Lewiston, Maine - Behind a dominant complete-game performance on the mound and an explosive sixth inning, the Colby College Baseball team powered past the Bobcats of Bates College for a 9-1 victory to kick off the NESCAC double-header weekend. The win moved Colby to 14-8 on the season as they capitalized on timely hitting and defensive miscues to pull away in the later frames.
Thomas Rioux pitched a full nine innings and allowed just one run on five hits. After surrendering an early run in the first on a sacrifice bunt, Rioux settled into a groove, striking out four and inducing 13 ground outs to keep the Bates hitters off balance all afternoon.
Colby leveled the score in the fourth inning when
Myles Gythfeldt singled and eventually came around to score on a throwing error. The game remained locked in a 1-1 tie until the top of the sixth, when the bats finally broke loose. The five-run surge began with Gythfeldt reaching on an error and
Tony Silva following with a single.
Jeb Burkhart then delivered the go-ahead blow, a two-RBI double down the left-field line that plated Silva and Gythfeldt.
Max Diamond kept the momentum going with an RBI double of his own to score
Will Burns. Before the inning was over,
Sam Nigro drew a bases-loaded walk and
Patrick Shrake drove in another run on a fielder's choice to give Colby a commanding 6-1 lead.
Colby added insurance in the seventh when
Marco Zirpolo drove home Burns with a single to shortstop. The offense capped off the scoring in the ninth inning, as Diamond notched his second RBI of the day with a single to center, followed by a sacrifice fly from
Henry Silva that brought in Burkhart for the ninth and final run.
Defensively, Colby was sharp, punctuated by a double play in the eighth inning that wiped out a potential Bates rally. Offensively, Burkhart and Diamond led the charge with two hits and two RBIs each, while Zirpolo reached base multiple times and contributed an RBI. Burns also had a productive day, scoring three times for the visitors.
Colby will look to carry this momentum forward as they return home to face the Bobcats again in a double header on Saturday at 12 and 2:30pm.
