Once again, a head-to-head tiebreaker with Tufts University proved to be the deciding factor for this year's baseball team.
Bowdoin did all it could this weekend, winning all three games against Bates. Unfortunately, Tufts didn't blink, matching all three games with a sweep of their own against Colby.
In game one of the series, the Bears went down 3-0 early to the Bobcats, letting up a run in the first inning and two in the third. But after five scoreless innings for the team, a four-run explosion in the sixth proved to be the deciding factor in the game. Jason Koperniak '09 led the way with two RBIs in the inning. Pitcher Tim Welch '12 calmed down after his first couple of innings to go eight strong, allowing just three runs off four hits while striking out ten. Pat Driscoll '09 came in for the save in the ninth.
Coming from behind again, the Bears took game two of the series 5-4, getting all of their runs in the fifth and sixth innings. Jordan Edgett '12 led the team with three hits on the day while Joe Berte '09 and Kevin Zikaras '10 both homered for the Bears. Sean Kleier '09 came in to relieve Driscoll in the sixth inning. And after two scoreless innings and just one hit, he was rewarded with his second win of the season.
No need for a comeback in the final game, as Bowdoin wrapped up its NESCAC season with an 8-6 victory over Bates. The team scored its eight runs off 13 hits, while Adam Marquit '11, Brett Gorman '11, and Edgett each had three on the day. Joe Pace '10 pitched the first five innings of the game, giving up just three runs en route to his team-leading sixth win of the season. Carter Butland '10 relieved Pace in the sixth and closed out the game with four good innings, allowing just one run on two hits.
Consistent offensive contributor Gorman was also rewarded with NESCAC Offensive Player of the Week after his stellar performance this weekend. Combining all three games, Gorman had seven hits, four RBIs, two doubles, and a home run. He is now hitting over .400 with a team-leading 28 RBIs on the season and is second on the team with a .587 slugging percentage. When asked about receiving the award, Gorman said that "it was certainly a great honor" but he was more focused on the success of the team.
"It was definitely a successful weekend sweeping Bates, but we know that in order to make the NESCAC tournament next year we will need to compete at that same level every game," he said.
The Bears continued their winning habits with a 6-5 win over Brandeis this past Wednesday. After a back-and-forth game, Edgett was able to hit a game-winning walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth.
Gorman also had two more RBIs and hits in the game to add to his already impressive week. The triumphant win improved the Bears' record to 20-15 overall (7-5 NESCAC).
Although the team's playoff chances are over, the season still continues. The Bears will visit Colby for a double-header today. The team was originally scheduled to travel to Middlebury, but the games were canceled in favor of the Colby matchup. The first game is at 11 a.m. in Waterville.