The Pioneers (0-2) scored a pair of runs in the top of the first off of Collins (Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif.). Collins hit the No. 2 batter, and Jansen Crossley and Tommy Fogarty followed with RBI hits

Beal walked to lead off the first inning, and stole second base. Elmira starting pitcher Corey DeMauro set down the next two batters, but sophomore Bryan Gotti (Westwood, Mass.) walked and sophomore Antonio Jareno (Marietta, Ga.) followed with a single to right, scoring Beal for the first run of the season. Avila (San Francisco, Calif.) followed with a single up the middle to score Gotti and tie the game 2-2.

Collins tossed shutout baseball over the next four innings before handing off to sophomore lefthander Jared Pantalony (Brooklyn, N.Y.), while Bates took a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the fourth. Avila led off with a triple to right, and came home on senior Will Sylvia's (Newton, Mass.) sacrifice fly to left. Bates then loaded the bases before DeMauro escaped further damage.

Bates added a run to the lead in the sixth, as senior Jack Arend (Newfields, N.H.) drew a two-out walk and scored on a triple to right field by first-year Henry Jamieson (St. Simons Island, Ga.).

Both teams put two runners on base and left them stranded in the seventh inning, as Pantalony finished off a two-inning, shutout relief stint.

First-year righthander Sam Hough (Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.) came on to pitch the eighth inning and gave up a leadoff double to Joey Florio but left him stranded with three straight outs, including a pair of strikeouts.

Bates added five runs to the lead on four hits and a pair of errors in the bottom of the eighth. Beal led off with a walk, and Arend's sacrifice bunt was thrown away by Elmira reliever Alex Crysler.

Junior Noah Loughlin (Mililani, Hawaii) and Jareno then delivered consecutive one-out RBI singles. On a double-steal attempt, Loughlin came home on a throwing error to make it 7-2.

After Avila got on with his fourth hit of the day, senior Giovanni Torres (North Haven, Conn.) doubled down the left-field line to score Avila and Jareno, opening up a 9-2 lead.

Hough stayed on to pitch the ninth inning and absorbed two Pioneer runs, making the Bobcats winners by a 9-4 score.

Collins (1-0) earned his 11th career win, allowing two runs and striking out six batters over five innings.

Avila, playing his first game since the 2018 season, led Bates' 12-hit attack by batting 4-for-5 with a triple, while both Jareno and Torres had two hits and two RBIs apiece. Beal was 1-for-2 with three walks, two runs and two stolen bases.

DeMauro (0-1) allowed three runs over 4.2 innings on seven hits and five walks.

Bates will play two games on Tuesday at Chain of Lakes Stadium, facing Brandeis at 11am and Elmira at 2:30pm.