LEWISTON, Maine -- Junior Sam Hough tossed a complete game and the Bates baseball team completed a three-game series sweep of Skidmore Sunday with a 7-4 victory over the Thoroughbreds at Leahey Field.

The Bobcats (15-12) broke a 2-2 tie in the bottom of the fourth. Sophomore Brandon Biggane (Rensselaer, N.Y.) drew a walk to start the frame and senior captain John Nowak (Pelham, N.Y.) went the opposite way for a two-run home run, putting Bates up 4-2. It marked Nowak's first home run of the season and the third of his collegiate career. 

Bates added to the lead in the bottom of the fifth. Senior captain Tyler Attal (Los Angeles) got hit by a pitch and one out later Biggane singled him to second. The Bobcats pulled off a double steal and Nowak hit a fly ball to right that got dropped, allowing both runners to score. 

Now up 6-2, Hough (Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.) and the Bobcats had to hang on down the stretch as Skidmore (19-12) attempted a comeback.

The hard-throwing right-hander worked around a single and a hit-by-pitch in the sixth. Then he surrendered a solo home run to Jackson Hornung in the seventh but otherwise emerged unscathed, keeping the lead at 6-3. 

The Thoroughbreds cut the Bates lead to 6-4 when Brendan O'Neill singled in a run in the seventh. Then they put runners at second and third with two away, but Hough (2-2) got a huge strikeout of Cameron Pedemonti to end the inning, his career-high sixth strikeout of the game. 

Bates picked up an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth. Junior Noah Jankowski (Methuen, Mass.) got hit by a pitch and sophomore Ben Genser (Newton, Mass.) tripled in pinch runner first-year Joe Yoxall (Dallas, Texas) for a 7-4 lead. 

Then Hough took care of the rest, working around an error and a walk to pitch a scoreless ninth for his first nine-inning complete game. Hough scattered 10 hits and threw 119 pitches while allowing just three earned runs. 

Bates won the game despite committing four errors and getting out-hit 10-8 by Skidmore. 

The two teams traded off scoring a pair of runs in the first inning, with the Bobcats scoring a run on a ringing RBI double to right by junior Christopher Cimino (Scarborough, Maine) and an Attal RBI single.

Nowak and senior Drew Fallon (Mansfield, Mass.) both tallied a pair of hits for the Bobcats, with Nowak's home run putting Bates ahead for good.

The Bobcats are back in action Wednesday when they travel to the University of Southern Maine for a 3:30pm first pitch.