Baseball Takes Series Finale Against Dean

NEW LONDON, Conn. – The Mitchell College baseball team won the rubber match of its weekend series with Dean College by a 10-1 final on Sunday afternoon in New England Collegiate Conference action at Alumni Field.

The Mariners, who scored a combined six runs in Saturday's doubleheader, exploded for 10 runs on 10 hits in the series finale. Steven Pagan went 4-for-4 with a double and four RBI to lead the attack. Eric Marriott hit a two-run homer and finished with three RBI.

Mitchell starter Bryton Ferris scattered seven hits over 8.0 innings and struck out five to improve to 5-0. The one run he surrendered was unearned.

Ferris pitched around a one-out double in the first inning to keep Dean off the scoreboard early. The Mariners then put up a pair of runs in the home half of the frame, with both runs scoring on a bases-loaded single up the middle by Pagan.

The teams traded single runs in the third inning. A Mitchell error gave the Bulldogs a baserunner before Will Kulcher doubled off the left-field fence to plate the run. The Mariners answered behind an RBI single by Pagan that scored Kyle Hartenstein from third.

Mitchell added another run in the fourth to go up 4-1. Jeremy Santos led off with a walk and eventually scored on a groundout by Marriott.

The Mariners tacked on two more runs in the fifth as Pagan and Markus Melendez drew back-to-back walks to set the table. The first run came on a hit-and-run situation in which Pagan scored from second base on a ground out by Santos. Jack Finnegan then laced a double down the right-field line to plate Melendez to make it 6-1.

James Rangel and Pagan supplied RBI doubles in the sixth as Mitchell built the lead. Marriott tacked on a two-run homer in the seventh—his first of the season—to make it 10-1.

The Mariners were patient at the plate and aggressive on the base paths, drawing eight walks and stealing seven bases. Pagan and Hartenstein each swiped a pair of bags.

Kulcher went 3-for-3 with two doubles and an RBI to lead the Bulldogs at the plate. Brian Hadden also finished with a pair of hits.

Dean starter Jason Bottone lasted 3.2 innings and yielded four runs on four hits while walking four. He dropped to 3-2 on the season.

Mitchell (17-3 overall, 7-2 NECC) will next host Salve Regina University on Wednesday, April 11 at 3:30 p.m. Dean (7-15-1 overall, 3-5 NECC) returns to action at Eastern Nazarene College on Tuesday, April 10 at 3:30 p.m.