Baseball Closes Out Regular Season with Win at Coast Guard
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Mitchell | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 6 | 14 | 9 | 2 |
|
Coast Guard | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 13 | 3 |
NEW LONDON, Conn. -- The Mitchell College baseball team scored seven runs in the eighth inning, all with two outs, to rally past Coast Guard Academy by a 14-5 final on Tuesday afternoon in the regular season finale for each program.
Mitchell improved to 32-6 overall and tied the school record for the most wins in season. The Mariners also won their 18th straight game and went 19-1 in the month of April. The Bears finished the season at 16-19 overall.
Behind the outstanding pitching of PJ Gravalec, who allowed just one unearned run on three hits while walking one and fanning five, Coast Guard took a 3-1 lead into the eighth before Mitchell grabbed the momentum. The Mariners loaded the bases with two outs and tied the game on consecutive ground balls to third base; both times the runner from second was called safe at third, allowing runs to score.
Mitchell went on top 4-3 when Sam Majewski was hit by a pitch to force another run in. John-John Jose and Justin Johnson then added a two-run single and double, respectively, as the Mariners vaulted to an 8-3 lead.
Mitchell increased the margin with six more runs in the ninth for a 14-3 lead. The inning featured three bases-loaded walks and an RBI single by Johnson.
Coast Guard got two runs in the ninth on a two-run double by Jeremy Lhotka. He had three hits on the day to finish the year with a .415 batting average, becoming the first Coast Guard player since 2006 to hit over .400.
Johnson went 3-for-5 with three RBI to pace the Mariners at the plate. Jose knocked in three runs and Steve Cochrane finished with two hits, including an RBI single in the first and a double in the eighth.
Jose earned his first collegiate win in relief, tossing 2.0 scoreless innings while allowing one hit and striking out a batter. He was one of six Mariners who saw time on the mound in the contest. Walter Harris (2-1 overall) took the loss for Coast Guard.
Mitchell will next host the 2019 New England Collegiate Conference Championship. The top-seeded Mariners will face fourth-seeded Eastern Nazarene College on Thursday, May 2 at 3:30 p.m.
