Baseball Takes Two at Becker

LEICESTER, Mass. - Becker College was swept by Mitchell College in a New England Collegiate Conference baseball doubleheader on Saturday afternoon, losing game one 9-2 and dropping the nightcap 17-12 in nine innings.

In game one, the Hawks put a run on the board in the first inning without recording a hit.  Weston Meehan reached base on an error and eventually scored when Austin Phillips pushed him across with a sacrifice fly to right field, giving Becker a 1-0 lead.

Mitchell tied the game at 1-1 in the top of the fourth inning when senior Ethan Graynor singled to left field, driving in freshman Evan Peck from third base. 

The Hawks took the lead with a run in the bottom of the fourth inning. Austin Phillips drove in Tom Natoli with an RBI single, giving Becker a 2-1 advantage.

Sloppy defense by the Hawks in the top of the sixth allowed the Mariners to post runs on board, putting Becker in a 5-2 hole. The Mariners put the game out of reach in the top of the seventh when they scored four more times. Junior Tyler Shultis took advantage of a pinch hit opportunity by singling to left field with the bases loaded, plating freshman Rafael Garcia and Peck. Senior Tommy Derosier drove in two more runs with a single to center field, giving Mitchell the 9-2 lead.

Becker starting pitcher Jeff DiLorenzo took the loss despite allowing just one earned run in 5.2 innings pitched. Freshman Justin Lemanski earned the win after going the distance for the Mariners, allowing one earned run on six hits.

In the nightcap, there were a total of 29 runs scored on a whopping 34 hits in an extra-inning thriller. The Hawks were able to overcome a five run deficit in the bottom of the seventh inning. In the end, the Hawks couldn't overcome a six-run Mitchell outburst in the top of the ninth inning as Becker College fell 17-12.

Mitchell got the scoring started right out of the gate as junior catcher Will Charkowsky singled in freshman Gavin LaLima with the first run of the ballgame. 

Becker quickly tied the game at 1-1 in the bottom of the first after some gutsy play calling from the Hawks coaching staff. With two outs, the Hawks pulled off a double steal with runners on first and third as catcher Todd Tompkins stole second and Mike Smith stole home. Weston Meehan followed with a single through the right side, driving in Tompkins from second, giving Becker a 2-1 lead. The single by Meehan moved him into third place in career hits at Becker College with 132.

In the top of the second the Mariners put three runs on the board. Graynor made his way around the bases without recording a hit, scoring the tying run on a wild pitch. After freshman Jose Caraballo earned a walk, classmate Drew Doyle roped a triple into the left-center field gap, giving the Mariners a 3-2 lead. Doyle quickly scored on another wild pitch, giving Mitchell a 4-2 advantage.

The Hawks chipped away at the Mariners lead with one run in the bottom of the second inning when D.J. Reed scored from third on a fielder's choice.

Mitchell kept its foot on the gas in the top of the third inning, scoring five runs off of Becker relief pitcher Joe Spero. With two men in scoring position, Graynor drove in both runners with a single to center field, extending the Mariners lead to 6-3. Derosier then singled in Graynor with the Mariners' seventh run. A sacrifice fly by LaLima and an RBI single by freshman Nick Carlson gave Mitchell a commanding 9-3 lead after just three innings.

The Hawks had a golden opportunity to get back into the game in the bottom of the fourth when they loaded the bases with no outs. The Mariners got Tompkins to ground into another double play, conceding D.J. Reed to score from third. Tom Natoli made it a productive inning for the Hawks when he singled, sending Joe Corey home from third base, cutting the deficit to 9-5.

An RBI single by none other than Graynor in the top of the sixth gave Mitchell a 10-5 lead.

Becker started its seventh inning rally when Tompkins blasted a 1-0 pitch over the left field fence, making the score 10-6. Back-to-back doubles by Natoli and Meehan narrowed the deficit to 10-7. After Tony D'Addio earned a walk, shortstop Mike Marcello followed with a single to right field, scoring pinch runner Keon Jenkins. Sloppy defense from Mitchell would allow D'Addio to score on an error. Joe Corey picked up the RBI that tied the game after reaching base on another error, allowing pinch runner Rasheen Green to score from third base, making the score 10-10. 

Mitchell was able to push a run across with two outs in the top of the eighth inning when Lemanski drove in Charkowsky with a single to the shortstop, putting the Mariners back on top 11-10.

Jenkins was hit by a pitch to start the eighth inning for the Hawks. When Austin Phillips laid down a sacrifice bunt, Jenkins not only advanced to second, but aggressively advanced to third on the throw to first. When the Mariners realized what Jenkins was doing, they attempted to throw him out at third, but the throw sailed out of play, allowing him to score the tying run.

Tied at 11-11, Mitchell put the game out of reach when it scored six times in the top of the ninth inning, giving the Mariners sole possession of first place in the NECC.

Carlson was credited with the win after pitching an 1.2 innings of relief. Phillips took the loss after allowing six runs in two innings of work. The sweep lifts the Mariners to 5-9 overall and 4-1 in the NECC. Becker falls to 9-9 overall and 5-3 in the NECC.

The two teams will complete their three-game series tomorrow afternoon in New London, Connecticut. First pitch is scheduled for noon.