HARTFORD, Conn. -- The Bates baseball team scored four runs in the sixth inning to take the lead for good and hung on from there to defeat the Trinity College Bantams 11-10 Sunday afternoon in NESCAC action. 

With the score tied at six, first-year Brandon Biggane (Rensselaer, N.Y.) delivered a pinch-hit single to start the top of the sixth inning. First-year Ben Gesmondi (Portsmouth, R.I.) drew a walk and one out later junior Drew Fallon (Mansfield, Mass.) singled home the go-ahead run. Sophomore Jack Brennan (West Hartford, Conn.) bunted his way aboard and advanced to second on a Trinity error, which also allowed two runs to score for the Bobcats. Sophomore Christopher Cimino (Scarborough, Maine) singled Brennan to third and junior Henry Jamieson (St. Simons Island, Ga.) singled Brennan home, making the score 10-6 in favor of the Bobcats.

Bates added to its lead in the top of the eighth. With two outs, Jamieson doubled to left-center. Then senior Bryan Gotti (Westwood, Mass.) reached on an error and junior Tyler Attal (Los Angeles) singled in Jamieson, extending the Bates edge to 11-6.

But the Bantams (8-6, 2-1 NESCAC) refused to go away.

First-year Matthew Shrake (Chicago, Ill.) had blanked Trinity for three innings out of the bullpen. But Tanner Fairchild led off the eighth with a triple for the Bantams, and the Bobcats brought in sophomore RHP Luke Linnehan (Hingham, Mass.) to relieve the lefty. 

Patrick Dillon greeted Linnehan with an RBI single to left. He advanced to second on a passed ball and Sean Meth drew a walk, putting two on with one in and nobody out. Colin Mann followed with a single to right-center, plating Dillon. Andrew Tuozzolo drove in Meth with a sacrifice fly and the score stood at 11-9. Linnehan got a pop out and a ground out to avoid further damage.

Trinity made the Bobcats sweat in the ninth inning as well. With one away, Jack Mathews singled to left. He advanced to second on a wild pitch and to third on a Fairchild ground out. Dillon doubled home Mathews, putting the Bantams to within one, with the tying run in scoring position and two outs.

Bates held on for the win though as Meth lined out sharply to Jamieson at third to end the game.

The Bobcats jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the contest with two runs in the first and four runs in the second.

Cimino got the offense going in the top of the first inning with a one-out walk. Jamieson got hit by a pitch and Gotti doubled in Cimino for the first run of the game. An Attal sacrifice fly made the score 2-0 in favor of the Bobcats.

Gesmondi walked to start the second, chasing Trinity starter Jake Mello from the game. Junior John Nowak (Pelham, N.Y.) greeted new pitcher James Stefanowicz with a double to left and Fallon singled home Gesmondi for the 3-0 lead. One out later, Fallon stole second and Cimino singled in a pair of Bobcats to make the score 5-0. With two away, the Bantams brought in their third pitcher of the game and Gotti welcomed reliever Tyler Griffin to the contest with an RBI double to left.

Up 6-0, the Bobcats surrendered three runs in the fourth and three runs in the fifth. 

Bates starting pitcher junior Teddie Nelson (Marshfield, Mass.) held Trinity hitless through the first three innings. But the Bantams got the offense going in the fourth. With one away, Nelson hit Tuozzolo with a pitch. Then with two away, Yoshi Omi-Jarrett recorded the first hit of the afternoon for the Bantams, a single to right, moving Tuozzolo to third. Then the Bantams pulled off a double steal for the first run of the contest for the home team. Brandon Chow drew a walk and Mathews singled home Omi-Jarrett for the second run of the inning. Chow advanced to third on the play and eventually scored on a balk.

Nelson struck out Fairchild to end the inning, but the lead was down to three.

Dillon singled to lead off the fifth, chasing Nelson from the game. Another single, a hit by pitch, and a walk forced the Bobcats to bring in their third pitcher of the inning. Shrake (1-0) hit the first batter he faced, forcing in a run, but settled down after that. A sacrifice fly from Jarrett tied the game at six. Then Shrake got a pop out and a fly out to end the frame.

The rookie blanked Trinity for the next two innings, allowing Bates to grab the lead and Shrake to pick up his first collegiate win. The Bantams loaded the bases in the seventh but Shrake got Mathews to hit into an inning-ending 4-6-3 double play, preserving the lead. 

The Bobcats out-hit Trinity 13-11 in the contest. Cimino, Jamieson, Gotti, and Fallon all recorded two hits apiece. Gotti recorded a pair of doubles on the day and drove in two runs. Cimino reached base three times, scoring twice, and driving in a pair. 

With the victory, the Bobcats (3-14, 1-2 NESCAC) snapped the longest losing streak in one season in program history, a 13-game skid that saw Bates lose five one-run games. 

Bates is back in action this Tuesday for the Bobcats' home opener against Plymouth State. First pitch is set for 3:30pm.