Sophomore third baseman Tanner Evans drove in three runs with a two-out double in the seventh inning as the Husson University Eagles rallied for a 5-2 victory over Tufts in an elimination game at the NCAA Division III baseball regional in New London, Connecticut on Sunday.
Fourth seed Husson, now 25-18, will play the loser of the noon winner’s bracket game between top seed Wheaton and No. 3 Mitchell College, the host school, later Sunday afternoon. Wheaton (Mass.) had beaten Husson 11-3 on Friday while Mitchell rallied past Tufts 6-5. Saturday’s games were postponed due to rain.
Husson trailed 2-1 entering the seventh but Hunter Curtis and David York started the rally by drawing walks. Aidan Tucker then came on in relief of Tufts starter Connor Kinney and sandwiched two outs around a Colin Marshall infield hit.
Evans then delivered his game-winning double over the right fielder’s head and Jackson Curtis capped the rally by singling home Evans.
The NESCAC champion Jumbos, who wound up 31-11, took a 2-0 lead in the third inning. Connor Flavin and Jesse McCullough singled, they moved up on a balk and scored on Jimmy Evans’ sacrifice fly and Connor Bowman’s RBI single.
But Husson got one back in the bottom of the third on a Ty Knowlton double and singles by Evans and Jackson Curtis.
Junior righthander Alex Smith, now 3-3, picked up the win for Husson with 1 2/3 innings of one-hit shutout relief. Ryan Robb earned his fourth save as he pitched a scoreless ninth, allowing one hit and striking out two.
Connor Abood started the game and allowed two runs on eight hits over 6 1/2 innings with three strikeouts and two walks.
Junior first baseman Jackson Curtis of Ellsworth had three singles and two RBIs for Husson while Greenbush’s Evans had a double and a single and knocked in three. McCullough, Ben Leonard and Patrick Solomon each had two singles for Tufts.
Kinney, who allowed four hits and three runs in six innings with two walks and six strikeouts, absorbed the loss.