TUCSON, Ariz. -- Senior Luke Linnehan tossed seven shutout innings and the Bates baseball team rolled to a 7-1 win over Carleton College Monday morning at the Tucson Invitational Games. 

Linnehan (Hingham, Mass.) turned in the longest outing of his collegiate career to earn the victory, holding the Knights (1-5) to just one hit while striking out three. 

The Bobcats (7-3) grabbed the lead for good against Carleton starter Sam Zacks (0-1) by scoring three runs in the top of the third inning. Senior captain Jack Brennan (West Hartford, Conn) got things started with an infield single. First-year Keagan Ryan (Salem, N.H.) followed with a single to left, and junior Brandon Biggane (Rensselaer, N.Y.) reached on a 5-4 fielder's choice. The relay to first was wild, allowing Brennan to score and Biggane to move to second. Senior captain Chris Cimino (Scarborough, Maine) tripled in Biggane and the Bobcats led 2-0. An RBI groundout from sophomore Gibby Sullivan (Yarmouth, Maine) extended the lead to 3-0.

The game remained at 3-0 until the top of the sixth. Sullivan led off with a single through the left side, and one out later senior Noah Jankowski (Methuen, Mass.) singled to right field, putting runners at first and second. The Bobcats pulled off a double steal and a throwing error on the play allowed Sullivan to score for a 4-0 edge.

The Bobcats put the game a little further out of reach with two runs in the seventh. Brennan led off with a walk and Ryan got hit by a pitch. Bates pulled off another double steal and Biggane drove in Brennan with a grounder to short. Biggane reached safely on the play thanks to another Carleton error and he promptly stole second to put two runners in scoring position with one already in. Cimino singled home Ryan and Bates led 6-0. 

Senior captain Noah Timmer (Keene, N.H.) entered the game for Linnehan (2-0) in the eighth inning. He surrendered an unearned run but was effective in two innings of relief to finish off the game, striking out two and allowing just two hits without walking anyone. 

Up by five at 6-1, Bates pushed across one final run in the top of the ninth. Ryan got hit by a pitch and stole second base. One out later, Cimino also got hit by a pitch and the Bobcats pulled off yet another double steal. Another throwing error by the Knights allowed Ryan to score on the play for the final run of the game for either side.

The Bobcats tallied 13 hits while holding the Knights to just three. Both teams committed four errors on the day. Jankowski went 3-4 at the plate while Brennan, Cimino and junior Ben Genser (Methuen, Mass.) notched two hits apiece. 

Bates is back in action Tuesday at 4pm eastern time, 1pm in Arizona, when the Bobcats take on NESCAC foe Wesleyan in a non-conference game.