Bates Baseball drops a pair of close games to Trinity

Sophomore Connor Speed held Tufts to two unearned runs on two hits in game one of Saturday's doubleheader. (File photo by Josh Kuckens/Bates College)

HARTFORD, Conn. -- The Bates baseball team competed in two more very tight games with Trinity on Saturday but fell short in both contests by scores of 2-1 and 6-3 respectively.

With the losses, Bates is eliminated from post-season play. Tufts and Trinity will represent the East Division in the NESCAC Tournament.

Game One: Trinity 2, Bates 1 (7 innings)
Sophomore Connor Speed (San Diego, Calif.) was outstanding on the mound in a complete game effort in game one of Saturday's doubleheader. He tossed six innings, giving up two runs (neither of which were earned) on two hits. Speed struck out six and walked only one.

Bates out-hit Trinity 5-2 but their defense made three errors in the 2-1 loss.

The Bobcats had a number of early scoring opportunities.

Junior captain Ryan McCarthy (Plaistow, N.H.) singled to start the top of the first but was
eliminated from the bases when the Bantams turned a double play.

Junior John Dinucci (West Hartford, Conn.) got hit by a pitch with one away in the second inning. He stole second base but was left stranded there.

With one out in the third, sophomore Asher MacDonald (Hillsborough, N.C.) doubled. But Trinity starter Anthony Egeln Jr. (4-0) got the next two hitters to fly out and strike out respectively to get out of the jam.

With two outs in the fourth, Dinucci reached on an error and stole second. But once again Egeln Jr. got out of the jam with a strike out.

Speed (3-3) retired the first 11 batters he faced in order before issuing a two-out walk in the fourth. He retired the next batter to send the game to the fifth inning scoreless.

In the top of the fifth, first-year Christian Colon (Hamden, Conn.) reached on an error. The Bobcats bunted him to second and with two away McCarthy singled him in to put Bates up 1-0.

But the Bantams responded in the bottom of the fifth. Ian Steckel recorded the first hit of the game with a single to start the frame. Brendan Pierce was hit by a pitch and a Bates error allowed Steckel to advance to third, putting runners at the corners with nobody out.

One out later, Scott Cullinane reached on another Bates error, allowing a run to score and tying the game at one. After another hit-by-pitch loaded the bases, Nick Pezzella singled in the go-ahead run.
Bates went down in order in the top of the sixth. After Speed shut Trinity down in the bottom of the sixth, Bates had one last chance.

Senior captain Conor Reenstierna (Lincoln, Mass.) singled to begin the bottom of the seventh. But a double play erased him from the bases. Junior Brendon Canavan (Carlisle, Mass.) singled with two outs. But he got caught stealing to the end the game.

Game Two: Trinity 6, Bates 3
Bates took a 3-1 lead into the bottom of the seventh of game two but the Bantams scored three in the seventh and two in the eighth to secure the victory over the Bobcats.

The Bantams (14-14, 7-5 NESCAC) scored a run in the bottom of the first to take an early lead. Pezzella walked to start the frame and stole second base. One out later he advanced to third on a balk and scored on a Johnny Stamatis RBI grounder.

Bates tied things up in the top of the second. With one away Reenstierna singled. He moved to second on a ground-out and Canavan singled him home to even the game at one.

Bates grabbed the lead in the top of the fourth. First-year Joe Dinoto (West Friendship, Md.) singled leading off the inning. Canavan followed with a double to right field and a Trinity error allowed Dinoto to score and Canavan to advance to third. But Canavan was thrown out trying to come all the way around to score himself.

Up 2-1, Bates (10-16, 2-6 NESCAC) tallied another run in the seventh. With one away, McCarthy singled. Then with two down, junior Brendan Fox (West Hartford, Conn.) tripled him home, putting the Bobcats up 3-1.

Bates starter Anthony Telesca '17 (Holtsville, N.Y.) pitched extremely well for Bates, limiting the Bantams to just the one run through the first six innings.

But Trinity played long ball in the bottom of the seventh. Steckel led off the inning with a solo shot to cut the Bates lead to 3-2. One out later Ricky Spencer singled. Then Cullinane hit a two-run shot to give Trinity a 4-3 lead.

Senior Chris Ward (Pasadena, Calif.) entered the game and got the final two outs of the seventh.
With one out in the eighth, Dinoto and Canavan reached on back-to-back errors. But an inning ending double play bailed the Bantams out.

Trinity added a pair of insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth and Bates went down in order in the ninth.

Bates returns home Tuesday for a non-conference game with Endicott starting at 4:00 p.m.

Recap courtesy of Bates College