LEWISTON, Maine -- The Bates baseball team twice cut Trinity's lead to just one run, only for the Bantams to pull away late as the Bobcats fell 13-7 Thursday afternoon in NESCAC action. 

The Bantams (16-14, 5-5 NESCAC East) scored three runs in the fourth inning to take the lead for good, but the Bobcats (11-16, 3-6 NESCAC East) didn't make things easy for the visitors down the stretch.

Down 4-0, Bates scored three times in the bottom of the fifth. First-year David Swift (Yarmouth, Maine) got the rally going with a single to left. One out later, first-year Max Dushney (Ashland, Mass.) singled to center and junior Liam Yardley (Keene, N.H.) drew a walk to load the bases. Senior Ben Gesmondi (Narragansett, R.I.) ripped a double down the left field line to trim the deficit to 4-2. With runners at second and third, junior Joe Yoxall (Dallas, Texas) hit a grounder to third. The Bantams tried to get Yardley at the plate but he beat the throw, making the score 4-3. 

Trinity starter Joseph Capano (4-4) was able to get the next batter to hit into a double play, maintaining the Trinity lead. 

With Bates down by just one, the Bantams wasted no time building their advantage back up. A pair of singles and a walk chased Bates starting pitcher junior John Tully (Framingham, Mass.) from the game with one out in the top of the sixth. Sophomore reliever Nolan Hobbs (South Portland, Maine) got both batters he faced out, but a sacrifice fly and a Bates throwing error allowed two runs to score before the inning came to an end. 

Trinity added an unearned run in the seventh and tallied another run in the eighth on a Ryder Aubin RBI single.

Now down 8-3, the Bobcats once again came roaring back. Yoxall and sophomore Keagan Ryan (Salem, N.H.) both got hit by pitches to begin the bottom of the eighth. Junior Jack Margiloff (Rye, N.Y.) singled to load the bases and senior Ben Genser (Newton, Mass.) drove in Yoxall with a sacrifice fly.

Then Swift cleared the bases with a towering three-run home run to left, his team-leading fifth round-tripper of the season. All of a sudden the score stood 8-7 in favor of the Bantams.

Unfortunately for Bates, the visitors pulled away with five runs in the top of the ninth. The first four batters of the inning singled, but the big blow was a bases clearing double off the bat of Brett Stone.

Trinity tallied 16 hits in the game and benefited from four Bates errors. Dylan Schnitzer tallied three hits to pace the Bantams while Ryan and Swift both recorded two hits for Bates.

Tully (4-2) took the loss, giving up six runs, four earned, in five and a third innings. He struck out four batters and walked two. Capano didn't do any favors to his ERA, but picked up the win with eight innings pitched, giving up seven runs on six hits.

The Bobcats host Trinity in a doubleheader Friday at noon.