BRUNSWICK, Maine -- The Bates baseball team lost a 10-9 extra-inning heartbreaker in game one and fell 7-2 in game two of Saturday's doubleheader at Bowdoin.
With the loss in game one, Bates (16-15, 1-11 NESCAC) is eliminated from NESCAC tournament contention as the Polar Bears (16-12, 5-7 NESCAC) earns the final spot.
The Bobcats have one more game on the schedule. They host the University of Southern Maine Wednesday at 3pm.
Game One: Bowdoin 10, Bates 9 (8 innings)
Kevin Murray hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of the eighth inning and the Polar Bears defeated the Bobcats 10-9 in game one of Saturday's twin bill.
In a wild, back-and-forth contest, the Bobcats got off to a quick start, grabbing a 3-0 lead in the top of the first. Junior
Jack Brennan (West Hartford, Conn.) led off the top of the first with a walk. Junior
Christopher Cimino (Scarborough, Maine) bunted him to second and senior captain
Tyler Attal (Los Angeles) singled Brennan to third. Attal stole second and senior
Henry Jamieson (St. Simons Island, Ga.) singled both runners home for a 2-0 lead. Jamieson swiped second and advanced to third on a Bowdoin error. Sophomore
Brandon Biggane (Rensselaer, N.Y.) drove in Jamieson with a sacrifice fly to right and the Bobcats led 3-0.
The Bobcats maintained the lead until the bottom of the fourth, when Bowdoin turned a 5-3 deficit into a 9-5 lead with a six-run frame. The Polar Bears tallied five straight hits with two outs, including a two-run home run from CJ Brito-Trinidad.
But Bates was able to rally and tie the game. Down by four, the Bobcats responded with three runs in the top of the fifth. With one out, Biggane reached on an error and senior captain
John Nowak (Pelham, N.Y.) singled him home. First-year
Jack Margiloff (Rye, N.Y.) followed with a single of his own and sophomore
Ben Genser (Newton, Mass.) singled as well. The ball slipped past the Bowdoin left fielder and two runs scored, cutting the deficit to 9-8.
The Bobcats tied the game in the sixth. Attal reached on an error to start the frame and Jamieson singled him to second. One out later, Nowak singled in the tying run and the game was even at nine.
The game remained tied until Murray's walk-off homer in the eighth.
Nowak paced the offense, going 4-5 with a run scored, a double, and three RBI. Genser went 3-3 with a run scored and a walk, and Jamieson went 2-5 with two runs scored and two RBI. Sophomore
Matthew Shrake (Chicago, Ill.) tossed a pair of shutout innings out of the bullpen.
Murray led the way for Bowdoin, going 3-5 with three runs scored and two RBI. Connor Cassady (2-1) picked up the win, allowing just a lone unearned run in three innings pitched.
Game Two: Bowdoin 7, Bates 2
The Polar Bears scored three in the fourth and three in the fifth to take command of game two, defeating the Bobcats 7-2.
Luke Chessie (1-1) tossed five and two thirds innings of shutout ball to earn the win for the hosts. The Bobcats only recorded three hits in the loss.
Christian O'Brien went 3-3 at the plate for Bowdoin, scoring two runs and driving in three runs. His RBI single to left in the bottom of the fourth put Bowdoin ahead for good. Richie McNamara finished 2-4 with four RBI, including a two-RBI double in the fourth that made the score 3-0 and a two-RBI triple in the fifth that extended the Bowdoin lead to 6-0.
Down 7-0, the Bobcats got two runs in the seventh inning. Attal and Jamieson both reached on errors. With runners at the corners, Jamieson stole second and Attal scored when the throw got away. Biggane singled home Jamieson for the lone RBI of the contest for Bates.
