March 27, 2007

Box Score

BABSON PARK, Mass. - Three Babson College pitchers combined to scatter eight hits over nine innings and first-year Jake Bartlett (Milton, Mass.) drove in four runs as the Beavers won their home opener against Suffolk University, 7-1, on Tuesday afternoon. With the win, Babson improved to 6-1 overall, while the Rams fell to 7-4.

Junior Sam Whelan (Milton, Mass.) started and tossed four shutout innings for the Beavers, allowing just one hit and one walk while striking out five. Sophomore Jeff Wojnar (Bellaire, Texas) came on to start the fifth and blanked the Rams for three more frames to earn the win. First-year Dave Ahern (Bedford, Mass.) finished up with two innings of work, giving up one run on three hits while fanning four.

The first of four Suffolk pitchers, junior Steve Durant (Malden, Mass.) allowed three runs, two earned, on three hits in two innings to take the loss. Sophomore Reid Jackson (Burlington, Mass.) and first-year Joe Roberto (Danvers, Mass.) each gave up two more runs in relief before sophomore Dan Delia (Boston, Mass.) came on to pitch scoreless innings in the seventh and eighth.

Babson got all the offense it would need in the bottom of the first, as three hits and an error led to three runs. After junior Steve Tahmoush (Arlington, Mass.) led off with a single and moved to second when junior Matt Delaney (Newton, Mass.) was hit by a pitch, senior tri-captain Ryan Campbell (Manchester, N.H.) singled him in to give the Beavers a 1-0 advantage. On the play, an errant throw to the plate allowed Campbell to take second, which would prove costly two batters later when Bartlett looped a two-out, two-run single down the right field line to give the Green and White a 3-0 lead.

The Beavers tacked on two more runs in the third, as senior tri-captain Billy Schmitt (Fairview, N.J.) and sophomore Bryan Evans (Bellaire, Texas) both singled and moved into scoring position when Campbell grounded out for the second out of the inning. Bartlett then came up with his second clutch hit of the afternoon, as he drove a single to right that was nearly caught on a terrific diving effort by junior outfielder Greg DiMarco (Newton, Mass.). However, the ball landed just in front of the junior's outstretched glove, enabling Schmitt and Evans to score the Beavers' fourth and fifth runs.

The score remained 5-0 until the bottom of the sixth, when Babson plated two more to build a 7-0 advantage. After seniors Andrew Collins (South Boston, Mass.) and Billy Lucas (Acworth, Ga.) drew one-out walks, Tahmoush followed with an infield single that loaded the bases. With Schmitt at the plate, a wild pitch by Roberto allowed Collins to scamper home, and on the same play Lucas caught the Rams off guard as he hustled all the way home from second to make it 7-0.

Suffolk scored its lone run in the top of the eighth, when sophomore Jake Bruce (Amesbury, Mass.) struck out against Ahern but reached first on a wild pitch. Bruce then moved to second on a ground out and, two batters later, scored when senior Peter Palo (Malden, Mass.) hit a pinch-hit single to left. The Rams would threaten again by loading the bases with one out in the bottom of the ninth, but Ahern recorded back-to-back strikeouts to finish off the 7-1 Babson victory.