Baseball Completes Sweep of Becker

NEW LONDON, Conn. – Mitchell College completed a series sweep against Becker College with a 17-1 win in Monday's finale in New England Collegiate Conference baseball action at Alumni Field.

The Mariners, who batted as the visiting team, pounded out 17 hits on the day and got three apiece from Kyle Hartenstein and Garet Griffin. Starting pitcher Eddie Santiago tossed 6.0 shutout innings and allowed only two hits while fanning nine.

Mitchell took a 1-0 lead in the first inning on an RBI double by Griffin and added another run in the third on a ground out by Tyler Pina. The Mariners tacked on four runs in the fourth, the first two coming courtesy of a sacrifice bunt by Steven Gonzalez and an RBI single by Peter Abate. A two-run homer by Hartenstein—his second of the year—provided the 6-0 cushion.

Tristan Hurley plated a run in the fifth with a ground-rule double and later scored on wild pitch. Gonzalez also supplied an RBI single in the frame as the Mariners expanded the lead to 9-0.

Mitchell put the game away with an eight-run seventh inning that was sparked by a two-run homer by Jack Finnegan, his third of the series. The first eight Mariners reached base safely in the inning while six players recorded an RBI during the rally. 

Santiago (3-1 overall) cruised through six innings before turning the ball over to the bullpen following the extended top of the seventh. In his three NECC starts this season he has allowed only one run on nine hits in 22.0 innings of work.

Becker's lone run came on a solo homer by Niko Bedell in the seventh. The Hawks finished with only four hits in the contest.   

Mitchell (15-6 overall, 5-1 NECC) has won seven straight games and will next play at Amherst College on Wednesday, April 5 at 3:30 p.m.