SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine – Bates College baseball outslugged Bowdoin College 13-7 in game one before falling 6-2 in game two in a doubleheader on Sunday afternoon at Southern Maine Community College's Seawolf Stadium.

In a pair of NESCAC East Division games originally scheduled to be played at Bates, the Bobcats (8-9, 2-2 NESCAC East) totaled four doubles and a home run en route to the game one victory in seven innings before the Polar Bears' (11-6-1, 3-3 NESCAC East) pitching staff stymied the designated hosts for the better part of nine innings in the nightcap.

The Bobcats took the series after earning a 9-1 decision over the Polar Bears at SMCC on Friday afternoon.

Next, Bates plays at Clark University on April 13 at 1 p.m. while Bowdoin hosts St. Joseph's College of Maine on Wednesday at 4 p.m.

Game One Recap – Bates 13, Bowdoin 7

Senior Kevin Davis (North Andover, Mass.) launched a grand slam in the fifth inning and tallied 7 RBIs to lead Bates past Bowdoin, 13-7, in game one.

Davis went 3-for-4 in the contest with a pair of doubles and three runs scored. Senior Griff Tewksbury (Concord, N.H.) recorded a double, three RBIs, and three runs scored while junior Nate Pajka (Douglas, Mass.) enjoyed a 2-for-4 day with a double.

For Bowdoin, junior Cole DiRoberto (Worcester, Mass.) registered a 3-for-4 performance at the plate, and classmates Erik Jacobsen (Milton, Mass.) and Aaron Rosen (Morganville, N.J.) each knocked in a pair of runs on 2-for-4 efforts.

The Bobcats struck for three runs in the bottom of the first as Tewksbury and Davis each hit back-to-back RBI doubles to left field, and sophomore Samuel Warren (Norfolk, Va.) plated a run with an infield single.

Bates pushed its lead to 4-0 after the second before Bowdoin responded with three runs in the top of the third. The Polar Bears managed to put runners on second and third, and after the team scored a run off a balk, Jacobsen brought home two runs on an inside-the-park home run. Jacobsen sent a high fly ball to left field which forced senior Steve Burke (Bedford, N.H.) through the portable fence and gave Jacobsen the time he needed to round the bases.

After the Bobcats extended their lead to 5-3, Bowdoin tacked on another four runs in the top of the fourth to gain a 7-5 edge. DiRoberto led off the inning with a solo home run, Rosen plated two runs with a double down the left field line, and sophomore Chad Martin (Rowley, Mass.) singled in a run.

The Bobcats opened the game up over the next two innings, scoring three runs in the last half of the fourth and another five in the fifth to capture their 13-7 advantage.

With runners on first and third in the fourth, Davis powered a double to left field which scored two, and Pajka followed with a single to bring home Davis. In the fifth, the Bobcats inflicted all their damage with two outs. The Polar Bears nearly got out of the inning before junior Mekae Hyde (Lewiston, Maine) made his way to first after a dropped third strike. Tewksbury proceeded to work a walk to bring in a run, and Davis followed with his grand slam. 

Game Two Recap – Bowdoin 6, Bates 2

Bowdoin senior right-handed starter Jay Laughlin (Rockland, Mass.) faced 16 batters over five innings striking out six, and the Polar Bear bullpen kept Bates off the board until the ninth inning to take a 6-2 win in game two.

The Bobcats brought the tying run to the plate in the bottom of the ninth, but four innings of relief from seniors Christian Martin (Lake Bluff, Ill.), John Lefeber (Branford, Conn.), and Sam Herzig (Port Washington, N.Y.) allowed the designated visitors to hold on for the win. Laughlin improved to 2-1 on the season with the victory.

Bates junior right-handed starter Will Levangie (Frederick, Md.) almost equaled Laughlin on the day, pitching five innings and allowing just one run on five hits and striking out six.

Bowdoin sophomore Richard Cimini (Needham, Mass.) hit a two-run home run in the top of the sixth as part of a five-run inning for the Polar Bears against the Bobcat bullpen.

Senior Kyle LeBlanc (Newburyport, Mass.) staked the Polar Bears to an early 1-0 lead with an RBI double to left field, but neither side could score over the next three innings.

After Jacobsen singled to lead off the fifth, Cimini sailed a home-run shot down the left field line which just remained in fair territory to give Bowdoin a 3-0 lead. Sophomore Chris Nadeau (Norfolk, Mass.) and Rosen each registered RBIs in the inning, and the Polar Bears added another run after an error to capture a 6-0 advantage.

Bates' bates came to life in the ninth as Burke set the table with a single – his third hit of the game. After another single from Tewksbury, Davis smacked an RBI double to center field, scoring Burke. The Bobcats added another run, and brought Hyde to the plate with the bases loaded, but Herzig struck him out for the game's final out.