Baseball Takes Two at Elms

HOLYOKE, Mass. – The Mitchell College baseball team won its series against Elms College by taking both games of Saturday's doubleheader, triumphing 7-6 and 3-1 in New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) action at MacKenzie Stadium.

With the losses, Elms moved to 8-13 overall and 4-5 in NECC action. Mitchell improved to 15-11-1 on the season and 9-6 in league play. 

Mitchell returns to action at Lesley University on Saturday, April 26 at 1 p.m.

Game One: Mitchell 7, Elms 6

In game one, Mitchell struck for two in the top of the first inning on the strength of an RBI single off the bat of junior Evan Peck and a run-scoring groundout by classmate Rafael Garcia to give the Mariners a 2-0 lead. 

In the top of the second, senior Marc Dorsi laced a two-run double down the left field line, and then scored when Peck reached on an error to give Mitchell at 5-0 lead.

The Mariners added another tally in the top of the fourth when senior Kenneth Olszewski connected for a sacrifice fly to set the score at 6-0.

Elms answered in the bottom of the fourth when Zach Dreher singled, advanced to second on a walk to Sam Farnsworth and then advanced to third on a wild pitch. A free pass issued to Geoff Frost loaded the bases before Jordan Zima earned a walk to drive in the Blazers' first run of the game. A two-run single by Alex King cut the deficit in half (6-3) before Mitchell starting pitcher Al Jordan Johnson got out of the jam with a double play and a strikeout.

The Blazers continued to chip away in the bottom of the fifth when Brady Forrest reached on an error to start the inning and advanced to second, before scoring following the Mariners' second miscue of the stanza. Frost then delivered a RBI single and two runs came home to knot the game at 6-6.

After a scoreless sixth inning, sophomore Neftali Arroyo walked, classmate Nova Crespo hit a single through the left side, senior Will Charkowski sacrificed both runners into scoring position and junior Blaze Iannetti notched a RBI groundout to give Mitchell a 7-6 lead. 

Senior Mike Tandy, who entered in relief in the fifth frame, used a crucial double play with one out in the bottom of the seventh to preserve the win for the Mariners. 

Dreher, who was 3-for-4, and King, who was 2-for-3 in the game, both recorded the 100th hits of their career in the losing effort for the Blazers. 

Elms reliever Sean Sinnott, who pitched the final two frames for starter Curtis LeBeau, suffered the loss. 

Crespo was 3-for-4 for Mitchell while Dorsi had two hits in the winning effort. 

Game Two: Mitchell 3, Elms 1

Game two saw Mitchell starting pitcher Tyler Shamas and Elms starting pitcher Andrew Sadowski combine to pitch three scoreless innings of baseball before the Mariners pushed across three in the top of the fourth inning.

Crespo reached on an infield error and advanced to second on a walk to Arroyo before Charkowsky singled him in with the first run of the game. A two-out walk to Iannetti loaded the bases for junior Gavin LaLima, who ripped a two-run single to right field before Sadowski forced an inning-ending groundout to keep the score set at 3-0 in favor of Mitchell.

Shamas held Elms scoreless through the fifth and sixth innings, while Sadowski pitched a scoreless fifth and reliever Brian Langdon tossed a shutout sixth and seventh frames. 

The Blazers threatened in the bottom of the seventh when King reached on a one-out error, raced to second on a wild pitch and then scored on a RBI groundout off the bat of Aedin Wadja to set the score at 3-1. Shamas was able to end the game on a foul out to the first baseman to pick up his sixth win of the season. 

Forrest had two of the Blazers' three hits in the game, while Sadowski, who also limited the Mariners to three hits, suffered the loss on the hill for Elms.