Baseball Drops Two at Elms

HOLYOKE, Mass. – The Elms College baseball team recorded a pair of victories, including a walk-off win, against visiting Mitchell College in a New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) doubleheader at MacKenzie Stadium Saturday afternoon.

The Blazers walked off with a 4-3 extra-inning victory in the opener, and slugged past the Mariners, 8-3, in the finale. Elms improved to 26-8 on the season and 9-5 in conference play, while Mitchell dropped to 9-3 in league play and 19-6 overall. 

Mitchell will host Elms for the series finale on Sunday, April 17 at noon.

Game 1: Elms 4, Mitchell 3 (8 Innings)

Mitchell threatened in the top of the third as Tristan Hurley ripped a two-out triple into the right-centerfield gap, but Elms starter Tom Weldon struck out Kyle Hartenstein to preserve the scoreless game.

The Mariners cracked the scoreboard in the top of the fourth as Tyler Pina knocked a double to left field and scored on an RBI double by Chandler Whitney. Garet Griffin delivered an RBI single to center that scored Whitney, and he later came around on an RBI single by Markus Melendez to build a 3-0 advantage.

The Blazers chipped away at the lead, beginning with a two-out RBI walk by Dan Brunetti in the bottom of the fourth to make it a 3-1 game.

With two outs in the seventh, the Blazers orchestrated their comeback as Josh Berthiaume and Alex Hoss drew back-to-back walks, followed by an RBI single from Aedin Wadja to trim the deficit to 3-2. The Blazers evened the score when Hoss scored on an RBI single from Stephen Harrison, sending the game into extra innings.

The Mariners loaded the bases with two outs in the eighth but Weldon left them stranded with an inning-ending groundout. In the bottom of the frame, Nolan Medeiros reached on an infield single and moved to second after Brian Hungerford drew a walk. With two outs, Hoss lifted a single to left field that scored Medeiros and gave the Blazers the 4-3 walkoff victory.

Harrison and Jordan Zima tallied two hits each, while the former drove in a run and scored. Weldon (9-0 overall) registered his fourth complete game of the season, allowing three runs (two earned) with 10 strikeouts, his third double-digit strikeout effort of the season.

Pina went 3-for-4 with a run scored while Whitney and Griffin each scored and drove in a run. Mitchell starter Al Jordan Johnson took a no-decision, giving up three runs on six hits with six strikeouts. Domenick Giaramida took the loss in relief and allowed one run on four hits.

Game 2: Elms 8, Mitchell 3

The Blazers wasted little time getting on the scoreboard in the nightcap, tacking seven runs on the Mariners in the bottom of the first. With runners on first and second, Harrison knocked an RBI single to left field, plating Hoss to stake Elms to a 1-0 lead. After an RBI groundout from Tim Gelzinis, Brunetti laced a two-run single to center, pushing the advantage to 4-0. Hoss, Wadja, and Harrison then drew consecutive bases-loaded walks to extend the lead to 7-0.

Elms pushed the gap to 8-0 in the second as Brian Hungerford ripped an RBI double into the left-center gap, scoring Medeiros from first base.

Mitchell cracked the scoreboard in the top of the fourth behind an RBI single from Griffin to make it 8-1. The Mariners added a pair in the top of the fifth when Jack Finnegan delivered an RBI groundout and Hurley scampered home on a wild pitch, trimming the deficit to 8-3.

Andrew Sadowski (5-3 overall) earned the win in 5.0 innings of work, allowing three runs and six hits with four strikeouts.

Pina led Mitchell at the dish, going 3-for-3 with a run scored. Tyler Shamas (2-1 overall) didn't make it out of the first inning, surrendering seven runs on four hits with a strikeout.