MEDFORD, Mass. -- Sophomore catcher Liam Yardley delivered the walk-off hit in game one of Saturday's doubleheader, and the Bates baseball team split a pair of games with the Tufts University Jumbos at Sol Gittleman Park. 

Bates (10-8, 2-3 NESCAC) won game one 10-9 in eight innings before falling 5-0 in game two to Tufts (11-8, 3-1 NESCAC). The two teams will square off again Sunday at 12 pm in the rubber match of the three-game series.

Game One: Bates 10, Tufts 9 (8 innings)

In a back-and-forth battle, the Bobcats prevailed 10-9 in eight innings in game one of their NESCAC doubleheader with defending conference champion Tufts.

The Jumbos took a 9-8 lead in the top of the eighth inning when Connor Flavin smacked a solo home run. The Jumbos threatened to add to their lead, putting runners at first and second with one out. But Yardley (Keene, N.H) threw out Ozzie Fleischer trying to steal second base and senior captain Noah Timmer (Keene, N.H.) struck out Ben Leonard to end the threat and keep it a one-run game.

With one out in the bottom of the eighth, first-year Henry Prince (McLean, Va.) drew a walk. Then with two away and Bates down to their final strike, senior Dylan Azcárate (Tiburon, Calif.) delivered a pinch-hit single to left center, moving pinch runner sophomore Joe Yoxall (Dallas, Texas) to third base. Sophomore Gibby Sullivan (Yarmouth, Maine) followed with a single to right, scoring Yoxall and tying the game at nine. Then Yardley stepped to the plate, and worked the count full. Yardley hit the pay-off pitch over Tufts right fielder Malachi Pena's head, scoring pinch runner junior Brennan Kelley (Charlotte, N.C.) and winning the game for Bates.

The game took many twists and turns before Yardley's game-winning hit. Tufts grabbed a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning, as their first four batters reached on singles. With the bases loaded, Pena singled in Leonard for the first run of the game. Owen McKiernan delivered an RBI fielder's choice and Flavin hit a sacrifice fly for the third run of the frame.

Bates answered in the bottom of the first. Senior captain Jack Brennan (West Hartford, Conn.) singled through the left side to start the frame and one out later junior Brendan Biggane (Rensselaer, N.Y.) drew a walk. Prince singled to deep right, as the ball went off a leaping Pena's glove at the wall. Both runners advanced 90 feet, loading the bases for junior Ben Genser (Newton, Mass.), who delivered a sacrifice fly to center, trimming the Tufts lead to 3-1.

In the bottom of the second, the Bobcats tied the game. Sullivan reached on an infield single to third and advanced to second on a Tufts throwing error. Yardley followed with a single to left and Sullivan advanced to third. Then first-year Keagan Ryan (Salem, N.H.) put down a sacrifice bunt and reached safely when the throw to first went down the right field line, scoring Sullivan and moving Yardley to third. Brennan followed with an RBI groundout and the game stood even at three apiece.

After a tough first inning, Bates starting pitcher senior Sam Hough (Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.) settled down and shut down the Jumbos in the next three frames, setting Bates up to take the lead in the bottom of the fourth. Ryan reached on another Tufts error and immediately stole second. Then Brennan doubled him home and senior captain Chris Cimino (Scarborough, Maine) singled in Brennan for a 5-3 lead. Biggane reached on an infield single and out later Genser singled up the middle, scoring Cimino and giving Bates a 6-3 edge.

The lead didn't last long. Tufts answered with three runs in the top of the fifth. With the bases loaded and two outs, Pena singled home a pair of runs. McKiernan followed with an RBI single of his own, tying the game at six. Hough struck out Flavin to keep the game tied headed to the bottom of the fifth inning.

Sullivan got the Bates offense started in the bottom of the fifth with a single through the left side. Yardley bunted him to second and Ryan reached on yet another Tufts error, lining a ball to center that simply went off the outfielder's glove. Sullivan scored and Bates led the 7-6. Brennan singled home Ryan for an 8-6 Bates advantage. 

Hough's day ended after five innings of six-run ball. He struck out four, allowed 10 hits and walked only one. He left the game with the lead, but the Jumbos got to senior Jack Potash (Stratford, Conn.) for a pair of runs in the top of the sixth. Patrick Solomon walked to start the frame, and with one away Ozzie Fleischer hit his first collegiate home run, tying the game at eight. Potash finished the inning strong, striking out the next two batters.

Junior Micah Sheats (Niwot, Colo.) impressed with a scoreless top of the seventh, but Tufts reliever Robert Gray did his job as well, shutting down the Bobcats in the bottom half of the frame and sending the game to extra innings.

Sheats allowed a homer and a walk in the top of the eighth before Timmer (2-0) took over and shut down the Jumbos, with some help from Yardley, who threw out three runners trying to steal in the game.

Gray (0-1) struck out Biggane to begin the bottom of the eighth before Bates rallied for the dramatic win. 

The Bobcats tallied 13 hits in game one while Tufts finished with 12. The Jumbos committed five errors in the contest. Brennan finished 3-5 with two runs scored and three RBIs. Sullivan also went 3-5, scoring two runs and driving in one. Yardley went 2-4 with a run scored and the game-winning RBI.

Game Two: Tufts 5, Bates 0

The Jumbos homered three times and Tufts starting pitcher Silas Reed struck out 17 Bobcats in seven innings as Bates fell 5-0 in game two of Saturday's doubleheader.

Bates managed just three hits against Reed (3-1), who turned in a dominating performance. 

Sophomore Diego Sarabia (Atlanta, Ga.) threw a complete game for Bates, going seven innings and allowing five runs (four earned) on five hits. He struck out five and walked two. 

Tufts made the most of their five hits, with three going over the fence. Fleischer homered in the third, Malcolm Whitfield went yard in the fourth, and Flavin smacked one out to center in the sixth.

Brennan, Cimino, and Prince were responsible for Bates' three hits against Reed. Cimino and Prince also drew a walk apiece, as did Sullivan.