Mule Weekly Recap May 9, 2022

Baseball Wins First NESCAC Playoff Games in Program History, Advances

The Mules entered the weekend series against Wesleyan not only making history with its first tournament appearance since NESCAC began its conference postseason in 2001, but Colby had its sights set on leaving a mark in 2022.

Playing without their most potent bat for the last 10 games, the Mules were glad to get Cabot Maher back into their lineup. The senior made an impact in his very first at-bat, sending a Cardinal offering over the right-centerfield fence to put the Mules on top 2-0. Colby tacked on another seven runs in the bottom of the 2nd, highlighted by Cole Palmeri's 8th home run of the year, this one of the grand variety.

Wesleyan was able to work their way back into the game, chipping away with runs in the 3rd, 4th, and 5th innings. Jack Pletter settled down the Cardinals bats, hurling 7 innings of one-run baseball in relief, and forcing extra innings. Coming to the plate in the bottom of the 11th inning, Maher sent the first pitch he saw over the fence for the walk-off victory 10-9, the first NESCAC playoff win in program history.

Carrying momentum into the second game, Colby scored early and often en route to a 10-1 win and a series sweep, advancing to the conference semifinal round.

Colby next faces Hamilton College Friday at 2:30. The remaining rounds are double elimination and can be streamed by NSNSports at the link below.

Women's Lacrosse Falls to Eventual Champion Tufts

The Colby Women's Lacrosse team entered the NESCAC Semifinals with a target to bring home another conference crown. The level of competition in the NESCAC is unparalleled anywhere in the nation, as seven teams within the conference appear in the top-20 rankings for Division III.

Facing off against Tufts Saturday afternoon, the Jumbos built out an early lead, jumping in front 4-1 early in the second quarter. Colby was able to pull back within one at the break, and carried its momentum into the third quarter to leap in front 7-5.

Tufts turned their focus to draw controls, possession, and selective shots, and scoring the final five goals of the contest, they advanced to the conference finals by a score of 10-7. Tufts would end up earning their second consecutive NESCAC Championship by defeating #1 Middlebury Sunday 9-8.

Despite the loss in conference play, the Mules' spectacular season will continue this coming weekend when they host the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament. Colby will face off Sunday against the winner of Springfield (13-5) and Merchant Marine (13-2). Game time is set for 1:00pm and can be streamed on NSNSports at the link below.

Softball Falls to Middlebury, Leave Mark With 19 Wins

Making its first NESCAC tournament appearance since 2003, the Colby Softball team entered the single elimination event targeting the Panthers of Middlebury.

The Panthers were able to jump out to an early lead, plating a pair of runs in the first and adding another in the second. Colby responded in the top of the third inning when Amanda Cabral pushed across Colby's first run of the day. After three innings, the Mules were going toe-to-toe with the Panthers, with both lineups producing four hits apiece.

In the bottom of the fourth inning, Middlebury extended their lead off a grand slam by Noelle Ruschil.

Colby added a run in the seventh inning after Jackie Hill ripped a double to right field, scoring Logan Luebbe, but Middlebury was able to induce the final out to take the victory 7-2, advancing to the semifinal round. Colby totaled eight hits on the day, with Cabral and Hill leading the way with two hits apiece. Abby Orso and Sam Ahlholm combined to strike out five Panthers.

The Softball team concludes their impressive 19-win season, totaling the most victories this century and the first winning season since the 2009 team went 18-11.

Track & Field Competes at D3 New England Championships

Colby traveled to Williams College for the Division III New England Championships this weekend. After boasting two conference champions a week ago (Tanner Burton 100 Hurdles, Men's 4x100 Relay team), the Mules pushed across two more individuals into All-New England Status. The top three in each event claim the honors, and Fiona Mejico (400 Hurdles) and Sharde Johnson (High Jump) paced the selections.

TOP RESULTS:

• Sharde Johnson, High Jump, 2nd
• Fiona Mejico, 400IH, 2nd
• Mary Calvert, Pole Vault, 5th
• Peter Martel, Pole Vault, 5th
• Liam Carcich, Steeplechase, 9th
• Erin Daugherty, 100HH, 9th
• Meredith Griffin, 10k, 10th

The Mules have one more shot next weekend in Smithfield, R.I. to post qualifying marks for the NCAA Championships. With an always shifting ranking list, the qualification mark is up in the air all the way through the last meet.

Tennis Competes in NESCAC Tournament

Entering the conference tournament as the 7th seed for both genders, the Mules traveled to Middletown, Conn. to face off against some of the region's best in the first round of NESCAC play.

Both squads fell in the first round, with the men falling to Tufts 5-1 and the women falling to Middlebury 5-0. The doubles tandem of Jan Wenger and James Bogdanovic earned a point for the Mules with an 8-6 victory.

The men and women conclude their regular season and await news of potential NCAA opportunities later this week.

Crew Closes Out Season at National Invitational Rowing Championships

The Men's and Women's Crew team returned to Worcester for one final meet of the 2022 season. The meet also classifies as the NESCAC Championship.

The Women's Varsity 8 finished in 12th place out of the 20 competing boats. Against NESCAC opponents, the Mules ranked 7th.

Down several members due to illness for the second straight week, the men's squad shifted their competition from the 8-seated vessel to the 4, and made quite the transition. Racing in a field of 11 boats, the Mules came in second behind only Marist College. Finishing ahead of Bates and Trinity, Colby had the fastest MV4 in the NESCAC.