Baseball Keeps Rolling at Becker

LEICESTER, Mass. – The Mitchell College baseball team swept a doubleheader from Becker College on Sunday afternoon by final scores of 13-2 and 9-4 in New England Collegiate Conference action at Rochdale Park.

Mitchell improved to 21-6 overall and 7-1 in league play. The Mariners have won seven straight games and 17 of their last 18.

Mitchell returns to action on Tuesday, April 16 at Salve Regina University. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m. 

Game 1 - Mitchell 13, Becker 2

Mitchell logged 13 runs on 15 hits and two Becker errors to take the series opener. The Mariners held the Hawks to just two runs (one earned) on four hits. Rookie pitcher Ryan Solimine picked up his fifth win of the season, allowing one unearned run on three hits in 6.0 innings pitched. He walked one batter and struck out six Hawks in the appearance.

Mitchell came out strong, scoring four runs in the first and five runs in the second inning to take a 9-0 lead. In the first, the Mariners saw consecutive singles from Eric Marriott, Markus Melendez and Steve Cochrane to start the inning. The first run scored on Cochrane's RBI single to left field, and another scored on a Steven Pagan sacrifice fly. Sam Majewski later plated a run with a ground out, and the Mariners pushed across the final run in the first on a successful double-steal. In the second, Marriott and Peter Abate had RBI groundouts, Dougie DelaCruz had an RBI single, and two more runs crossed on a Majewski two-run double to right-center.

Becker put one run on the board in the bottom of the fourth as Tanyon Ventres reached home on a fielding error after he had reached base on a double to right-center.

The Mariners added three to their total in the top of the fifth, as Devyn McCarty had a two-run double and Michael Santiago contributed an RBI single. They tacked on another in the top of the sixth on an RBI single from Pagan, setting the score to 13-1.

Becker put its only earned run on the board in the bottom of the seventh on a Coby Hussey RBI single.

DelaCruz went 3-for-3 with three runs, one RBI and a stolen base in the contest. Melendez and Abate each finished with a pair of hits while Majewski led all players with three RBI. 

Becker starter Evan Barrera took the loss in 2.0 innings pitched. He allowed nine runs on six hits and struck out one.

Game 2 - Mitchell 9, Becker 4

The Mariners earned the sweep as they took the nightcap by a five-run cushion, scoring nine runs on nine hits and four Becker fielding errors.

Mitchell's pitching staff of Roland Thivierge and Bryce Bedard held the Hawks to just four hits. Bedard earned the win and didn't allow a hit in 3.2 innings of scoreless relief.

Mitchell took a two-run lead in the top of the first inning on an RBI triple from Melendez and an RBI single from Cochrane.

Becker cut the lead in half in the bottom of the inning on an RBI double from Ventres – his second of the day. The Hawks then tied the game at 2-2 in the second on a Mariner fielding error.

It wasn't long after that the Mariners took back the lead, as they scored three runs in the third behind an RBI single from DelaCruz, a Becker fielding error and an RBI hit-by-pitch for Hunter Yaworski. 

Becker got within one in the bottom of the third as Ben Mazzone supplied a two-run single to right-center to make it a 5-4 game. Mitchell bumped the lead to 6-4 lead in the fourth with a sacrifice fly from DelaCruz.

The Mariners held off the Hawks and scored three more in the top of the seventh to conclude with a 9-4 final. Justin Johnson had a hand in all three runs, plating the first two with a double. He then stole third base and scored on a throwing error by Becker's catcher.

Michael Martinez suffered the loss on the mound in 2.1 innings of work. He allowed four runs on four hits and struck out one.