LEWISTON, Maine -- After 17 straight road games to start the year, it was good to be home.

Sophomore Jack Brennan hit a three-run home run and senior Jared Pantalony earned his first collegiate win in the Bates baseball team's 6-4 victory over Plymouth State Tuesday at Leahey Field. 

In their home opener, the Bobcats (4-14) jumped out to a 5-0 lead against the Panthers (7-14) and hung on from there for the win. 

Sophomore Christopher Cimino (Scarborough, Maine) got the offense going in the top of the first with a line drive off the glove of Plymouth State shortstop Jackson Curtis into left field for a base hit. Junior Henry Jamieson (St. Simons Island, Ga.) followed with a ringing double to right-center, putting runners at second and third with one out. Senior Bryan Gotti (Westwood, Mass.) drew a walk to load the bases and Brennan (West Hartford, Conn.) drove in Cimino with a sacrifice fly to center. 

Up 1-0, the Bobcats made more noise against Plymouth State starter Jason Smith (2-1) in the third inning.

With one down, Cimino smacked a single to center. Then with two away, Cimino stole second before Gotti drew a walk. Ball four got away from the catcher and Cimino advanced to third.

Brennan stepped to the plate with runners at the corners and two away. He got ahold of a Smith offering and drove the ball over the fence in left-center, his second home run of the season. Brennan's bomb put the Bobcats up 4-0.

Smith went three innings for the Panthers, allowing four runs on five hits, walking two and striking out two. 

Nick Calenda relieved Smith to start the bottom of the fourth and junior John Nowak (Pelham, N.Y.) drew a walk to begin the frame. One out later, junior Tyler Attal (Los Angeles) doubled Nowak to third. Cimino drew a walk and Jamieson drove in Nowak with a sacrifice fly to center. 

The Bobcats led 5-0 through four innings as first-year LHP Christopher McGrail (Dedham, Mass.) blanked the Panthers for most of his outing. McGrail appeared to be on the brink of being eligible for the win, but Plymouth State's Luke Sokolski hit a two-out, two-run homer in the top of the fifth, cutting the Bates lead to 5-2.

With McGrail at 108 pitches, the Bobcats went to the bullpen and Pantalony (Brooklyn, N.Y.) did not disappoint. He retired the first batter he faced with just one pitch, getting Bryan McGrath to ground out to third. 

Then he mowed down the Panthers in the sixth and seventh innings as well, tossing 2.1 innings of perfect baseball, striking out three batters along the way. 

With the score still 5-2, sophomore Jack Potash (Weston, Conn.) entered the game in the top of the eighth and worked around a two-out single, tossing a scoreless frame. 

The Bobcats added to their lead in the bottom of the eighth. Nowak singled through the right side to start the frame and junior Drew Fallon (Mansfield, Mass.) got hit by a pitch. A fielder's choice advanced Nowak to third and he eventually scored on a wild pitch, making the score 6-2 in favor of Bates.

Plymouth State gave the home team a scare in the top of the ninth. Joshua Welsh got hit by a pitch and Griffin Crane reached on a Bates error. A passed ball moved both runners up 90 feet and Welsh scored on an infield single from pinch hitter Nick Healey. 

Now up 6-3, the Bobcats recorded a big first out when Potash struck out pinch hitter Peter Laviolette looking. 

But another Bates error allowed Crane to score and the Bobcats led 6-4 with the tying runs on base for the Panthers. 

Curtis stepped to the plate for Plymouth State and ripped a line drive to third. Jamieson made a leaping catch and fired the ball to Cimino at second for the 5-4 double play, ending the game. It's the second straight game where the Bobcats have recorded the final out on a line drive to Jamieson. 

Bates tallied 10 hits in the contest and McGrail, Pantalony (1-0), and Potash combined to hold the Panthers to just four hits.

Attal and Cimino recorded two hits apiece at the top of the order and Gotti drew three walks for the Bobcats. Every Bates hitter reached base at least once in the contest.

The Bobcats are back in action Wednesday when they visit Thomas College. First pitch is set for 3:30pm.