Box Score 
WATERVILLE, Maine -- The Colby College baseball team had plenty of opportunities, but left 11 men on base in a 4-3 setback to Bates College in the NESCAC opener Thursday at Coombs Field at the Colby Baseball/Softball Complex.
Connor Speed pitched 7.2 innings to earn the victory and Jake Shapiro earned the save for the Bobcats.
Bates improved to 5-5 overall and 1-0 in the league, while the Mules fell to 3-8 and 0-1 in the conference. The two teams will meet in a doubleheader this weekend (date and time TBA). With poor weather coming into the area Friday night into Saturday, the doubleheader could be played Sunday if the artificial turf field can be cleared.
Brendan Fox led the Bobcats with a pair of hits and one run. Kyle Carter added one hit, an RBI, and a run scored.Â
Colby went ahead with a lone run in the bottom of the first inning.
Matt Treveloni singled and went all the way to third on a two-base error when the ball got past the right fielder. After a walk to
Jackson Ward and an out, Garcia singled to plate Treveloni.
Colby starter Brooks Parker got the first two outs of the second inning, but then ran into trouble. Jack Arend doubled to start the rally and scored when Carter singled. After a walk to Asher MacDonald, Will Sylvia singled to bring in Carter for a 2-1 lead.
The Mules tied it at 2-2 with a lone run in the bottom of the second.
Tyler Mulberry and
Noah Tocci had back-to-back walks and
Matt Mitchell loaded the bases with a short single to left field. Speed was able to get the next two outs, but Arsenault had a ball that just got past the shortstop to drive in Mulberry.
With one out in the top of the fifth, Ryan McCarthy reached on an error to get Bates going. Fox singled to push McCarthy to second and Brendon Canavan followed with a single to bring in the third run. John Dinucci also singled to drive in Fox for the big fourth run.
The pitching was solid in the middle innings. Speed struck out nine, walked five, and gave up seven hits. Colby hurt its own cause by leaving 11 runners on base. Shapiro went 1.1 innings while allowing just one hit and striking out three.
Parker gave up just two earned runs while striking out seven and walking one in five innings for Colby. Mule relievers Will Cohen, Emery Dinsmore, and Ward went the final four innings and allowed just two hits.
The Mules got within one run in the bottom of the eighth inning. Arsenault doubled to lead off the frame and took third on a one-out ground out.
Keenan Iuliano hit a ball over the first base plate and brought in Arsenault with a double. Iuliano moved to third on a wild pitch and then Colby loaded the bases on walks to Mulberry and
Noah Tocci. Shapiro got the final out on a strikeout.Â
Colby also left runners on base in the ninth inning. Treveloni walked to start the inning, but Shapiro came hard off the mound to field a Ward bunt and got Treveloni at second base on the fielder's choice. After a second out, Garcia kept the inning going with a single to get Ward to third base. However, Shapiro once again got a strikeout to end the game.
