Softball Rallies Late For Sweep of Lyndon State

NEW LONDON, Conn. – The Mitchell College softball team came away with a doubleheader sweep of Lyndon State College on Saturday afternoon in non-conference action at Alumni Field.

The Mariners (4-8 overall) earned an 8-2 victory in the opener before pulling out an improbable comeback in the second game for a 9-8 win. Mitchell was down to its final out before rallying back to score four runs, winning the game on a walk-off single by freshman Bridget Thomson.

Junior Tricia Tomaselli picked up a pair of wins inside the circle to improve to 3-5 on the season. She tossed a complete game in the first contest and threw 2.0 innings of relief in the second.

Mitchell will next host Johnson & Wales University on Wednesday, March 27 at 3 p.m. Lyndon State (4-8 overall) returns to action at home against Maine-Farmington on Saturday, March 30 at 2 p.m.

Game 1 – Mitchell 8, Lyndon State 2

Lyndon State strung three hits together in the third inning to get on the scoreboard first. Taylor Young delivered a two-run single up the middle that plated Jen Lynch and Julia McNeil, staking starting pitcher Meghan Gadapee to a 2-0 lead.

Mitchell erased the deficit in the home half of the third behind a two-run homer by sophomore Lindsey Romagnino. She sent a bomb over the left-center fence for her first long ball of the season.

Tomaselli did her part the rest of the way, allowing only two hits and no runs over the final four innings. She finished with four strikeouts in 7.0 innings and gave up two runs on six hits while walking two.

The Mariners scored five runs in the fifth to take control. Senior Tiffany Person had an RBI double in the frame while Tomaselli and senior Meghan Burke each delivered RBI singles. Mitchell then tacked on an insurance run in the sixth on an RBI infield single by Romagnino that scored freshman Alexandra Blanchette.

Gadapee went the distance for the Hornets, allowing eight runs (five earned) on 12 hits in 6.0 innings. She also struck out three while walking two.

Game 2 – Mitchell 9, Lyndon State 8

Lyndon State led 7-2 in the sixth and 8-5 in the seventh but couldn't close the door. Mitchell plated three runs in the sixth and added four more in the seventh—all with two outs—to complete the comeback.

The Mariners pulled ahead in the first when starting pitcher Kaisea Caramante helped her own cause by drawing a bases-loaded walk. The Hornets vaulted ahead in the second inning behind a two-run single up the middle by Katie Ste. Marie, but Mitchell tied it up in the bottom of the frame on the strength of an RBI bunt single by Blanchette.

Lyndon State used a three-run third inning to pull back ahead. Jillian Emery and Gadapee each drove in runs in the frame, the former on an infield single and the latter on a double to center.

Starting pitcher Katie Davis worked out of trouble in both the third and fourth innings to keep the Hornets in front. Mitchell had the bases loaded with nobody out in the third, but a double play and ground out quickly ended the threat. The Mariners then put runners on first and second with no outs in the fourth, but an unassisted double play by second baseman Jena Finnegan helped squash the rally.

Lyndon State added two more runs in the sixth to go up 7-2. Ste. Marie plated the first run with a double to left field and later scored on a ball put into play by Finnegan.

Mitchell benefitted from two walks and a pair of errors to score three runs in the sixth. Freshman Shannon O'Neil provided the only hit of the frame, an RBI double to left that scored Blanchette to cut the deficit to 7-5.

The Hornets picked up a single run in the seventh on a sacrifice fly by Gadapee to increase the lead to three. Davis then retired the first two batters in the seventh before Mitchell clawed its way back.

Burke started the rally with a dribbler down the third base line that she hustled to beat out. Person followed with a double to left, and both runners received an extra base when the ball left the field of play. That left Person at third base, and she later slid home safely after Blanchette hit a grounder to third and Ste. Marie came home with the throw.

Mitchell plated the tying run on a single to left-center by Romagnino that moved Blanchette to third. The throw from the outfield got by the bag at third and allowed Blanchette to come home. After a walk gave the Mariners runners at the corners with two outs, Thomson delivered the game-winning hit in her first at-bat of the day. She sent a blast out to left-center that hit off the top of the fence and just missed being her first career homer.

Tomaselli worked 2.0 innings and allowed three runs on five hits to pick up the win. Caramante lasted 5.0 innings and gave up five runs (three earned) on seven hits while striking out two.

Davis took the loss for the Hornets, allowing nine runs (five earned) on eight hits while striking out nine and walking 10.