LEWISTON, Maine -- The Bates baseball team won a game one thriller by a score of 5-4 but fell 7-3 in game two of Friday's doubleheader against Trinity at Leahey Field.

With the split, the Bobcats (12-17, 4-7 NESCAC East) were eliminated from NESCAC tournament contention, as Colby swept Tufts in a doubleheader on Friday, leaving the Bobcats two wins back of the Mules with only one NESCAC game remaining for Bates. Meanwhile, Trinity (17-15, 6-6 NESCAC East) clinched a spot in the tournament with their win in game two. 

Between games, the Bobcats honored their nine seniors, plus Director of Baseball Operations Josh Sherman '25. 

Bates returns to action on Monday when the Bobcats host Colby at 3 p.m.

Game One: Bates 5, Trinity 4

The Bobcats scored three runs in the bottom of the seventh to win 5-4, stunning Trinity in game one of Friday's doubleheader.

With Bates down 4-2, senior Ben Gesmondi (Narragansett, R.I.) got the rally started against Trinity starter Brendan Grady with a lead-off walk in the bottom of the seventh. Junior Joe Yoxall (Dallas, Texas) got hit by a pitch, marking the end of the day for Grady. Relief pitcher Peter Murphy (0-2) hit sophomore Keagan Ryan (Salem, N.H.) to load the bases. Then he also hit junior Jack Margiloff (Rye, N.Y.), forcing in a run and cutting the deficit to 4-3. The Bantams brought in Thomas Fahey out of the bullpen and senior Ben Genser (Newton, Mass.) greeted him with a grounder to second. Trinity's Aidan Stern threw the ball into shallow left field and two runs scored on the play, sealing a 5-4 victory for the Bobcats.

Junior Diego Sarabia (Mableton, Ga.) turned in another quality start for the Bobcats, going six innings and giving up three runs on six hits. He walked four batters and matched his career-high with eight strikeouts. 

The Bantams got on the board first thanks to a wild pitch that plated Tyler Bernstein in the top of the third. Bates answered in the bottom of the fourth, scoring a pair of runs. With two outs and nobody on, junior Gibby Sullivan (Yarmouth, Maine) reached on an infield single. Then senior captain Brandon Biggane (Rensselaer, N.Y.) ripped a double into the right-center field gap. Sullivan hustled around from first to score, sliding around the tag. Then Biggane ran to third and the throw went into left field, allowing Biggane to come all the way around to give Bates a 2-1 lead.

Trinity responded in the top of the fifth. With one out, Adam Niman bunted his way aboard. Bernstein doubled him to third and Dylan Schnitzer singled home both runners, putting the Bantams up 3-2.

Sarabia worked around a one-out double in the sixth, striking out a pair of batters to end the inning. Bernstein walked and Schnitzer doubled to begin the seventh, chasing Sarabia from the game after 111 pitches. First-year Charlie Cariello (Bedford, N.H.) and intentionally walked Andrew Park to load the bases. Then he got the next two batters to hit grounders to third and first respectively, and the Bobcats got the runner out at the plate both times. Trinity did push across a run on an infield single by Aidan Stevenson, but Cariello (1-2) was able to get out of the jam without any further damage, setting up the Bobcats for their dramatic win.

Bates tallied just five hits in game one, to seven for Trinity. Bates took advantage of four walks and three hit-by-pitches.
 
Game Two: Trinity 7, Bates 3

The Bantams scored three times in the first inning and didn't look back, defeating Bates 7-3 in game two of Friday's doubleheader.

Back-to-back walks to start the game hurt the Bobcats, as Park singled in Bernstein for a 1-0 Trinity lead. A sacrifice bunt, an infield single, and a fielder's choice pushed across an additional pair of runs for the visitors.

Senior Ian McAslan (Baltimore, Md.) got the start for Bates and bounced back nicely from the first inning, shutting down the Bantams for the remainder of his outing, which went five plus innings. He scattered five hits and struck out four.

The Bobcats missed some early opportunities against Trinity starting pitcher Drew McGowan (3-1), leaving six men on base through the first four innings. Bates got on the board in the bottom of the fifth. Ryan led off with an infield single and one out later he stole second, advancing to third on a Bantam throwing error. Genser drove him home with a grounder to short, trimming the deficit to 3-1.

Unfortunately, the Bates offense went quiet after that, and the Bantams slowly but surely added to their lead, scoring one in the seventh, one in the eighth, and twice in the ninth to go up 7-1. Park provided the big blow with his two-run homer in the ninth, as he went 5-5 in game two.

Bates picked up a pair of runs in the bottom of the ninth as Biggane led off the inning with a walk. Sullivan lined a single to right that Park misplayed, allowing the ball to go to the fence. Biggane came around to score and Sullivan ended up on third. He scored on an RBI groundout from first-year Max Dushney (Ashland, Mass.), cutting the Trinity lead to 7-3. That was all for the Bates offense, as the next two batters flew out to end the game.

Sullivan paced the Bobcats in game two, going 3-4 at the plate. Ryan went 2-4 with a run scored and Genser finished 1-3 with an RBI and a walk. But the rest of the lineup went hitless as Trinity pitching held Bates to six hits.