Six games on the diamond for Colby Athletics

Friday and Saturday, April 15 and 16, featured a series of baseball and softball games. Colby Softball went toe to toe with the Tufts Jumbos, taking one game of their three game series. Colby Baseball swept their series with the Bates Bobcats, winning all three of their games.

Hosting the whole series, Softball began play with a Friday afternoon double header. The Tuft Jumbos had been undefeated since 2006 against the Mules, but they were shutout on the first game of the day. Colby jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the first inning and defended well after that. 

Red-hot Abby Orso ’24 dominated on the mound, striking out eleven batters while only allowing one hit.  Amanda Cabral ’23, Chloe Wilcox ’24, and Hannah Masterson ’24 all pulled in runs, while Jackie Hill ’23 had two RBIs. The Mules won 3-0, the first of Colby’s shutout over the Jumbos since the NESCAC started conference play in 2001.

In the second game, the Jumbos bounced back, and the Mules fell 2-7. Sam Ahlholm ’23 pitched a strong seven inning and struck out five batters, but the Tufts offense was too much. Tufts took control in the early innings with runners on base and continued to put pressure on the Mules defense all throughout. In the fifth and sixth innings the Mules played extremely well on the mound and at bat, but their efforts weren’t enough. The Jumbos played with discipline, high intensity and used their energy to propel them to victory.

The Mules fell in the third game as well. Both teams got off to a slow start with slow with no run discord until the sixth inning where the Jumbos scored two runs. The Mules had four hits in the game, two from Morgan Fusco ’25, and one hit a piece for Cabral and Hill. Orso’s solid play earned her a 1.64 run average on the season, ranked fourth in the NESCAC. 

Colby Softball plays again on Monday, April 18, for another double header against the University of Southern Maine in Portland, Maine at 3:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m.

Colby Baseball opened their series on the road against rivals Bates, winning big, 15-4. The Mules were focused and looking to avenge themselves after their last loss against the University of Southern Maine in only five innings.

Colby pitching was fantastic on the day. Julian Erro ’23 got the win, pitching a spectacular five innings. He allowed three earned runs on seven hits. Ryan Grecco ’25 pitched three shutout innings, allowing only four hits. And, finally, Howell Eglin ’23 pitched an inning, allowing one run on one hit. 

At the bat, Cabot Maher ’22 led the team in hits with three, scoring three runs and batting in another. Clint Flippo ’25, Patrick McConnel ’24, and Charlie Furlong ’23 all had two hits and contributed greatly on offense.

The Mules were on fire in the third and seventh innings, combining for nine of their fifteen runs in these outings.

Riding on the momentum from Friday’s win, Colby Baseball hosted the next two games as a double header, completing the three game streak. Jack Bohrer ’25 got the start and the win in the first game, improving to 3-1 in his college career. Jack pitched four shutout innings and allowed only one hit. John Doyle ’22 closed out the last three innings of the game, allowing no hits or runs. 

The Mules held the Bobcats to one hit in the entire game. Colby scored nine runs on ten hits and nine RBIs. Right fielder Marcus Forrester ’24 led the team in hits with three in four at bats.

The last game of the series was a low scoring contest. Nicholas Thompson ’24 got the start and the win, improving to 2-1 on the year. Thompson pitched seven innings, not allowing Bates batters to get into rhythm. He only gave up a run on three hits.

This time, Brady O’Brien ’24 led the team in hits with three, while also batting in two runs. The remaining three hits of six for the Mules came from Patrick McConnell ’24, Forrester, and Matthew Panker ’23. Forrester had an RBI as well. Compared to the other games in the series, this win was credited to the Mules defense. They held Bates to their lowest score and the offense did enough to close the deal.

Colby continues their strong season improving to 16-6, 7-1 at home while Bates falls to 2-15 on the road.

Colby Baseball plays next when they travel to Orono, Maine to take on the University of Maine on Tuesday, April 19 at 5:00 p.m.

~ Julian Cangieter-Hernandez `25