Baseball Rallies For Seven Runs in Ninth to Down OWU
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Mitchell | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 11 | 13 | 2 |
|
Ohio Wesleyan | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 12 | 2 |
PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. – The Mitchell College baseball team pulled off a miraculous comeback on Thursday afternoon, overcoming a three-run deficit in the ninth inning to win 11-7 over Ohio Wesleyan University at the Snowbird Classic.
With two outs and nobody on base in the ninth, the Mariners went to work and rallied for seven unanswered runs. After an RBI single by Lelo Martinez tied the game at 7-7, Mitchell took the lead when Steve Cochrane drew a bases-loaded walk. Justin Adorno followed with a bases-clearing double to pad the lead to 11-7.
Adorno finished with two hits and four RBI in the contest. Matt Falk also had a big day at the plate, going 3-for-4 with a double, homer and two RBI.
Mitchell fell behind 1-0 in the first inning but quickly knotted things up in the second on a ground ball by Adorno that scored Falk. The score remained tied until Falk led off the fourth inning with a solo homer over the left-field fence, his second dinger of the season. Angel Galindez later tacked on another run with a sacrifice bunt to give the Mariners a 3-1 advantage.
The Battling Bishops took a 4-3 lead in the bottom of the fourth, scoring three runs off pitchers Daniel Driscoll and Sam Majewski. They threatened again the sixth, but Cochrane gunned down a runner at the plate to keep the Mariners close. Ohio Wesleyan clung to the one-run lead until the eighth, when back-to-back doubles by Martinez and Falk tied the game once again.
In the bottom of the eighth, OWU loaded the bases with two outs when Noah Brazytis sent a ball into the left-center gap. Center fielder Hunter Yaworski made a diving attempt but came up just inches short, and all three runners came around to score.
Down to their final out in the ninth, the Mariners put together an impressive string where eight batters all reached base safely. Bo Yaworski got things rolling with a double to the left-center gap, and Dougie DelaCruz brought him home with a double of his own. After an OWU error pulled Mitchell to within one and put the tying run on first base, Martinez delivered a single to right-center field. Pinch runner Luke Sullivan scored all the way from first, sliding around a tag at home plate to tie the game.
The next three Mitchell batters all drew walks, forcing in the go-ahead run and setting the stage for Adorno. He knocked in all three runners with a double to right-center, sending the Mitchell dugout into a frenzy.
Reliever Kenny Heon picked up the final three outs as Mitchell improved to 4-4 on the season. Majewski earned the win in relief, allowing three runs on six hits over 4.1 innings of work.
Mitchell went 2-2 at the Snowbird Classic and will wrap up its spring trip with four games at the RussMatt Invitational. The Mariners next take on Ohio Northern University on Sunday, March 13 at 9 a.m.
