LEWISTON, Maine - Solid pitching and fundamental baseball helped the Bates baseball team upend Colby College 8-5 Saturday afternoon in NESCAC action at Leahey Field. The Bobcats were the visiting team in the contest, as the game was originally to be played at Colby on Friday, but the field was not yet ready.  

Connor Colombo (Mendon, Mass) picked up the win for the Bobcats (7-8, 2-1 NESCAC), striking out eight and walking only one in six and two thirds, at one point retiring nine straight batters. Rob DiFranco (Melrose, Mass.) tossed the final two and a third innings, shutting out Colby (11-5, 2-2 NESCAC) and striking out a pair to pick up the save.

Scott Goldberg took the loss for Colby, striking out six and scattering six runs on six hits over six and two thirds on the mound for the Mules. Offensively, Colby was led by Soren Hanson who picked up three RBI's on a three run homer in the third.

Bates jumped out to the early lead in the top of the first with a little two-out lightning. Ryan McCarthy (Plaistown, N.H.) worked a lead off walk, and scored from first base on a Sam Berry (South Hamilton, Mass.) double to right center. Mekae Hyde (Lewiston, Maine) followed with a single, bringing Berry home. Hyde was thrown out trying to take second on the throw.

Colby got to Colombo for four runs in the bottom of the third. Andrew Currier led off with a single to center field, and moved to second on the sacrifice bunt from Tyler Starks. Colombo got Ryder Arsenault to strike out, but Tommy Forese singled to left field to bring home Currier and cut the Bobcat lead in half, 2-1.

Jason Buco continued the inning with a single through the left side, and with two on and two out Soren Hanson launched a shot to left center field to stake Colby to a 4-2 lead after three innings. Bates got one of those runs back in the top of the fourth using text book baseball. Nate Pajka (Douglas, Mass.) doubled to left field to start the frame, and Sam Berry did his job, grounding out to the right side of the field to move Pajka to third. Hyde lofted a fly ball to center field that was deep enough to score Pajka and pull Bates within one.

After a shutdown inning from Colombo, the Bobcats tied the game in the top of the fifth when Ryan McCarthy singled to center, bringing home Berto Diaz (Carson, Calif.) who started the frame with a walk. Bates took the lead in the top of seven, scoring two runs on three hits, including RBI singles from Conor Reenstierna (Lincoln, Mass.) and Rockwell Jackson (Fort Worth, Texas).

Colby picked up an unearned run in the seventh, but the Bobcats added a pair of insurance runs in the ninth, the first on a clutch pinch-hit single from Brendon Canavan (Carlisle, Mass.) that scored John Dinucci (West Hartford, Conn.). Sam Berry drove in the game's final run on a double to left field.  

Sam Berry and John Dinucci each had two-hit games for Bates, with Berry also driving in a pair of runs. Mekae Hyde was 1-3 with two RBI's. Colby's Tommy Forese had the lone multi-hit game for the Mules, going 2-3 with an RBI and a run scored.

The two teams face off against each other again on April 12, with a double-header beginning at 1:00 p.m. at Leahey Field in Lewiston, Maine.