Courtesy Amherst/Williams Sports Information

Box Score

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. - Tufts used a five-run sixth inning to pull away from Amherst in game five of the 2007 NESCAC Baseball Championship, as the Jumbos came away with a 9-4 victory over the Lord Jeffs. The win gave Tufts a measure of revenge for an 8-7 loss to Amherst on Friday during day one of the NESCAC tournament and put the Jumbos in the championship game for the second-straight year. Tufts will take on Williams at 10:00 a.m. on Sunday for the 2007 NESCAC Baseball Championship at Bobby Coombs Field in Williamstown, Mass.

Amherst sent sophomore southpaw Ryan Platzbecker (Westlake, Ohio) and his perfect 5-0 record to the mound, while Tufts went with junior right-hander Jason Protano (Milford, Mass.). Platzbecker walked the first batter of the game, but got senior Brian Casey (Milford, Mass.) to ground into a double play before Bryan McDavitt (Holden, Mass.) popped up to end the inning.

Amherst threatened in the first by putting runners on second and third, but Protano escaped unharmed when he got Jared Banner (Brooklyn, N.Y.) to pop up sophomore Kevin Casey (Milford, Mass.) at second base. The younger Casey gave Tufts its first hit of the game in the second inning, but Amherst's middle infield turned its second double play of the game to end the inning.

Corey Pontes (Milton, Mass.) led off the top of the third with a single to left center, Caleb Sims (Burlington, MA) moved him over to second with a sacrifice bunt, and Chris Decembrele (Walpole, Mass.) drove him in with a single up the middle, giving Tufts a 1-0 lead after some textbook baseball.

After the Amherst defense turned its third double play of the game in the fourth inning, Banner got things going in the bottom half of the frame with a single through the right side. First-year Will Lawton (Newton, Mass.) grounded out to second but moved Banner over in the process, but Protano drew two more ground-ball outs and did not allow Banner to advance past second base, as the Jumbos entered the fifth inning with their 1-0 lead in tact.

Pontes made it a 3-0 game when what appeared to be a high fly ball to right field turned into a two-run homer that just made it over the eight-foot-high fence. Amherst got one back in the bottom of the fifth when Tom Scott (Randolph, N.J.) singled to right center and Josh Card (North Adams, Mass.) sent an RBI-double to the gap for his second hit of the game.

Tufts loaded the bases in the top of the sixth, and Kevin Casey quickly cleared them with a three-RBI triple to right center, as the Jumbos took a commanding 6-1 lead before recording an out in the inning. After Platzbecker walked a batter and Pontes picked up his third hit of the game to give Tufts a 7-1 lead, the Jeffs brought Mike Hinckley (Carlsbad, Calif.) in to stop the bleeding. Hinckley walked a pair and struck out a pair, allowing one run that was credited to Platzbecker, as the Jeffs found themselves in an 8-1 hole with time running out on their season.

Amherst got two runs back in the seventh and one more in the ninth, but Tufts chalked up another in the eighth and held on for the 9-4 win.

Platzbecker picked up the loss to move to 5-1, while Protano improved to 4-3 with the win. Protano threw eight innings, allowing eight hits while striking out four and walking two. In his last game with Amherst, senior Brian Donahue (Sudbury, Mass.) pitched three innings of relief, striking out four while allowing just one run on three hits.

Pontes led the Tufts offense by going 4-for-5 with a pair of runs and RBIs, while Decembrele and the Casey brothers had two hits apiece. Card led the Jeffs with three RBIs and a 3-for-4 performance, while Powers was 2-for-4 with an RBI.

Amherst finishes the season at 20-14, while Tufts improves to 25-11 and will play Williams College Sunday with the NESCAC title on the line. With a 2-0 record in the tournament thus far, the host Ephs will need to win only one game to claim their championship, while the Jumbos will have to win two games for the crown.