As the ball flew past the Trinity centerfielder off the bat of Adam Marquit '11, captain Dan Hicks '11 rounded third and was waved home. The relay throw came into the shortstop, who quickly turned it toward home as Hicks thundered down the line. Trinity needed a perfect throw to stop the run from scoring. The ball zoomed into the catcher's mitt just in time to slap a tag on the big first baseman. The Trinity bench cheered as Bowdoin's looked on in disbelief.
Although an amazing play, it was perhaps the only bright spot for Trinity as the Polar Bears rolled over the Bantams in a three-game sweep last weekend. With playoff implications in mind, the weekend started with a competitive pitching duel that ended in dramatic fashion.
After three scoreless innings in game one of the series, Trinity was able to break pitcher Christian Martin '14, scoring two runs in the fourth after a few tough-luck infield hits. Bowdoin responded innings later, getting both runs back in the bottom half of the fifth inning thanks to some sloppy defensive play from the Bantams.
The Polar Bears looked to take the lead in the seventh, but failed to score after the impressive throw home to get Hicks. In the eighth, Trinity regained the lead with a long home run to right, putting pressure on Bowdoin, who had six outs remaining while trailing 3-2.
In the bottom of the eighth, however, Brendan Garner '11 drove in the tying run and advanced to second on the throw home. In yet another crucial defensive blunder, Trinity's third baseman then tossed a routine grounder well high to first, allowing Garner to score the winning run on the error. Ian Edwards '13 pitched a perfect ninth to secure the 4-3 win.
On Saturday, tensions were high after the closely contested game the day before. Bowdoin, however, proved too much for Trinity and took both games decisively. In the morning game, Oliver Van Zant '13 pitched well for the Bears, going five innings with seven strikeouts and only two earned runs.
Offensively, Jordan Edgett '12 extended the lead in the fifth with the first home run of his career to make it 5-2, the eventual final. Drew LoRusso '13 and Edwards pitched well in relief of Van Zant, keeping Trinity scoreless for the final two innings to clinch the series.
"As soon as we won the second game, all we thought about was how good a sweep would feel," said Marquit. "Coach Connolly did a great job of making sure we didn't let the first two wins get to our heads and helped us bring the fire into game three."
Hungry for the sweep, Bowdoin came out strong in the final game of the series. The seniors on the team led the way as Matt Ruane and Brett Gorman both went deep for the Bears while Garner also drove in two runs for the team. John Lefeber '14 pitched well in just the third start of his career.
Lefeber went seven strong, allowing two runs on just four hits. His performance was the third quality start in the series. The staff only allowed seven runs total in the sweep. The wins improved the team to 5-1 in the NESCAC and second overall in the East Division.
After taking Sunday off, Bowdoin got back into the action, traveling two hours to Bangor to take on the Eagles of Husson University (19-14 overall).
With two games scheduled, the Polar Bears struggled in the opener. Husson starter Nate Adams '12 pitched a complete game, allowing only one earned run and striking out five. Ultimately Bowdoin fell 8-2 in a disappointing start to the doubleheader. Offensively, Marquit led the team with two hits and a run scored.
In the nightcap, Bowdoin bounced back by scoring eight runs on 11 hits. Husson scored two runs in the first inning and looked poised for the two-game sweep. But the Polar Bears answered back in the third and never looked back, ultimately taking the game 8-4.
Evan Farley '11 pitched well again, collecting his second win of the season.
After yet another 4-1 week, the team now takes a 17-7 record overall into a weekend series against Colby. The Mules have struggled in the conference this year, losing all six games against NESCAC opponents.
"After a good week I think the team has a lot of confidence heading into the series," said Hicks. "If we continue to lock in one game at a time, we should end up where we want to be."
Today's game is scheduled for 3 p.m. at Pickard field. Tomorrow's doubleheader will be played at Colby. Bowdoin will also face Brandeis University on Wednesday at 4 p.m.