MIDDLETOWN, Conn.
The Bowdoin College men’s tennis team returned to action on Saturday as it bested Wesleyan University, 6-3, in a battle of top-10 squads.
The fifth-ranked Polar Bears improved to 8-1 (2-0 NESCAC), while the seventh-ranked Cardinals fell to 8-2 (1-1 NESCAC) on the year.
Bowdoin won two of three doubles matches to take a 2-1 edge heading into singles play.
The combos of Grant Urken/Jerry Jiang (No. 1) and Justin Patel/Oscar Yang (No. 3) both won 8-6 decisions to give the Polar Bears the early advantage.
In singles play, Bowdoin received commanding straight-set wins from Urken (7-5, 6-0) at the top spot and Evan Fortier (6-3, 6-4) at the No. 6 position to climb closer to the victory.
The Polar Bears won a pair of key three-setters at No. 2 and 3 to put them over the top as Jerry Jiang (7-6, 3-6, 6-1) and Oscar Yang (2-6, 7-5, 6-2) both dominated their third sets to come away with victories.
Bowdoin will return to action on Friday evening in an added match as the Polar Bears will host MIT at 3 p.m.
Women’s tennis
Bowdoin split a pair of matches at top-10 opponents in a busy weekend of action.
The 14th-ranked Polar Bears toppled seventh-ranked Tufts in an impressive 7-2 win Friday afternoon before falling at sixth-ranked Wesleyan on Saturday, 6-3.
With the decisions, Bowdoin stands at 7-2 (2-1 NESCAC).
On Saturday, the Cardinals led 2-1 after doubles play and the Polar Bears failed to muster a comeback in singles action as Wesleyan slipped away with a 6-3 victory.
Fleming Landau and Sasa Jovanovic gave Bowdoin a win in doubles play, taking an 8-7 victory at No. 3.
In singles play, the Polar Bears had a number of competitive matches, but only grabbed wins at No. 5 and 6 thanks to Jovanovic (6-3, 4-6, 10-4) and Landau (2-6, 6-4, 6-4).
Bowdoin swept doubles play to put the Jumbos in a 3-0 deficit on Friday afternoon.
The Polar Bears were dominant, earning an 8-3 win from Devon Wolfe/Julia Marks, an 8-4 win from Tasha Christ/Izzy Essi and an 8-3 victory from Jovanovic Landau.
Bowdoin sealed the deal in singles action, collecting four straight-set wins. Marks (7-6, 7-6), Essi (7-5, 6-4), Jovanovic (6-2, 7-5) and Landau (6-0, 6-4) finished off the Jumbos to clinch the victory.
Bowdoin will return to play this upcoming Saturday as the Polar Bears head to Amherst for a 10 a.m. match.
Softball
Bowdoin opened the weekend with a win Friday, but then dropped a pair to the Bantams on Saturday as Hartford, Connecticut.
On Friday, the Polar Bears opened NESCAC play with a 7-2 win over host Trinity. Bowdoin went up 2-0 on a two-run blast by Allison Rutz in the top of the second.
Jenna Thomas answered for the Bantams, trimming the lead to 2-1 win a solo homer in the third.
Rutz scored in the fourth on an error to push the score to 3-1.
Trinity again pulled within one off a solo home run, this time off the bat of Gillian Birk, but Bowdoin scored three in the fifth, sparked by a two-run triple from Caroline Rice. Samantha Valdivia sent a sacrifice fly to center to drive in Rice.
Natasha Fingar tagged a solo home run in the seventh to extend Bowdoin’s lead to 7-2.
Maddie Rouhana and Rutz each doubled for the Polar Bears. Rice went 2-for-4 with the triple. Rutz was 3-for-3, adding a single and a homer with two RBIs. Kasey Cunningham and Karlye Pallotta both went 2-for-3 at the top of the lineup. Cunningham had a stolen base.
Samantha Roy improved to 4-1 with a complete game in the circle. Roy allowed six hits with four strikeouts and a walk.
