Mitchell Edges Elms in NECC Opener

HOLYOKE, Mass. - The Mitchell College baseball team came away with a 3-1 victory in its NECC opener at Elms College on Thursday night at MacKenzie Field.

The Mariners improved to 6-5 overall with their fifth straight win. Senior Andrew Langlais took the ball for Mitchell and turned in a complete-game performance, allowing one run on six hits through nine innings. The loss dropped Elms to 4-10 on the season

Elms’ Matt Wood and Langlais each started the game by putting up five scoreless innings. Junior Jeff Perillo hit a two-out double to start a sixth-inning rally for the Mariners. Perillo then came full circle on sophomore Ethan Graynor’s RBI single giving Mitchell a 1-0 lead. Junior John McGarry then capped off the three-run sixth inning by hitting a two-run home run over the right field wall.

The Blazers opened their half of the inning with a triple off the bat of Stephen Fisher, who then raced home on Andrew Kravontka’s RBI sacrifice fly to cut the Mariners lead to 3-1. Mike Andrews later reached second base on a two-out error, but Elms failed to drive in the run.

Following the error, Langlais retired 10 of the final 11 batters to earn the complete game victory. He tossed seven strikeouts and recorded his first win of the season.

Wood hurled the first seven innings for the Blazers, fanning four batters in the loss. He moved to 2-2 on the year. Nick Cordeiro entered in relief and pitched two scoreless innings.

With one out in the top of the third inning freshman Connor Rochefort hit a line drive to right field that appeared to be falling in for a hit before Albert Betances made a diving catch to keep the Mariners off the base paths.

Elms received offensive support from Fisher and Carmino Bonavita who each had a pair of hits in the losing effort.

Mitchell received a large contribution from Perillo who went 3-for-4 at the plate with a run scored, while McGarry added two hits and two RBI in the winning effort. The Mariners also received multi-hit games from Langlais and Graynor.

The two teams will meet again on Saturday, April 3 in New London, Conn. The first game of the scheduled doubleheader is set to begin at noon.