BRUNSWICK, Maine -- Bowdoin scored 10 runs in the fifth inning and took advantage of a season-high five Bates errors to defeat the Bobcats 13-1 Friday afternoon.
Harry Ridge (3-1) tossed six shutout innings for the Polar Bears (10-6, 2-2, NESCAC) to pick up the victory.
Bates starter Connor Colombo '16 (1-4) did not allow an earned run in his three and two thirds innings of work. He struck out four batters while only allowing one hit.
In a scoreless game, the Polar Bears took advantage of back-to-back Bates (7-12, 0-3, NESCAC) errors and a walk to load the bases in the fourth. A hit by pitch, a sacrifice fly and a wild pitch allowed three runs to score, giving Bowdoin a 3-0 lead.
After Colombo walked Stephen Girolamo to put runners at first and second with two away and three runs in, the Bobcats brought in sophomore Connor Russell (Cumberland, Maine) out of the bullpen. He got the final out of the frame.
But Russell ran into trouble in the fifth. Two walks and a single loaded the bases with one out. Luke Cappellano singled home a pair of runs to extend the lead to 5-0. A hit by pitch loaded the bases again and the Polar Bears kept the inning going after that with a RBI single, a bases loaded walk, a sacrifice fly, another walk, two consecutive Bates errors and a Peter Cimini two-RBI double.
When the dust cleared, Bowdoin led 13-0.
Two of the five runs Russell surrendered were unearned and all three runs reliever Matt Doyle '17 (Northborough, Mass.) allowed were unearned.
The Bates pitching staff settled down after the fifth inning. After getting the final out of the fifth, senior Mark Cunningham (Canton, Mass.) tossed a scoreless sixth.Â
First-year Brendan Smith (Hingham, Mass.) made his collegiate debut in the seventh inning and struck out the side in a scoreless frame, working around the lead-off man reaching on an error.
Sophomore Jake Shapiro pitched a scoreless eighth for Bates in his first appearance this season on the mound.
Bates pitchers struck out 11 Polar Bears but also issued eight walks in the game.
The Bobcats' lone run came in the top of the eighth. Junior captain Ryan McCarthy (Plaistow, N.H.) got things started with a double. Two outs later first-year Daniel Trulli (Melrose, Mass.) picked up his third RBI of the season with an RBI single to drive in McCarthy.
McCarthy finished the day 2-4 with a double. Senior captain Conor Reenstierna (Lincoln, Mass.) and senior Berto Diaz (Carson, Calif.) also recorded doubles in the game.Â
Bates out-hit the Polar Bears 8-6 but the walks, errors and hit by pitches added up to a Bowdoin victory.
The Bobcats look to bounce back Saturday when they host Bowdoin in a doubleheader starting at noon.
