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Date: April 29, 2005
Contact: Bill Sodoma

 

Tufts holds off Colby in baseball

WATERVILLE, Maine -- Jim O'Leary (North Easton, Mass.) had three hits, including a home run, and added three RBI to lead the Tufts University baseball team to a 10-6 win against Colby College in New England Small College Athletic Conference East Division play Friday.

Bryan McDavitt (Holden, Mass.) also had three hits for the Jumbos (18-8, 7-2 NESCAC East). Bob Kenny (Milford, Mass.) had two hits and three RBI for Tufts, while Kyle Backstrom (Worcester, Mass.) added two hits, two RBI and three runs scored. Jeff Volinski (Andover, Mass.) walked four times for the winners.

Colby (0-24, 0-9) got two runs in the first inning on an RBI triple from Tyler Hales (Lexington, Mass.) and a sacrifice fly by Andy Carr (Conway, N.H.).

The lead held up to the fourth inning when Tufts got a two-run single from Kenny to tie the game. The Jumbos then scored four times in the fifth inning to go ahead for good. Backstrom had a two-run double and Chris Decembrele (Walpole, Mass.) added a two-run single.

O'Leary smacked a solo homer in the eighth inning, but the Mules managed to get two more runs in the bottom of the eighth to cut the lead to 7-4.

Tufts got a two-run double from O'Leary and an RBI double from Kenny to score three more runs in the ninth for a 10-4 lead. The runs were important because Colby added two more runs in the bottom of the frame, had the bases loaded and the tying run at the plate before Jeremy Davis (Little Falls, N.Y.) came in and got the final out of the game.

Hales and Brian Liberty (Hollis, N.H.) both had three hits and two runs for Colby. Nick Spillane (Darien, Conn.) also had three hits and scored one run, while Carr finished with two hits.

Colby and Tufts will play two more games Saturday starting at 11 a.m. (new time start).

Tufts 10, Colby 6

Tufts 000#240#013-------10#11#3

Colby 200#000#022-------6#12#1

Ben Simon, Adam Telian (W, 2-1), Aaron Narva (8), Jeremy Davis (S, 1) and Bob Kenny; Sam Kennedy-Smith (L, 0-5), Bob Brady (5), Andy Carr (9) and Steve Sandak. 2B: Jim O'Leary (Tufts), Bryan McDavitt (Tufts), Kyle Backstrom (Tufts), Bob Kenny (Tufts), Brian Liberty (Colby). 3B: Tyler Hales (Colby). HR: Jim O'Leary (Tufts).