May 6, 2007

Box Score (Game 1) | Box Score (Game 2)

MEDFORD, Mass. - Junior Sam Whelan (Milton, Mass.) tied alumnus Jim Burke for the second most wins in a single season by a Babson College pitcher as he notched his seventh victory in an 8-3 win over Tufts University in the second game of a double-header on Sunday afternoon. Tufts won the first game in a slugfest, 11-9, behind freshman DH Corey Pontes (Milton, MA).

Pontes and sophomore 3B Kevin Casey (Milford, MA) both hit two-run home runs in the bottom of the first in game one to give Tufts a 4-1 lead. Babson senior shortstop Billy Schmitt (Fairview, NJ) also went deep in the top of the second to close the gap to 4-3. The teams kept slugging it out, with Pontes singling home one of two Jumbo runs in the third, and a five-run Babson fourth inning powered by a two-run single from sophomore LF Bryan Evans (Bellaire, TX). Pontes had another RBI single in the bottom of the fourth and the game was tied at 8-8.

Tufts kept scoring, adding two more runs in the fifth and another in the sixth. Jumbo pitchers David Gibbs (Harrison, NY) and Jason Protano (Milford, MA) kept the Beavers at bay, allowing only one run over the final three innings. Pontes finished 3-for-3 with four RBIs and two runs, while senior 1B Bryan McDavitt (Holden, MA) was 3-for-4 with two runs and an RBI. Tufts was out-hit 18-11 by Babson, with sophomore DH Jeff Wojnar (Bellaire, TX), freshman CF Peter O'Toole (Salem, MA) and Schmitt (3 RBIs) finishing with three hits apiece.

Babson reboudned in game two, as the Beavers roughed up Tufts starter Derek Rice (Braintree, MA), who didn't get an out in the second and allowed six runs. O'Toole hit a two-run single in the first and Wojnar drove home a run and scored a run in a five-run second inning that gave the Beavers an 8-1 lead. Meanwhile, Whelan was mowing through the Jumbos, allowing just two hits over a five inning stretch from the second to the sixth. He got the first two outs in the seventh on strikeouts, but couldn't finish the game. After back-to-back singles and a hit batter, Casey hit a two-run single, at which time Dave Ahern (Bedford, MA) was called from the bullpen to get the last out.

O'Toole had three RBIs, while two hits apiece came off the Babson bats of Wojnar and freshman 3B Jake Bartlett (Weymouth, MA). Whelan struck out 10 in 6 2/3 innings as he improved to 7-2 overall. That tied him with Burke for second most on the team's single-season list behind only Sam Fitzpatrick '97, who won eight games in 1996.

Overall, Wojnar went 5-for-7 with three runs scored in the two games, while O'Toole finished 4-for-7 with two runs and three RBIs. Senior Ryan Campbell (Manchester, N.H.) added three hits and three runs scored in what may have been his final collegiate games, while Schmitt and junior Matt Delaney (Newton, Mass.) each contributed three hits and two runs. Junior RF Steve Tahmoush (Arlington, Mass.) also recorded three hits and scored three runs, moving him into second place among Babson's single-season leaders in both categories. His 66 hits are just two short of Kevin Higa's record of 68 set in 2002, and his 42 runs scored are tied for second with Matt Bigda (2002) behind the record of 45 set by Patrick O'Quinn in 1997.

Along with a strong day at the plate, Schmitt also enjoyed a record-setting afternoon in the field. The Beavers' shortstop flawlessly handled all six of his chances, including four assists that gave him 135 for the year, surpassing his own school mark of 132 set back in 2004. Far and away the program's career leader with 504 assists, Schmitt holds four of the school's top five single-season totals in that category. In addition, he has started every one of the team's 160 games over the last four years - also a school record.

Pontes capped a good day at the plate for Tufts with two hits in the nightcap, while sophomore CF Dave Katzman (North Andover, MA) went 2-for-3. Tufts used six pitchers in the game, with only freshman Jordan Goldberg (Westborough, MA) going more than one inning.

With the split, Tufts is now 23-10 and Babson is 25-14. The Jumbos play
in the NESCAC Tournament at Williams next weekend. Although a long shot based on the most recent regional rankings, Babson remains hopeful for a
possible at-large berth into the NCAA Tournament when the field is announced on Sunday night.

NOTE: Taken from a Tufts University press release.