BOSTON, Mass. – Playing in their second game of the home-and-home series with Tufts University on Wednesday night, UMass Boston Baseball fell to the Jumbos, 3-1, in a pitchers' duel between the two Boston area squads. This is the third loss for the Beacons in their last four games after starting the season 14-6.
 
THE BASICS
 
UMass Boston 1, Tufts University 3
 
UMass Boston (15-9)
Tufts University (14-6)
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Through the first three innings of play, the pitching staffs would walk a combined total of nine batters and hit another three batters, while the offense for both sides left a total of 12 runners on base. Those numbers would still allow Tufts to get on the board first against freshman pitcher Ethan Hunt as an RBI single from freshman infielder Jesse McCullough and senior outfielder Jimmy Evans' hit by pitch gave the Jumbos a 2-0 lead with the bases loaded and two outs. Hunt would retire the side by getting senior outfielder Connor Flavin to fly out to end the frame.

Flavin would end up being the catalyst behind the third and final run of the evening for Tufts as his fourth-inning RBI double gave the Jumbos a 3-0 edge. Freshman outfielder Justin Gouveia would get UMass Boston on the scoreboard with an infield RBI single in the bottom half of the inning against junior pitcher Silas Reed, cutting the Beacon deficit to two runs, 3-1.

The Beacons would have a chance to tie or take the lead in the sixth inning, putting runners on second and third with one out but Reed would work out of trouble by getting junior outfielder Luke Leavitt and Gouveia to strike out between a walk issued to junior infielder Bostyn Burris which loaded the bases.

Reed would end up going six innings out of the bullpen, allowing one run (unearned) on four hits while striking out 13 batters, before the Jumbos would go to pen again with junior pitchers Justin Wells and Liam Wilson shutting down the Beacon offense in the final two innings, allowing one hit while striking out three batters to secure the 3-1 victory for Tufts over UMass Boston.
 
BY THE NUMBERS

• UMass Boston got only 10 runners on bases with five reaching by hits, three via walk, and two by way of hit by pitch
• As a team, Tufts recorded 17 strikeouts out of the 27 recorded outs against UMass Boston
• UMass Boston has lost three consecutive matchups to Tufts dating back to the 2022 season, their last win came during the 2010 season
• The UMass Boston pitching staff recorded 10 strikeouts and eight walks along with four hit batters

WHO'S NEXT
UMass Boston schedule will pick back up on Saturday with Little East Conference play against Keene State College on the road for a doubleheader which has game one set to start at noon. The Beacons have won 16 consecutive games against the Owls dating back to 2014, including a pair of seven-inning victories last year at home, 18-6 and 10-0.