MEDFORD, Mass. – Tufts University's James Henshon's solo home run in the bottom of the eighth lifted the Jumbos to a 7-6 win over the Hamilton College Continentals in game one of a three-game 2026 NESCAC Baseball Championship quarterfinal series at Tufts' Sol Gittleman Park on Friday, May 1.
Season Update
- Hamilton (15-17 overall) earned the fourth seed in the NESCAC West Division. The Continentals are at Tufts in the quarterfinals for the second time in the last three seasons.
- Tufts (26-9), which tied for first place in the NESCAC East Division standings, won seven of its final eight division games.
How It Happened
- Tufts' Tom Pender and Jesse McCullough drove in two runs apiece with singles in the bottom of the second and the Jumbos jumped out to a 4-0 lead.
- Tufts added two runs in the third and extended its lead to 6-0. William Rickens '29 entered the game with two runners on in the third and limited the damage by retiring two of the next three batters.
- Edo Spadaccini '26 ripped a two-out single to left field for the Continentals in the top of the fourth. Ethan Righter '27 hammered a double to left center during the next at bat and Spadaccini scored all the way from first for Hamilton's first run.
- Andrew Millington '28 tossed scoreless frames in the fourth and fifth, and Chester Boynton '27 led off the top of the sixth with a home run to left field and trimmed Hamilton's deficit to 6-2.
- Three Hamilton players were hit by a pitch with two outs in the top of the seventh, and Righter drove in Boynton and Noa Oyadomari '29 with a base hit. Alfonso Rada '27 delivered a two-run single during the next at bat and tied the score at 6-6.
- Henshon lifted a solo home run over the left field wall with one out in the bottom of the eighth and put the Jumbos back in front, 7-6.
Notes
- Righter finished 3-for-4 with one walk, one run and a season high-tying three runs batted in.
- Rada recorded a career high-tying three hits with two runs batted in.
- Gianni DiCerbo '27 added two hits, while Boynton and Spadaccini scored two runs apiece.
- Boynton's home run was his second of the season and the third of his Hamilton career.
- TJ Takis '26 pitched one scoreless inning in relief for the Continentals.
- Derek Desmarais collected the win for Tufts after recording three strikeouts with zero hits and zero runs allowed over the final two innings.
- Pender registered a team-high three runs batted in for Tufts.
Next Game
Hamilton and Tufts play game two of the series on Saturday at 11 a.m. Game three will be played 30 minutes following the conclusion of game two, if necessary.
