Baseball Remains Perfect in GNAC Play after Taming AMCATS

NEW LONDON, Conn. – The Mitchell College baseball team remained unbeaten in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) play by holding off Anna Maria College 8-5 on Sunday afternoon an Alumni Field.

With the win, the Mariners improve to 17-7 overall, 7-0 in conference play, and have won nine of their last 10 games.

Sophomore right handed pitcher Jacob Quiles (Wallkill, N.Y.) got the start for the Mariners on the mound and picked up his fourth win of the season, allowing three runs across six and one third innings of work. Junior Jadan Canelli (Northford, Conn.) came out of the bullpen and tossed two innings of two-run ball, while senior Camren Varney (Manchester, N.H.) recorded the final two outs of the ball game.

Mitchell senior Cole Lalli (Coventry, Conn.) led the offensive charge, finishing 3-4 with two doubles and four RBI, including a three-run double in the top of the sixth inning which snapped a 2-2 tie. Fellow seniors Angel Galindez (Carolina, PR) and Michael Gajda (New Britain, Conn.), along with freshman Michael Ficocelli (North Providence, R.I.) each also collected two hits and one RBI, while sophomore Adam Vartanian (Cumberland, R.I.) went 1-4 with one RBI and a run scored.

After two scoreless frames, the Mariners got the scoring started in the top of the third on a sacrifice fly by Vartanian. The AMCATS answered back with a run in the bottom of the fourth, before taking a 2-1 lead when graduate student Kosta Drosidis drove in a run in the fifth.

Ficocelli laced an RBI single to tie the game at 2-2 in the top half of the sixth, before Lalli cleared the bases with a double, giving the Mariners a lead which they would not relinquish. Anna Maria plated two runs to trim the deficit to two in the seventh, but an RBI single by Michael Gajda and the second RBI double off the bat of Lalli gave the Mariners insurance in the top of the ninth.

Junior Nick Choate took the loss for the AMCATS after surrendering six runs (five earned) over seven innings.

Graduate student Jarrod Marifiote went 3-4 with a walk and a run scored in the loss, while Matt Beuka was 2-3 with one RBI, and Brady Aylward finished 1-4 with two RBI and a run scored.

The Mariners (17-7, 7-0 GNAC) are scheduled to return to action on Thursday, April 11th, when they host the University of Hartford at 3:30 pm. The AMCATS (10-12, 3-3 GNAC) will look to bounce back when they host Johnson & Wales University in a GNAC doubleheader on Monday, April 8th.