LEWISTON – Left-handed senior pitcher Brad Reynolds struck out 12 batters in his first-ever complete game as Bates College baseball beat Colby College 5-0 in game one of a NESCAC East Division three-game series on Friday afternoon at Leahey Field.

The Bobcats (17-11, 5-3 NESCAC East) moved three games ahead of the Mules (14-10, 4-6 NESCAC East) in the loss column in the race for a spot in the NESCAC Championship. The two teams will complete the three-game set with a doubleheader at Colby tomorrow beginning at noon.

Reynolds scattered four hits and a walk over the nine-inning shutout to improve to 5-1 on the year. Senior Griff Tewksbury went 3-for-3 at the plate with a two-RBI double and a walk, and junior Rockwell Jackson recorded two hits and two runs scored.

Junior Scott Goldberg took the loss (3-2) for the Mules, allowing three runs, all earned on six hits with four strikeouts over 3.1 innings. In relief, senior Lucas Geoghegan tossed 4.2 innings, giving up two runs on three hits and four walks with six strikeouts.

The Bobcats took a 2-0 lead after the bottom of the third as the hosts loaded the bases for the second consecutive inning. After junior Mekae Hyde, Jackson, and Tewksbury each singled with one out, sophomore Berto Diaz hit a ground ball to second base, and while the Mules registered an out at second, Diaz beat the throw to first to allow Hyde to score. Bates tacked on a second run in the frame as Jackson came home on a wild pitch.

After Reynolds retired the side in order in the top of the fourth, Bates added another run in the last half of the inning to take a 3-0 edge. Junior Nate Pajka led off the inning with a stand-up double into right center. After first-year Brendan Fox moved Pajka to third with a ground out, Pajka scored on Goldberg’s second wild pitch of the game.

Reynolds faced just four batters in the top of the fifth before the Bobcats plated a pair of runs in the bottom of the frame to stake themselves to their 5-0 lead. After Hyde walked and Jackson singled to set the table, Tewksbury laced his double into left field which rolled into the corner, giving both Hyde and Jackson the chance to round the bases.

Reynolds stymied the Mules the rest of the way, facing just 14 batters over the last four innings. The Bobcat defense backed its starter throughout the day with sophomore third baseman Conor Reenstierna  fielding a bouncing ball and firing to first to record the final out.

USM sweeps Keene State

KEENE, N.H. —  The University of Southern Maine bats came alive Friday afternoon for 31 hits as the Huskies swept the Keene State College Owls in a Little East Conference baseball doubleheader at the Owl Athletic Complex, 13-1 in seven innings and 8-3.

The sweep lifts the Huskies’ record to 26-8 overall and 11-1 in conference play. The Owls fall to 8-18 overall and 2-10 in LEC action. The doubleheader was originally scheduled to be play Saturday, but was move up a day due to the poor weather forecast for the weekend.

In the opening game, sophomore Sam Dexter (Oakland, Maine/Messalonskee) went 4 for 5 with a double and home run to lead a 17-hit assault. The game was stopped after seven innings on the 10-run rule. Senior Matt Verrier (Norway, Maine/Oxford Hills) went 4 for 5 with two doubles, a home run and five RBI as the Huskies took the nightcap.

Game One

The Huskies pounded four KSC hurlers for 17 hits in the shortened game. Sophomore Nick DiBiase (Portland, Maine/Deering) had a double and two singles, and rookie Paul McDonough (Wells, Maine) and seniors John Carey (South Portland, Maine) and Troy Thibodeau (Danvers, Mass./New Hampton) each had a pair of hits.

Sophomore southpaw Tyler Leavitt (North Andover, Mass.) was the beneficiary of the offensive support earning his seventh win of the season against one loss. Leavitt went 6.1 innings allowing only the one run on two hits and three walks while fanning four. Leavitt and junior reliever Dylan Morris (Bangor, Maine) combined to limit the Owls to just three singles.

Senior right-hander Shawn Egan (East Hartford, Conn./East Catholic) went the first five innings on the mound for the Owls and took the loss. Egan allowed six runs (five earned) on eight hits and two walks. He struck out two.

Bowdoin 4, Tufts 3

BRUNSWICK —  Senior John Lefeber laced a single to right field in the 12th inning to lift Bowdoin to a 4-3 win over 13th-ranked Tufts on Friday at Pickard Field.

Lefeber also had four hits and earned the win in relief for the Polar Bears, who improve to 17-11-1 (5-5 NESCAC). Tufts drops just its third game of the season and falls to 25-3 (6-2 NESCAC).

Tufts starter Kyle Slinger got out of a pair of early jams before the Polar Bears were able to get to him in the bottom of the fourth. After Lefeber singled and moved to third base on a pair of wild pitches, Eric Jacobsen singled him home to give the hosts a 1-0 lead. Bowdoin doubled its lead in the sixth frame when Lefeber doubled to center, advanced to third on a wild pitch and came home on a balk.

Bowdoin’s Henry Van Zant cruised until the eighth inning when the Jumbos pieced together a game-tying rally. After a pair of walks and a sacrifice bunt by Connor McDavitt moved runners to second and third, James Howard singled to center to bring home Oscar Kutch. Reliever Jon Fraser gave up a sacrifice fly to Wade Hauser to tie the game, but escaped further damage as the game entered extra innings tied at 2-2.

Tufts took the lead in the top of the 11th when they loaded the bases on a hit-batsman, an error and an intentional walk. After Jacobsen cut down a runner at home for the first out of the inning, Matt Moser lofted a sacrifice fly to center to give the Jumbos a 3-2 edge.

Bowdoin was able to knot the game in the bottom of the frame when – again – Lefeber sparked a rally with a lead off single and moved to second on a sac bunt. After a grounder to first moved him to third base, Eric Jacobsen tapped a roller up the middle and beat the throw to first, allowing Lefeber to come home with the game-tying run.

Lefeber came into pitch in the 12th and stranded a pair of runners to push the game into the bottom of the 12th. Tom Wells started the game-winning rally with a one-out single and pinch-runner Matt Savard advanced to third when Chad Martin singled to right. With two outs and runners on first and third, Lefeber slapped his fourth hit of the day through the hole between first and second to bring home Savard with the walk-off run.