RINDGE, N.H. -- The Bates baseball team won the second game of its doubleheader against Bowdoin 9-5 to earn a split of a doubleheader against the Polar Bears played on Sunday at Franklin Pierce University. Bowdoin won the first game 15-3.

The twinbill, which represents the opening NESCAC East Division games for both clubs, was relocated from Bowdoin due to its unplayable field conditions. Bates next plays St. Joseph's College in Standish, Maine on Monday at 3:30pm, in a game originally slated to be played at Bates.

Game 2 Recap: Bates 9, Bowdoin 5

Bates scored in each of the first five innings and totaled 15 hits in the second game, including eight from the bottom three slots in the batting order, to claim a much-needed win and halt the Bobcats' four-game slide.

Junior righthander Connor Colombo (Mendon, Mass.) held Bowdoin at bay over his start, scattering 10 hits and one walk over 6 2/3 innings for the victory. Colombo struck out seven Polar Bears.

Bates picked up three hits in the first inning off Bowdoin starter Erik Jacobsen. Senior Mekae Hyde (Lewiston, Maine) hit a two-out double to score sophomore Brendan Fox (West Hartford, Conn.) from second base for the 1-0 lead.

Sophomore outfielder John Dinucci (West Hartford, Conn.), who batted 3-for-5 and scored three runs in the game, led off the second with an infield single, reached second on an error and moved to third on a single by sophomore Brendon Canavan (Carlisle, Mass.). Canavan was 3-for-4 in the game.

Bowdoin picked up runs in the second and third innings, but Bates scored two in the third and added three more in the fourth for a 7-2 lead. Senior Nate Pajka (Douglas, Mass.) doubled to lead off the third and came home on a Hyde single. Hyde scored on an RBI double by Dinucci, before the inning ended with Dinucci being thrown out at home plate trying to score on a Canavan single to left.

The Bobcats took advantage of two Bowdoin errors and singles by junior Connor Reenstierna (Lincoln, Mass.) and Pajka to add two more runs in the fourth. The Bobcats extended their lead to 8-2 in the fifth, as Dinucci reached on an error and scored on a double by Reenstierna, who was 2-for-4.

Bowdoin got a run back off of Colombo in the seventh, when Aaron Rosen singled home Chris Cameron. Junior righthander Rob DiFranco (Melrose, Mass.) came on and got out of a bases-loaded jam to preserve Bates' 9-3 lead. But in the eighth inning, DiFranco hit four Polar Bears with pitches and also allowed a walk and a hit, as Bowdoin rallied for two runs to close the gap to 9-5. Senior righthander Sam Maliska came on as DiFranco did the inning before, getting Bates out of a bases-loaded jam by inducing Cole DiRoberto into an inning-ending fly ball to center. Maliska (Palo Alto, Calif.) pitched a shutout ninth inning to earn the save.

Game 2 Recap: Bowdoin 15, Bates 3

Bowdoin scored five runs in the first inning and added four in the third and three in the fourth to pull away for the win in the seven-inning first game of the day.

Senior righthander Will Levangie (Frederick, Md.) started and was saddled with the loss, giving up nine hits and two walks over 2 2/3 innings. 

Bowdoin starter Henry Van Zant scattered nine hits and a walk over six innings for the victory, behind 15 hits by the Polar Bears. Sean Mullaney went 3-for-3 with three RBIs and Chad Martin was 4-for-4 and scored four runs.

Bates picked up 10 hits over seven innings but left nine men on base. Senior Sam Berry (Hamilton, Mass.) was 2-for-3 with two doubles and two runs scored. Hyde and Fox were both 2-for-4 in the game.