WALTHAM, Mass. -- The Bates baseball team slugged three home runs and tallied 20 hits in a doubleheader sweep of Brandeis Saturday afternoon.

The Bobcats (6-2) took game one 13-8 and cruised to a 9-3 victory over the Judges (2-6) in game two. Bates is off to the program's best start to a season since 2012. The baseball team will square off against Brandeis again on Sunday for a single game that gets underway at 1pm. 

Game One: Bates 13, Brandeis 8

Senior Henry Jamieson smacked a solo home run in the third inning to put the Bobcats ahead for good in a 13-8 win over Brandeis in game one of Saturday's doubleheader. 

Bates added four runs in the fourth and four more in the fifth to pull away for the victory. 

First-year Max Dio (Wellfleet, Mass.) allowed four runs (three earned) on four hits in five innings pitched to get the win. Dio (2-0) struck out one and walked one on the afternoon. 

The Bobcats got the offense going against Brandeis reliever Christian Petrisko in the top of the second. Jamieson (St. Simons Island, Ga.) singled through the left side to start the frame and promptly stole both second and third base. One out later, sophomore Brennan Kelley (Huntersville, N.C.) singled through the right side, scoring Jamieson and making the score 1-0 in favor of Bates. Kelley stole second and advanced to third on a fly out. With two down, junior Jack Brennan (West Hartford, Conn.) reached on an error and Kelley scored, putting Bates up 2-0. Brennan stole second and junior Christopher Cimino (Scarborough, Maine) singled him home for the third run of the frame.

The Judges answered with three runs in the bottom of the second. WIth the bases loaded and two outs, Sam Nugent singled in two runs and a Bates error allowed a third run to score on the play, tying the game.

But with one away in the top of the third, Jamieson launched a solo shot over the center field wall for his first home run of the season and third of his collegiate career. 

Now up 4-3, the Bobcats added to their lead in the top of the fourth. With one away, Cimino singled and advanced to second on a Brandeis error. Cimino stole third and sophomore Brandon Biggane (Rensselaer, N.Y.) drew a walk. Senior captain John Nowak (Pelham, N.Y.) walked as well, loading the bases. Senior captain Tyler Attal (Los Angeles) greeted new pitcher Reid Latham with a double to left, scoring Cimino and Biggane. A Jamieson sacrifice fly plated Nowak and a Brandeis error allowed Attal to score, making the score 8-3 in favor of the Bobcats.

Up 8-4 through four innings, the Bobcats doubled their lead with four runs in the fifth. Senior Drew Fallon (Mansfield, Mass.) led off the frame with a home run to left field, his first of the season and the third of his collegiate career. One out later, Cimino reached on an error and Biggane singled to left. Nowak singled home Cimino and with two away, Jamieson singled in Biggane. Another Brandeis error allowed Nowak to score, making the lead 12-4. 

Bates added a final run in the top of the sixth. Fallon got hit by a pitch to start the frame and advanced to second on a wild pitch. He moved to third on a balk and scored on a Cimino ground out. 

Jamieson led Bates on offense in game one, going 3-5 with two runs scored and three RBI. Cimino, Biggane, and Kelley all finished with two hits apiece. 

The Bobcats recorded a remarkable 10 stolen bases in the contest, with seven different Bobcats swiping a bag.

Game Two: Bates 9, Brandeis 3

Junior Luke Linnehan tossed five shutout innings and the Bates baseball team completed the doubleheader sweep with a 9-3 win over Brandeis in game two Saturday afternoon. 

Linnehan (Hingham, Mass.) allowed four hits and struck out four in the contest. He walked just one batter in the contest and lowered his ERA to 1.98 through three starts, improving his win-loss record to 2-1 on the young season.

Attal put the Bobcats ahead for good with a solo home run to center in the top of the second, his first of the season and the fourth of his collegiate career. 

The Bobcats tacked on two more in the top of the third. Junior Dylan Azcarate (Tiburon, Calif.) got the offense going with a single to left. Fallon got hit by a pitch and one out later Cimino singled in Azcarate. Fallon then pulled off a thrilling steal of home, as Bates continued to run wild on the bases.

Already up 3-0, the Bobcats used some two-out offense to double the lead in the fourth. Once again, Azcarate was the spark, drawing a walk with two away. Fallon doubled him home, chasing Brandeis starter Tyler Hill (0-1) from the game. Brennan followed with a walk and then the Bobcats pulled off a double steal. Cimino singled through the right side, plating both runners and the Bobcats led 6-0.

Sophomore Matthew Shrake (Chicago) relieved Linnehan to start the sixth inning and Shrake threw three shutout innings, maintaining the lead for Bates. He struck out three and allowed just two hits.

The Judges did tally 10 hits in game two, and plated three runs in the ninth inning. But the Bobcats never trailed on their way to another run, with Bates pitching leaving nine Judges stranded on the bases.

Cimino, Attal, and Azcarate all tallied two hits apiece for Bates in the contest, with Cimino also drawing two walks and driving in three runs. He is currently hitting .407 on the young season, first on the team.