Baseball Loses to La Roche in Season Opener

FORT PIERCE, Fla. – The Mitchell College baseball team opened the 2010 season on Thursday with a pair of losses to La Roche College, falling 12-3 in the first game and 12-4 in the second.

Junior Jeff Perillo led the Mitchell offense on the day, going 3-for-7 with a double and three RBI. Sophomore Ethan Graynor added two hits and drove in a pair of runs while freshman Connor Rochefort also finished with two hits in his collegiate debut.

In the first game, La Roche scored four runs in the second inning and two more in the third to vault out to a 6-0 advantage. The Mariners finally got on the scoreboard in the fourth, with Perillo and junior John McGarry drawing walks to start the frame. Graynor then doubled home a run and sophomore Jason Dezotell later drove in another as Mitchell closed the gap to 6-2.

The Redhawks answered with two more runs in the bottom of the fourth and added three in the fifth and one in the sixth to seal the victory. Pitcher Addison Schereth went the distance for La Roche and gave up three runs on six hits while striking out and walking five. Junior Paul Martinez got the starting nod for the Mariners and yielded seven earned runs on 10 hits while striking out five in four innings of work.

In the second game, La Roche scored twice in the top of the first to jump out to the early lead. Mitchell pulled even in the bottom half of the frame behind a double from Perillo that plated two runs. After the Redhawks opened up an 8-2 lead by the middle of the fifth, the Mariners got back-to-back RBI singles from Graynor and senior Jared Bishop to cut the deficit to four. However, Mitchell managed only one more hit over the final two innings , and La Roche put the game out of reach with a four-run seventh.

Senior Andrew Langlais made the start on the hill and threw five innings, allowing eight runs on 12 hits and striking out three. Grabill, Perillo and Rochefort each finished with two hits in the game.

Mitchell will be back in action on Friday in a doubleheader against Ursinus College. The first game gets underway at 10 a.m.