Bowdoin was swept in Saturday’s doubleheader, dropping 7-2 and 3-2 decisions.
The Polar Bears are 12-7 (1-2 NESCAC), while the Bantams climbed to 9-4 (2-1 NESCAC).
The Polar Bears are scheduled to host Tufts for a NESCAC East series beginning this upcoming Friday.
Baseball
After losing a 4-1 game to Trinity on Friday, Bowdoin dropped a pair on Saturday as the Bantams completed the series sweep with a 4-0 win in game one and 7-2 victory in game two at Colby College in Waterville.
The Bantams improved to 11-2 (3-0 NESCAC), while the Polar Bears remained winless at 0-13-1 (0-3 NESCAC).
Trinity went ahead 2-0 in the top of the first on Saturday. With the bases loaded and no outs, Vincent Capone flew out to left field for an RBI. Alex Rodriguez followed up with a groundout RBI to short.
The Bantams added a third run in the fifth inning. With a runner 90 feet from home and no outs, Johnny Stamatis sent a sacrifice fly to left.
Trinity’s final run came in the final inning. Mike Guanci Jr. sent a ball to third and drove in Robbie Cronin.
The Polar Bears combined for three hits in the game, coming off the bats of Owen Gideon-Murphy, Jack Wilhoite, and Colby Joncas. Eric Mah had a stolen base.
Matt Koperniak went 2-for-4 and Geoff Stillman went 2-for-3. Guanci, Stamatis, Cronin, and Stillman all had a stolen base.
Will Simeone went the distance for Trinity, allowing three hits and no runs. Simeone fanned six.
Brandon Lopez pitched a complete game for the Polar Bears, allowing seven hits with four strikeouts and three walks.
Trinity earned the sweep Saturday’s nightcap, scoring two runs in the fifth, sixth and seventh frames.
Max Barsamian pitched four innings and allowed seven hits with four strikeouts. Erik Mohl allowed two hits with a strikeout. Justin Olson closed out the game with a strikeout for Trinity.
Peter O’Connell started on the mound for Bowdoin and pitched three innings with three punchouts. Seamus Keenan surrendered eight hits and four runs in 2 1/3 innings of work. Ryan Winn and Wilhoite both had a strikeout in relief.
In Friday’s game, Lopez, Brendan O’Neil, Nick Merrill, Colby Joncas, and Ben Suski all had hits. Merrill was left stranded three times and scored one run.
Bowdoin plays at the University of Southern Maine on Wednesday at 4 p.m.
Men’s lacrosse
Trinity scored the first five goals of the game and held off Bowdoin for a 16-11 win on Saturday afternoon.
The Bantams improved to 6-3 (1-3 NESCAC), while Bowdoin fell to 5-4 (2-3 NESCAC).
The Bantams got off to a hot start, scoring the first five goals of the game, including two from Ben Ferrucci to take an early advantage.
Bowdoin cut the lead to 6-3 thanks to a 3-1 surge to end the opening quarter, capped by a Jimmy Young goal.
The Polar Bears drew closer when Jeff Powers cut the lead to 6-4 to open the second frame, but Trinity responded a 4-0 run to extend the lead to 10-4 and maintained a 11-6 lead at halftime.
Bowdoin got as close as four goals on two occasions in the second half, but could draw no closer as the Bantams clung to the victory.
Ferrucci and Drew Kozub scored three goals each in the victory for Trinity.
Donal Mullane had two goals and two assists, while Zach Chandler scored a hat trick for the Polar Bears.
Brady Burke made 11 saves in goal for Trinity. Bowdoin’s Michael Covell stopped nine shots.
Trinity won 23-of-30 faceoffs and owned a 47-35 edge in shots, holding off the Polar Bears despite committing 28 turnovers.
Bowdoin will look to return to the win column on Wednesday evening when the Polar Bears host Bates at Whittier Field at 7 p.m.
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