LEWISTON, Maine – Senior Kevin Davis hit a walk-off sacrifice fly in extra innings to give Bates College baseball a 6-5 victory over No. 8 Tufts University in game one before Tufts held on for a 4-2 win in game two of a doubleheader at Leahey Field on Saturday afternoon.

With the split, the Bobcats (19-15, 7-5 NESCAC East) qualified as the No. 2 seed from the NESCAC East Division for the NESCAC Championship – marking their first berth in the championship since it began in 2001 – while the Jumbos (28-5, 9-3 NESCAC East) earned the right to host the tournament from May 9-11 in Medford, Mass.

In a game one originally scheduled to go seven innings, junior Nate Pajka (Douglas, Mass.) laced a two-run triple down the right field line with two outs in the bottom of the seventh to tie the game at 5-5. After senior Steve Burke (Bedford, N.H.) caught a fly ball and threw out a runner at the plate to end the top of the eighth, Davis (North Andover, Mass.) came to the plate with the bases loaded in the bottom of the frame and drove his sacrifice to left.

Because the first game went to extra innings, game two was shortened from nine innings to seven, and Tufts first-year left-hander Tim Superko (Wellesley, Mass.) went the distance in the win (4-0).

With their game one win, the Bobcats set a new high for NESCAC wins in a season since the championship era began at 7-5. Bates' 2004 and 2010 teams each went 6-6 in league play.

Bates plays doubleheaders at Suffolk (Tuesday) and vs. St. Joseph's College of Maine (Wednesday) prior to the NESCAC Championship while Tufts plays a twin bill at Middlebury tomorrow.

Game One Recap – Bates 6, Tufts 5 (8 innings)

Bates rallied from a 5-0 deficit in game one behind Pajka's two-RBI triple in the seventh and Davis' game-winning RBI in the eighth to pull out a 6-5 win and put itself in a position to host the NESCAC Championship with a win in game two.

In the bottom of the seventh, Tufts junior Tom Ryan (Walpole, Mass.) recorded the first two outs on back-to-back strikeouts. Bates junior catcher Mekae Hyde (Lewiston, Maine) then hit a double to right center, and Burke walked before Pajka knotted the game up with his triple which just evaded the outstretched glove of the right fielder.

The Jumbos nearly took the lead back in the top of the eighth, loading the bases with one out. Junior James Howard (Rockville Centre, N.Y.) then hit a fly ball to left field which Burke camped himself under. After making the catch for the second out, Burke fired a bullet to Hyde at the plate who tagged out sophomore Cody McCallum (Rutherford, N.J.) for the inning's third out.

In the last of the eighth, first-year Brendan Fox (West Hartford, Conn.) started the inning with a walk, and the Bobcats loaded the bases after a double from sophomore Samuel Warren (Norfolk, Va.) and an intentional walk to senior Griff Tewksbury (Concord, N.H.). Davis proceeded to conclude the game with his sacrifice fly.

Bates senior starter Brad Reynolds (Lafayette, Colo.) pitched seven innings, striking out seven while allowing five runs, three earned, on seven hits. Classmate Dean Bonneau (Amherst, Mass.) picked up the win (3-2) after working out of a jam in the eighth, thanks in part to Burke's outfield assist.

Tufts junior Kyle Slinger (Danville, Calif.) went five innings in the start, giving up three runs, all unearned, on eight hits. Ryan pitched 1.2 innings with four strikeouts before sophomore Matt Moser (Great Falls, Va.) took the loss (2-1).

The Jumbos staked themselves to their 5-0 lead after the top of the third with three runs in the second and two more the next inning. McCallum singled home a run, and senior Connor McDavitt (Holden, Mass.) plated two with a single in the second. The Jumbos scratched two unearned runs across in the next frame.

Bates began its rally in the bottom of the third as Hyde knocked a single through the right side to bring home a run, and Burke sent a single up the middle to plate two more. Slinger almost completed the inning unscathed, but Davis reached on an error with two outs to give Hyde and Burke a chance to come to the plate. 

Game Two Recap – Tufts 4, Bates 2

Superko tossed a complete-game seven innings with three strikeouts and allowed two runs, and senior Max Freccia (Stamford, Conn.) went 2-for-3 with two RBIs as Tufts gained a 4-2 win in game two to secure home-field advantage in the NESCAC Championship.

The Jumbos took their 4-2 lead after Freccia hit an RBI single to center field in the top of the sixth, and Superko held the Bobcats at bay in the last halves of the sixth and seventh innings to hang on for the win. Bates put runners on second and third with one out in the sixth and had runners on first and second with one out in the seventh.

First-year reliever Anthony Telesca (Holtsville, N.Y.) did not allow a hit in two innings to keep the Bobcats within striking distance while junior Sam Maliska (Palo Alto, Calif.) conceded just one run over two innings of relief. Senior Chris Fusco (Annapolis, Md.) took the loss (1-3), giving up three runs on six hits in three-plus innings.

Tufts opened the game's scoring in the top of the first as Freccia found a hole in the left side to notch an RBI single. The Jumbos extended their lead to 3-0 in the top of the second as senior Tim Mitropoulos (Winchester, Mass.) brought home a run with a ground out, and McDavitt plated a second run with a single to right field.

The Bobcats answered in the bottom of the fourth as Davis began a rally with a double to left field. Hyde then sent him home with a double down the left field line as both left-handed batters used the opposite field. Burke then plated Hyde, pulling a single through the left side to bring Bates within 3-2.

The Jumbos tacked on their insurance run in the sixth, and although the Bobcats threatened in each of their final two turns at the plate, they could not complete the comeback.