BOX SCORE - APPRENTICE

BOX SCORE - TUFTS

The Bearcats extended their win streak to five games with an 11-8 comeback victory over the Newport News Apprentice School on the road in Hampton, VA, then fell to Tufts University in game two of a split twinbill.

The final score in the Tufts contest was 12-0.

Against the Apprentice School, Tyler Frankel pitched 7 strong innings of relief to earn the victory, while Kevin Proctor came on in the 9th to record the final two outs to get the save.

Luke Fox, John Malone and Dylan Kugler led the offense, as Fox hit a three-run home run to help erase an early 7-1 deficit, and Malone went 3-for-4 with two runs batted in.  Kugler added two hits and two RBI.  

The Builders built an early 2-0 lead before SVC got a run back in the top of the 2nd on a Malone RBI single.  However, NNAS responded with four runs in the second, chasing starter Dylan Pietrantoni.  Frankel worked out of a jam to end the inning, then yielded a run in the third to make it 7-1 in favor of the hosts.

In the fourth, walks to Eddie Kilkeary and Malone sandwiched around a single by Chris Winkler loaded the bases with no outs.  Matt Whittaker responded with his first collegiate hit and RBI, making it 7-2.  Matt Loftis grounded out but drove home Winkler to make it 7-3.  Fox followed with a three-run shot over the left field wall to cut the deficit to just one, 7-6.

An inning later, Kilkeary tripled off the base of the wall in right center to lead off, then scored on a Malone single, tying the game at 7-7.  In the home half of the sixth, the Builders retook the lead on a Mike Brumfield single, forcing the Bearcats to make a second comeback.

In the top of the 8th, Fox walked to lead off, and Kugler attempted to bunt him to second.  Kugler's bunt down the first base line was fielded cleanly but the throw went into right field, allowing Fox to score all the way from first to tie the game.  Winkler later singled home Kugler with the go-ahead run.  In the 9th, SVC added a pair of insurance runs on a 2-run single by Kugler.

The Builders got a couple of runners on against Frankel in the 9th, but Proctor closed the door and sealed the victory for SVC.

Tufts, which was ranked #25 in the national preseason poll for D3 baseball, jumped on starter Cooper Ayres for 11 runs in just over two innings of work, building an 11-0 lead after three innings.  The Bearcat bullpen pitched well, holding the Jumbos to just one run over the final six innings.  Offensively, SVC had just five hits.

SVC is now 5-4 on the season, and will return to action on Tuesday at Mount Aloysius.  Game time is set for 3PM.