Baseball Stumbles in Seventh, Drops Series Finale at SVC

BENNINGTON, Vt. — A rough seventh inning was the root of a 13-9 loss as the Mitchell College baseball team suffered its first conference setback of the season on Wednesday afternoon at Southern Vermont College.

The Mountaineers trailed 9-4 heading into the bottom of the seventh but struck for eight runs to pull ahead. SVC (4-11 overall, 1-2 NECC) held on to salvage the final game of the three-game series and earned its first leage win of the season.

The Mountaineers were led offensively by a 4-for-5 performance from John Arancio, who scored three times and knocked in two runs. He also tagged an insurance homer, his first of the year, in the eighth to pad SVC's lead. Luigi Magliocca was 3-for-4 at the dish with two RBI and a run scored in the victory.

Southern Vermont reliever Ryan Richards pitched the seventh inning and picked up his first collegiate win (1-1). Righty Chris Bradt collected his second save of the year, going the last 2.0 innings to close out the victory. Starter Dylan Angelo lasted 6.0 innings with the ball, striking out seven while giving up five runs.

Mitchell's Francis Prettitore had a 4-for-5 showing at the dish as well and also scored a run. Three Mariners turned in a pair of RBI including Mike Luzzi, who knocked out a two-run homer in the seventh after entering the game in the previous inning.

Mitchell right-hander Axel De Jesus suffered the loss (2-2) after coming on in relief and giving up the go-ahead run in the seventh. Starter Eddie Santiago went 6.0 innings and gave up seven runs (six earned) while striking out two on the day.

Mitchell went on top right away in the first as the visitors got things going with two outs. Three straight singles on the ground allowed Tyler Pina to score from second, with his slide into home breaking up what could have been a side-retiring relay from right field.

Southern Vermont tied it up with a lone run in the second after Niko Horwith led off the frame with single just inside the third base bag. Arancio followed with a single to the gap in right-center, and a ground out then advanced both Mountaineers into scoring position. Dan Mason sent a fly out deep enough to center for Horwith to tag up and score from third to make it a 1-1 ballgame.

The Mariners got the run right back in the ensuing box, as two walks and a Prettitore single to short loaded the bases with just one out. Chandler Whitney then took a pitch to the body for the bruising RBI, giving the upper hand back to Mitchell.

Mitchell extended its lead in the fourth with two runs on two hits. Tristan Hurley roped a run-scoring double down the line in right, and a single to left off the bat of Kyle Hartenstein made it a 4-1 advantage.

The Mountaineers responded with three runs of their own in the bottom of the fourth to once again tie the game. Arancio pulled a leadoff single through the left side to get aboard, and a pair of ensuing base hits then loaded the bases for SVC. Magliocca dropped down a squeeze bunt, placing it perfectly along the first base line for one run to score. As the Mitchell infield kicked around the ball, a second Mountaineer came all the way around from second to slide safely into home and cut the deficit to one. Mason then trotted across the dish for the 4-4 tally on a ground out to short by Zack Stacey.

The Mariners tacked up one more in the sixth with the help of two wild pitches and a fielder's choice RBI by Hurley. Mitchell nearly plated another on a double to left by Hartenstein, but the Southern Vermont relay from Magliocca through Arancio to home was in time to finish the frame with the Mariners up just 5-4.

Mitchell got some separation in the seventh with four runs. A pinch-hit RBI by Peter Abate got the scoring started as he singled through the right side to bring in Prettitore. A sacrifice fly to left gave way for Whitney to cross the plate, and Luzzi then knocked his dinger over the fence in right-center for the 9-4 advantage.

Southern Vermont refused to go away, using the seventh to come back and take its first lead of the day. Stacey led off with a dribbler to third, and D'Agnese followed with a well-placed bunt for a single. RJ Pingitore followed with a tough at bat that ended with the captain cranking a base hit to left center, scoring Stacey and forcing the Mitchell pitching change. With runners on the corners, a wild pitch scored the second SVC run of the inning before Arancio slapped an RBI single down the right field line. A passed ball brought home another Mountaineer run as the hosts kept their energy up.

A plunked SVC batter loaded the bases for Magliocca for a second time, and the Mountaineers once again went to the squeeze play. Magliocca squared around for the bunt, only to see the ball fly off his bat right back at the mound. It had enough air to sail over De Jesus and drop in, making way for him to beat out the throw to first while Arancio scored from third. Another passed ball allowed Mason to score from third, and D'Agnese capped the inning's scoring with a two-run single to left-center for the 12-9 advantage.

Bradt came out of the pen in the bottom of the eighth and gave up just a lone two-out single up the middle before inducing an inning-ending grounder to first. Arancio knocked his first home run as a Mountaineer out of the park in the bottom of the eighth to put Southern Vermont on top by four, and Bradt got the Mariners to go down 1-2-3 in the ninth to seal the victory.

The Mariners (11-3 overall, 5-1 NECC) return to action at home against Trinity College on Saturday, March 26 at 1 p.m.