TUCSON, Ariz. -- The Bates baseball team used a pair of big innings to secure a 12-6 win over Carleton College Thursday afternoon at the Tucson Invitational Games. 

First-year starting pitcher Nolan Hobbs (South Portland, Maine) turned in a strong performance to pick up the win. Hobbs (2-0) tossed six innings and struck out six batters, allowing four runs (three earned) on five hits while walking just one. 

He retired the side in order in the top of the first, and got immediate run support when the Bobcats (8-4) scored five runs in the bottom half of the frame.

Senior captain Jack Brennan (West Hartford, Conn.) got the offense started with a walk. First-year Keagan Ryan (Salem, N.H.) followed with a single through the left side, moving Brennan up 90 feet. Both runners advanced on a wild pitch and junior Brandon Biggane (Rensselaer, N.Y.) drove in Brennan with a grounder to second. The throw got away and Biggane reached safely. With runners now at the corners, Biggane stole second and senior captain Chris Cimino (Scarborough, Maine) drew a walk to load the bases.

Junior Ben Genser (Newton, Mass.) stepped to the plate and singled home two runs, extending the lead to 3-0. The Bobcats pulled off a double steal and first-year Henry Prince (McLean, Va.) drew a walk to load the bases. Senior Noah Jankowski (Methuen, Mass.) and sophomore Liam Yardley (Keene, N.H.) both drew walks and Bates led 5-0.

The Bobcats added to their lead in the bottom of the second. With two away, Cimino singled to center and Genser singled up the gut as well. Then Prince drove in Cimino with a double to right field, making the score 6-0.

The Knights (1-8) chipped away at the Bates lead, scoring two in the third, one in the fourth, and one more in the fifth. With the Bobcats holding on to a 6-4 edge in the top of the fifth, Hobbs left a Knight stranded at third thanks to a strikeout and a fly out. 

Bates picked up an insurance run in the bottom of the fifth. Jankowski led off with a double to center. One out later, Yardley and Brennan both got hit by pitches, loading the bases. Then with two down, Biggane drew a walk to drive in Jankowski and put Bates up 7-4.

Hobbs sent the Knights down in order in the top of the sixth, and the Bobcats plated five more in the bottom half of the frame to put the game out of reach.

With one away, Prince singled to right and Jankowski singled him to third. Jankowski stole second and sophomore Gibby Sullivan (Yarmouth, Maine) drove in Prince with a sacrifice fly to right. A Carleton error allowed the second run of the inning to score. Then Brennan and Ryan both drew walks, loading the bases. Biggane singled in two runs and the Bobcats led 11-4. A double steal with runners at the corners plated Ryan and the lead stood at eight runs.

Junior Micah Sheats (Niwot, Colo.) took care of business with two shutout innings out of the bullpen, striking out a pair of batters.

Carleton was able to plate two runs in the top of the ninth, but senior Teddie Nelson (Marshfield, Mass.) was able to get a strike out and a ground out to end the game.

Genser, Prince, and Jankowski paced the Bates offense with two hits apiece. Biggane drove in four runs and Genser drove in two. 

The Bobcats also shined on the base paths, stealing 11 bases in 13 attempts on the day.

Bates is back in action Friday at 12:30pm eastern time, 9:30am locally in Arizona, when the Bobcats take on the University of Redlands.