Baseball Splits in Slugfest with Manhattanville

FORT PIERCE, Fla. – The Mitchell College baseball team ended its spring trip with a split against Manhattanville College on Monday afternoon, falling 18-10 in the first game before winning 13-12 in the second.

Mitchell trailed 1-0 in the second game before sending 12 batters to the plate in the fourth inning, coming away with eight runs on six hits. Freshman Taylor Grabill highlighted the rally with a grand slam while junior Jeff Perillo had both a double and triple in the frame and drove in two runs. Senior Andrew Langlais and freshman Connor Rochefort each added RBI singles to round out the scoring.

Manhattanville wasted little time getting back into the game, plating eight runs in the fifth to take a 9-8 lead. The Valiants knocked Paul Martinez out of the game with the barrage. He threw 4.1 innings and allowed eight earned runs on seven hits while walking seven.

Manhattanville added two more runs in the sixth to go up 11-8. The Mariners responded by scoring five runs in the sixth—all with two outs—to regain the lead. Sophomore Ethan Graynor got things started with a bases-loaded single that plated two. After a pair of walks forced in another run, freshman Eric Pesino followed with a single up the middle to score the tying and go-ahead runs.

Graynor, who replaced Martinez on the mound, made the margin stand in the seventh. The Valiants scored a run to cut the deficit to 13-12 and then loaded the bases with two outs, but Graynor ended the game with a strikeout to preserve the victory. He worked 2.2 innings and allowed three earned runs on three hits to earn the first win of his career.

Every Mitchell player scored a run in the contest and five finished with two or more runs batted in. The Mariners made the most of their nine hits, leaving only four runners on base the entire game.

In the day’s first game, the Mariners led 4-0 until Manhattanville tied the score in the third. The game was back-and-forth until the Valiants broke it open with a six-run fifth and then sealed the win with seven runs in the sixth. Perillo led the way for Mitchell with a 3-for-4 effort at the plate. He fell a double short of the cycle and drove in three runs. Langlais went 2-for-4 with a RBI and two doubles while Graynor went 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI. Martinez also pounded out two hits, including a solo homer.

Mitchell will next play its home opener against Lyndon State College on Saturday, March 27. The first game of the scheduled doubleheader will begin at 2 p.m.