MEDFORD, Mass. -- The host Tufts University Jumbos scored four runs in the bottom of the eighth to defeat the Bates baseball team 9-5 Friday afternoon in NESCAC action.

With the score tied at five, Tufts (8-5, 1-0 NESCAC) got their offense going with one out in the bottom of the eighth thanks to an Ozzie Fleischer bunt single. A hit by pitch and a Ben Leonard RBI single put the hosts ahead for good. They tacked on three more in the frame thanks to a passed ball, a Jimmy Evans RBI single, and a Bates error on a fielder's choice. 

The Bobcats (8-5, 0-1 NESCAC) out-hit Tufts 12-10 on the afternoon but had three players caught stealing and left six runners on base. Bates also made two errors in the field while the Jumbos played errorless defense.

Senior Henry Jamieson (St. Simons Island, Ga.) paced the Bobcats at the plate, going 3-3 with a run scored and a hit by pitch. Junior Noah Jankowski (Methuen, Mass.) went 2-3 with a double and two RBI. Meanwhile, a pair of Bates hitters went yard, with senior Drew Fallon (Mansfield, Mass.) finishing 2-4 with a home run and senior captain Tyler Attal (Los Angeles) homering, driving in two runs, and drawing a walk. 

Down 2-0, the Bobcats tied the game in the top of the second. Attal led off with a walk and Jamieson singled him to second. Jankowski followed with a two-RBI double, evening the score at two. 

An Owen McKiernan solo home run in the bottom of the fourth put the Jumbos up 3-2. But Bates answered in the top of the fifth. 

Fallon led off the fifth with a solo shot to right, his second home run of the season, tying the game at three. With two outs and nobody on, sophomore Brandon Biggane (Rensselaer, N.Y.) drew a walk. That marked the end of the day for Tufts starter Connor Kinney. Attal greeted new pitcher Jack Schwartz with a two-run home run to left-center, his third long ball of the season.

Unfortunately for the visitors, the 5-3 lead did not last long. With one out in the bottom of the fifth, Patrick Solomon reached on an infield single. Then Evans went deep for a two-run home run to right-center, tying the game at five. 

Junior Luke Linnehan (Hingham, Mass.) battled through five innings on the mound for Bates, giving up five runs on seven hits. He walked three and struck out two. First-year Max Dio (Wellfleet, Mass.) blanked Tufts for two innings out of the bullpen before running into trouble in the eighth. Control proved to be an issue for Dio (3-1), as he hit three batters and walked two, giving up four runs (two earned) on three hits in two and a third innings. Sophomore Matthew Shrake (Chicago) relieved Dio and did not allow a run in 0.2 innings pitched.

Aidan Tucker (1-0) earned the win for Tufts with three shutout innings. Evans led the way for the hosts on offense, going 2-5 with a home run and four RBI.

The Bobcats resume their series with the Jumbos on Sunday with a doubleheader that gets underway at 1pm.