Box Score
LEWISTON, Maine -- Pitchers Benjamin Shwartz and Griffin Finan combined to scatter eight hits over nine innings, leading the Bates College baseball team to a 7-3 victory in its home opener Tuesday at Leahey Field.
Shwartz (1-0), a first-year starter from Mattapoisett, Mass., went five innings, allowing one run on three hits while striking out four. Finan, a junior from Bethesda, Md., earned his first save with four innings of work, allowing two runs, one earned.
Bates (4-3) extended its 2-1 lead with three runs in the sixth inning, on sophomore Alex Egelson's (Fairfield, Conn.) bases-loaded sacrifice fly, sophomore Alex Maulucci's (Avon, Conn.) RBI single, and sophomore Brian Buckley's (Andover, Mass.) run off one of the Beavers' (1-4) six errors in the game.
The Bobcats padded their lead with single runs in the seventh and eighth innings, as Buckley drew a bases-loaded walk in the seventh and senior Donovan Driscoll (Braintree, Mass.) plated classmate Tyler Paul (Great Falls, Mont.) with a sacrifice fly in the eighth.
UMF drew closer with two runs in the top of the ninth, on Brody Artes' (Howland, Maine) RBI double and Tyler Hanson's (Sanford, Maine) sacrifice fly, but Finan closed the door on the rally with a strikeout and a lineout to center fielder Tyler Maxwell (Coventry, Vt.), ending the game.
First-year lefthanded starter Craig Pendleton (Arundel, Maine) earned the loss, allowing five runs, two earned, through 5 2/3 innings while striking out seven. First-year Dan Hemdal (Nashua, N.H.) gave up two runs over 2 1/3 innings of relief.
UMF scored a run in the first inning, when sophomore Corey Provencher (New Gloucester, Maine) hit a leadoff single, advanced to third on junior Aaron Wolfe's (Wilton, Maine) single, and came home on a delayed steal after Wolfe was thrown out trying to steal second.
Bates answered with runs in the first and second innings. Sophomore Denis Hogan (Franklin, Mass.) led off the first by reaching on a fielding error by Pendleton, but went down with an injury after stepping awkwardly on the first base bag. Donovan Driscoll replaced Hogan, and Driscoll advanced to third on sophomore Casey McCormack's (Keene, N.H.) single to right, then scored on UMF catcher Tom Danylik's (Biddeford, Maine) error trying to throw out McCormack at second base on his steal attempt.
In the second, Bates junior Rob Schuler (Hanover, Mass.) reached on a fielder's choice and later came hobbling home on another fielder's choice and a throwing error by shortstop Jacob Turner (Jay, Maine). Having suffered a leg injury on the basepaths, Schuler was replaced by Maxwell in the Bates lineup.
Bates will play Tufts in its NESCAC conference opener on Friday at 3 p.m.
