Baseball | 3/19/2014 8:35:00 PM

Box Score FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. -- Tufts University pounded out 20 base hits en route to a 14-1 win over the Methodist baseball team on Wednesday afternoon at Armstrong-Shelley Field.
 
The Jumbos' (6-0) 20 hits, of which 14 were singles, came off eight different MU (13-6) pitchers, and Tufts scored in six different innings in remaining undefeated.
 
Tufts jumped on MU starter Daniel Royer, scoring three runs in the first inning as Royer lasted just 0.2 innings. Connor McDavitt led off the game with a single and then stole second. Oscar Kutch followed with a single to left that moved McDavitt to third, and Wade Hauser drove in the game's first run with a single to center. Bryan Egan made it 2-0 with a single through the right side, and Mike Barry's RBI fielder's choice put TU ahead 3-0. A popup off the bat of Matt Moser provided the second out of the inning, and following a walk to James Howard, Josh Clarke replaced Royer with two down and two on. He worked around a walk to Nick Custumpas before getting Speros Verinos to fly out to end the inning.
 
After a scoreless second, Tufts added three more runs in the third, including RBI doubles by McDavitt and Custumpas, to take a 6-0 lead. Another Jumbo run in the fourth made it 7-0, before MU scored its lone run of the game in the bottom of the frame. With one out, Cody Molosky singled and Matt Jack followed with a single of his own. With two men on, Lucas Scott singled to drive in Molosky and make it a 7-1 game.
 
While Tufts added runs in the fifth, seventh, and ninth innings, MU managed just two hits the remainder of the game against a Jumbo pitching staff that entered the day with a team ERA of 2.62. Christian Sbily (2-0) picked up the win for Tufts, allowing one run on seven hits and four walks with five strikeouts in 7.0 innings. Royer took the loss for MU to fall to 0-1 on the season. He finished with three runs allowed on four hits and a walk in 0.2 innings of work.
 
Steven Kirby was 2-for-4 with a stolen base to lead the Monarchs. Stephen Nalls and Ray Lanners were both 1-for-3 with a walk, and Molosky finished 1-for-2 with a run scored.
 
For Tufts, Howard, Hauser and McDavitt each had three base hits. Hauser and Moser drove in a pair of runs each, and Custumpas finished 2-for-4 with four RBI anda pair of runs scored.
 
Methodist hits the road this weekend for a three-game set at Ferrum, beginning with a doubleheader on Saturday. First pitch is slated for 1:00 pm.