After a hot start, the Bowdoin Baseball Team has slowed down. After a 7-3 Spring Break trip to Port Charlotte, Florida to begin the season, Bowdoin returned to New England and dropped a doubleheader to a strong 14-1 Trinity team.
The team brings an 8-5 overall record into a three-game series against rival Colby this weekend, starting with a home game against Colby today at 3:00 p.m. and concluding with a doubleheader in Waterville starting tomorrow at noon.
Most recently, after being outscored 19-2 in the doubleheader sweep by Trinity, Bowdoin rebounded to defeat Southern Maine 10-7. Southern Maine, ranked fifth in New England, took an early lead over Bowdoin by scoring five runs in the first inning.
However, Bowdoin rebounded in the third inning with six runs that put Bowdoin ahead, 7-5. A Nick Lawler '06 two-run home run provided some insurance for the Bears in the sixth inning, and a strong effort by the bullpen sealed the victory for Bowdoin, a come from behind win over a good team. Jared Lemieux '06 led the team with a 3-3 performance from the plate.
So far this year, Bowdoin's offense has been led by Jared Lemieux '06, who is batting a staggering .514 so far, leading the team in hits. Lemieux also leads the team in walks and sports an impressive .660 on-base-percentage.
Also strong for Bowdoin in hitting have been Ricky Leclerc '06 and Tom McMahon '05, who are both batting better than .500 on the season. Leclerc leads the team in doubles, while McMahon's nine RBI is good for third on the team. McMahon has also saved two games for Bowdoin this year, without giving up a run thus far.
Junior Trevor Powers has anchored the pitching staff thus far. His 21.2 innings and two wins lead the team, and his 2.49 earned runs average is very strong for a starter.
Although not ranked in the top 30 teams in the nation, Bowdoin has been honored for its region. In the New England region, Bowdoin was ranked eighth this week, and among NESCAC teams was only behind Trinity, who was ranked first and Amherst, who was ranked seventh in the region.
Despite the team's 8-5 record, Bowdoin enters this weekend tied for last in the East NESCAC division, because of the disappointing doubleheader with Trinity.
Trinity appears to be the class of the NESCAC this season, leading the East Division. Along with a 14-1 (2-0 NESCAC) record, Trinity sports an absurd run differential of 137 through 15 games. The Bantams are currently ranked fifth in the nation and are the only NESCAC team ranked in the top 30 D-3 teams. Middlebury leads the West Division with a 7-4 (2-1 NESCAC) record.
Colby has struggled this year, starting off 0-11 and Bowdoin could would be wise to take advantage of a timely three-game set against a weak team. Bowdoin wraps up the weekend with a home game against Trinity on Sunday at noon.
Bowdoin needs to have a successful weekend to have a chance at the NESCAC crown this year, so come out and support the Polar Bears against NESCAC rivals Colby and Trinity!