Waterville, Maine - The Colby Mules Baseball team dominated the diamond this weekend, securing two decisive victories over NESCAC rival Bobcats of Bates College. Behind stellar starting pitching and a persistent offensive attack, Colby showcased its depth and resilience to move further up the conference standings.
Game One: Colby 3, Bates 2 (10 Innings)
The opening game of the double header was a classic pitcher's duel that required extra innings to decide a winner. Colby struck first in the fourth inning when
Marco Zirpolo singled home
Will Burns. They added another in the fifth on a sacrifice fly from Burns to take a 2-0 lead.
Bates managed to tie the game with runs in the sixth and seventh, eventually forcing the contest into extra frames. The Colby pitching staff remained composed, with
Matt Higgins and
Matt Mahoney combining for nine strikeouts and allowing just one earned run over 10 innings.
In the bottom of the 10th, Burns provided the definitive moment of the weekend. Leading off the inning, he launched a solo home run to end the game and secure the first game of the doubleheader sweep for the Mules.Â
Game Two: Colby 11, Bates 10
The second game was a back-and-forth affair that saw Colby rally from a six-run deficit to win in dramatic fashion. After trailing 10-4 in the sixth inning, the Mules' offense ignited for a five-run surge. The big blow came from
Jeb Burkhart, who crushed a three-run home run to bring Colby within one.
In the final frame, Colby completed the comeback.
Ellis Lynch-Kahn scored the tying run on a fielder's choice by Burns to knot the game at 10-10. With the winning run in scoring position,
Jeb Burkhart stepped up again, lining a walk-off single to right field to drive in
Myles Gythfeldt for the 11-10 victory.
Elliott Seymour earned the win in relief, shutting down the Bates offense in the final inning to set the stage for the walk-off.
The Mules wrapped up their weekend 16-8 overall, 4-2 in the NESCAC, as they take on Husson for a mid-week match up on Wednesday at 5pm, followed by another competitive conference match up next weekend.
