WATERVILLE, Maine - Despite being no-hit for five innings, Bowdoin College took advantage of four walks, a hit batter, and a costly error to score four runs in the fifth inning on the way to a 6-1 win over Colby College in New England Small College Athletic Conference East Division baseball Friday at Coombs Field.
 
Bowdoin improves to 16-11 overall and 4-3 in the NESCAC East, while Colby falls to 12-13 overall and 2-5 in the conference. The two teams play a doubleheader Saturday at noon at Bowdoin.
 
The pitchers were the story for much of the first five innings. Bowdoin's Oliver Van Zant pitched a complete game two-hittter, striking out 11 and walking just one. Colby's Nathanael Sugarbaker was cruising along with a no-hitter in 4 2/3 innings of work and had nine strikeouts and a 1-0 lead heading into the top of the fifth inning.
 
Sugarbaker easily got the first two outs of the fifth inning, but then lost his control with three straight walks, a hit batter, and then another walk to help the Polar Bears score two runs and take the lead. The Mules nearly got of the inning with just that damage, but a costly fielding error helped Bowdoin score two more runs for a 4-1 margin. Connor Sullivan came in for Colby and got the last out of the fifth inning.
 
Bowdoin's Buddy Shea had his team's first hit of the game with a one-out single to right field in the sixth inning. A costly throwing error moved Shea to third base and he scored on an RBI ground out by Kyle LeBlanc for a 5-1 lead.
 
Bowdoin's Jordan Edgett singled to lead off the seventh inning, moved to second on a passed ball, took third on a Colby throwing error, and scored on an RBI single by Luke Regan.
 
Colby took a 1-0 lead in the third inning on a leadoff double by Brandon Nieuw, who moved to third on a ground out, and scored on a wild pitch.

Edgett finished with one of Bowdoin's three hits and scored twice. Shea and Regan had the only other hits for the Polar Bears.