Baseball Tops Heidelberg at Snowbird Classic

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. – The Mitchell College baseball team picked up their fourth consecutive victory on Friday, besting Heidelberg University 10-6 at Centennial Park in the Snowbird Baseball Classic. The win pushes the Mariners record to 4-0 overall, and marks the first time since 2016 the team has begun the season with four straight victories.

Owen Robbins (East Lyme Conn.) recorded his third multi-hit game in a row, finishing 3-5 with two RBI, while Dougie DelaCruz (Uncasville, Conn.) and Sean O'Donnell (Wallingford, Conn.) picked up two hits apiece. O'Donnell, who went 2-3 at the dish with a double, also drove in a team-best three runs for the Mariners, who found themselves in an early one run hole after a Reece McNeely sacrifice fly gave the Student Princes the lead in the bottom of the second inning.

Mitchell battled back the very next inning, as Bo Yaworski (Brooklyn, Conn.) tied the game on a single down the right field line, scoring O'Donnell. A double by Owen Robbins in the top of the fourth gave the Mariners their first lead of the contest, and O'Donnell then drove Robbins in with a double of his own. From there Mitchell was off and running.

The Mariners tacked on two more runs in the fifth inning on an RBI groundout by senior Matt Falk (Enfield, Conn.) and a sacrifice fly off the bat of Lelo Martinez (New London, Conn.). After Heidelberg's Andrew Pokley drove in a run to make it a 5-2 game in the top of the sixth, Mitchell plated two insurance runs in the seventh, one in the eighth, and two more in the top of the ninth to head into bottom half of the frame with a 10-2 advantage.

Those insurance runs proved critical as the Student Princes rallied, scoring two runs on a double by Kyle Krummen and two more on a double by Aidan Corrigan. Following Corrigan's double, Andrew Cook singled for Heidelberg, but Mitchell righty Chris Gibbs (New Britian, Conn.) got the next batter to fly out to right field to close the door and end the ballgame.

Ryan Solimine (Danbury, Conn.) earned the win in his first start of the season, tossing six innings of two run ball, striking out three and allowing just three hits. Kenny Heon (Uncasville, Conn.) added two scoreless innings in relief out of the bullpen.

Krummen and Corrigan each had two hits for Heidelberg and Jackson Powers was changed with the loss. Powers surrendered five runs and seven hits in just four and two third innings.

The Mariners (4-0 overall) will return to Centennial Park on Saturday, March 11, for a game against Denison University at 3:00 pm.