson attempted to bunt Cooke over, but popped it up. The ball drifted to the netting behind home plate before junior catcher Liam Yardley (Keene, N.H.) made a sliding catch. Cooke was able to tag and advance to second on the play. Cariello left him stranded there, getting Siegel to foul out to Swift at first and Will Bordes to fly out to center, securing his second save of the season.

The Polar Bears actually jumped out to the early lead on Friday, tallying a pair of runs in the first. Siegel led off the game with a double and one out later Kevin Murray drew a walk. Tsai found a hole on the right side, singling in Siegel to put Bowdoin up 1-0. Murray advanced to third on the play and scored on an RBI grounder from Foley.

Bates answered in the bottom of the second. With one out, Genser singled to center. Yardley got hit by a pitch and Biggane drew a walk to load the bases. Junior Jack Margiloff (Rye, N.Y.) singled in Genser to trim the Bowdoin lead to 2-1. Then with two away, junior Joe Yoxall (Dallas, Texas) reached on a Bowdoin error. Yardley scored on the play and the game stood tied at two apiece.

Jason Bogdanos (3-2) took the loss for Bowdoin on the mound, going six innings and giving up four runs (three earned) on seven hits. He walked one and struck out five. 

Genser paced the Bates offense, going 3-4 with two runs scored. The Bobcats tallied eight hits and Bates pitching held Bowdoin to six hits. Siegel and Tsai recorded two hits apiece for the visitors.

Bates is back in action Saturday when the Bobcats head to Brunswick for a doubleheader with the Polar Bears. First pitch of game one is set for 10 a.m.