Winning four out of its five games last weekend, the men's baseball team quickly forgot about its recent stumbles as it improved to 13-6 overall.
In a busy weekend for the Polar Bears, the team was able to take two of three from division rival Bates College before sweeping Thomas College in a Sunday doubleheader. The Bears were firing on all cylinders, putting up big performances on the mound as well as from behind the plate.
The weekend started with a Friday game against Bates. First year pitcher Christian Martin started for the team, pitching eight strong innings, in which he allowed only three earned runs. Martin's strong showing only added to his already impressive start to the season, and he is expected to continue pitching in big games in the weeks ahead. Martin's performance has also gained the admiration of his teammates.
"He has really stepped up for us this year," said Brendan Garner '11. "He's a big lefty and his ball has so much movement on it."
On the offensive side, Garner and Joe Comizio '11 each had two RBIs to lead the team. Drew Lorusso '13 pitched a perfect ninth inning as the Bears took an 8-3 victory heading into the next day's doubleheader.
Due to a snow-covered Pickard Field, the two Saturday games were also played at Bates, where the two teams would split the twin bill. In the opener, strong pitching from both sides left the two teams locked at one as the seventh inning came to a close. Bates finally broke out offensively in the top of the eighth, scoring three runs on five hits. Bowdoin went scoreless in the bottom half of the inning to fall 4-1.
In the rubber match, Bowdoin rebounded from its morning loss, winning the finale 14-9. Senior Matt Ruane continued his season's impressive hitting with a 4-4 day. He is hitting .448 this year and leads the team with 16 RBIs.
"Having a guy like Matt in the lineup is great because he's so consistent," said Martin. "He rarely has a day without a hit or two."
Jordan Edgett '12 and Garner also had good games, driving in three runs apiece.
But in a game filled with offense, perhaps the most impressive moment was a defensive team play in the first inning. After allowing an early run to start the game, Bowdoin managed a triple play to end the inning. With runners on first and second, Bates senior Noah Lynd lined out to first basemen Dan Hicks '11. With both base-runners going on the play, Hicks then stepped on first and quickly threw to Adam Marquit '11 who stepped on second to record the final out.
After completing the successful series against Bates, Bowdoin finally returned home to play two games against non-conference opponents Thomas. In the early game, Bowdoin needed some late-inning heroics to secure the victory. After trading runs for the first five innings, the Bears were down 4-3 as they entered the bottom half of the sixth inning. With the heart of the order coming up to bat, a flurry of hits turned into four big runs for the Bears.
Edgett, Garner, and Comizio—all consistent hitters this year—each had RBIs in the inning as the team added valuable insurance runs. Thomas scored two runs in the top of the 7th to make it close, but ultimately fell 7-6.
To round out their busy weekend, the Bears put together their most complete game of the season. Thomas pitchers struggled to put away anyone as Bowdoin racked up 12 runs on 17 hits. Evan Farley '11 had no such problem on the mound for Bowdoin. The senior pitched a complete game shutout, allowing only two hits while striking out 10. Farley was named the Orient Athlete of the week after his impressive performance. Ruane also garnered credit, and was named the NESCAC Player of the Week, going 10-19 with a .684 slugging percentage.
"It's kind of funny," said Ruane in reaction to the recognition. "Definitely unexpected. I'm just glad that we are winning games and that I've been able to contribute to that."
The team now heads into a crucial three game series against Trinity College (3-3 NESCAC) at home.
"Our team is really looking forward to this weekend," said Ruane. "If we play like we can, this weekend should go well for us and we'll be sitting in a very good position in the league."
First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m. today at Pickard Field.