The Colby baseball team had its work cut out for it this past weekend, hosting a massive doubleheader against the 24–5 Tufts Jumbos. Tufts holds the top spot in the NESCAC with Colby trailing right behind with the second seed. Prior to Saturday’s doubleheader, the Mules fell 2–1 to the Jumbos on Friday afternoon despite a late run in the ninth inning.
On Saturday, Apr. 29, the Mules came out firing in game one, getting on the board after the opening inning. The Mules would go on to secure game one by a 4–3 score, getting two clutch runs in the seventh inning after trailing 3–2. Notable performances for Colby’s batters came from Cole Palmeri `24, Clint Flippo `25, and Ryan Grace `25.
Palmeri drove in two runs on the day and went one for two at the plate. Flippo continued to shine for the Mules at bat, going three for three on the day and securing the game-winning run. Grace made a massive contribution to the Mules game one victory as well, as he drove in the game-tying run in the seventh inning. Jack Pletter `23 was also fantastic at the mound, striking out six Jumbos batters on the road to victory.
Game two was yet another nail-biter between the top two NESCAC teams, with the Jumbos getting the edge in this one by a 2–1 score. Brady O’Brien `24 led the Mules at bat, going two out of five. Grace again made a massive play for Colby at bat, driving in the only run for the Mules in game two by securing a solo home run in the eighth inning, his second home run of the season. At the mound, Joe Sylvester `26 pitched five innings for the Mules and successfully struck out three batters.
Overall, it was a good weekend for Colby Baseball, splitting the doubleheader with Tufts and keeping the games extremely close even when they lost. Colby currently holds the number two seed in the conference, boasting an impressive 22–10 record, 7–5 in the NESCAC. Next up for the Mules is a game against New England College to conclude the 2023 regular season, which will take place on Tuesday, May 2 at 4 p.m.
Heading into the NESCAC playoffs, the Mules will host the third-seeded Hamilton Continentals in a quarterfinals match on Saturday, May 6 at noon. The second game will start at 3 p.m. and precede a third game on Sunday at 11 a.m., if necessary. The Mules have been fantastic at home this season, with a record of 10–3 against all opponents. If Colby can maintain the same level of play it displayed against Tufts this past weekend and continue their dominant performances at home, it will be set up to do very well in the first round of the playoffs.
~ Mason Groves `23
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