Williams Scores Early, Downs Bowdoin 15-5 in Game 2 of Baseball Championship
Courtesy Tufts Sports Information
WALTHAM, Mass. – The Ephs of Williams College used an explosive offensive display to quickly take control of their game against Bowdoin College as the Ephs scored eight runs in the first two innings en route to a 15-5 victory in the first round of the 2010 NESCAC Baseball Championship on Friday afternoon at Bentley College's DeFelice Field.
The Ephs advance in the winner's bracket to play Tufts on Saturday morning at Tufts University's Huskins Field beginning at 10:30 a.m. The Jumbos defeated Wesleyan University in Friday afternoon's other first-round game, 5-4. Bowdoin and Wesleyan will play an elimination game at Bentley on Saturday at 10:30 a.m.
Williams tallied 18 hits and capitalized on Bowdoin's erratic pitching and poor defense to take a commanding lead from the very early stages. The Ephs scored three runs in the first inning and five in the second, four of them unearned.
Bowdoin starting pitcher Carter Butland put himself in an early hole by allowing two singles to start the game and then walking three of the next five batters. Butland, who took the loss to fall to 3-3, was unable to record an out in the second inning and was lifted after two batters.
Williams lead-off man Stephen Maier (Orange, Conn.) was on base four times and scored three runs. The sophomore CF belted a two-run home run in the fourth inning to extend the Ephs' advantage to 10-0. He was one of three Ephs to have a three-hit day, along with senior designated hitter Robin Allemand (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) and sophomore shortstop Cameron Susk (Woodside, Calif.). Allemand had an RBI sacrifice fly in the first inning and then RBI singles in the second and sixth, as Williams scored runs in all but the third inning of play.
Although they did record 14 hits, the Bowdoin offense did not produce much thunder until the seventh inning. Trailing 12-1, the Polar Bears put together a four-run rally, capped by a two-run double by junior RF Joe Comizio (Vienna, Calif.) and the third hit of the day for senior 1B Kevin Zikaris (Milford, Conn.), his second run batted in.
Sophomore Harry Marino (Westfield, N.J.) pitched six innings for Williams and allowed only one earned run on seven hits while striking out four. Marino improved to 3-2 on the season after picking up the win. Sophomore Ben Oliva (Pacific Palisades, Calif.) closed the game for him with a scoreless two and a third innings.
Only eight of the 15 runs the Polar Bears allowed were earned, as Bowdoin made five errors in the field. Bowdoin pitchers struck out just three Williams batters but issued eight walks, and hit two Ephs with pitches.
