LEWISTON, Maine -- The Bates baseball team scored four runs in the sixth inning on their way to a 5-3 win over Dean Thursday afternoon at Leahey Field.

Spencer Lichstrahl held the Bobcats hitless for the first five innings. But the Bulldogs (6-19) took him out of the game after 86 pitches. 

Trailing 2-0, the Bobcats (6-13) got to the Dean bullpen in the sixth. Senior Ben Genser (Newton, Mass.) walked to start the frame against Bulldog reliever Joshua Cavas. One out later, senior captain Brandon Biggane (Rensselaer, N.Y.) drew a walk as well. That was it for Cavas as the Bulldogs brought in Danny Goyette (0-1) to face first-year David Swift (Yarmouth, Maine) and Swift greeted him with a slow chopper to third. The throw to first pulled Dean first baseman Gavin Goss off the bag, loading the bases with still only one out in the inning.

Bates went to their bench and called upon junior Joe Yoxall (Dallas, Texas) to pinch hit. He did not disappoint, delivering the Bobcats' first hit of the game, a single to left that scored Genser. First-year Max Dushney (Ashland, Mass.) followed with a double into the right field corner, driving in Biggane and Swift for a 3-2 lead. Junior Jack Margiloff (Rye, N.Y.) capped off the scoring in the inning with a sacrifice fly to score Yoxall.

The Bobcats added an insurance run in the seventh. Sophomore Luke Yoon (Honolulu, Hawaii) reached on an infield single and advanced to second on a Genser groundout. Junior Gibby Sullivan (Yarmouth, Maine) delivered a single to center to drive in pinch runner first-year John Federico (Durham, N.H.) to give the Bobcats a 5-2 lead.

Senior Micah Sheats (Niwot, Colo.) recorded his first save of the season, getting out of some trouble in the ninth. With one out, Dean's Nathan Suncar drew a walk. He advanced to second on a wild pitch and Luke Fahey doubled him home, making the score 5-3. Sheats hit Tyler Giambra with a pitch, putting the tying runs on base. But he got Goss to hit into a 4-3 double play, ending the game and giving the Bobcats back-to-back victories.

Senior Christopher McGrail (Dedham, Mass.) got the start for Bates and tossed four scoreless innings before running into some trouble in the fifth. An infield single and a walk set up Suncar, who delivered a one-out RBI double for the first run of the game. Bates brought in junior Max Dio (Wellfleet, Mass.) and he walked a batter to load the bases. But after that, Dio settled down, getting a fielder's choice and a ground out to end the inning. The fielder's choice did score a run so the Bobcats found themselves down 2-0.

Dio (1-1) worked a scoreless sixth and the Bobcats took the lead for good in the bottom half of the frame. Senior Matthew Shrake (Chicago, Ill.) and sophomore Nolan Hobbs (South Portland, Maine) both worked scoreless innings to set up Sheats for the save.

The Bulldogs finished with 10 hits while Bates tallied just five hits on the day. However, Dean left 14 runners on base and the Bulldogs committed three errors in the field. 

Bates returns to NESCAC action on Friday when the Bobcats visit Colby for a 4 p.m. first pitch.