Softball Walks Off with Split vs. Elms

NEW LONDON, Conn. – The Mitchell College softball team split a doubleheader against Elms College on Saturday afternoon in New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) action at Alumni Field.

The Mariners won the opener 4-3 thanks to a walk-off solo homer by sophomore Lindsey Romagnino. Elms battled back for a 10-2 victory in the second game, getting a strong pitching performance from Jamie Miner inside the circle.

Mitchell returns to action at Newbury College on Sunday, April 7 at 11 a.m. Elms will next play at Daniel Webster College on Sunday at 1 p.m.

Game 1 – Mitchell 4, Elms 3

Mitchell escaped early trouble in the first inning as starting pitcher Tricia Tomaselli worked out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam without allowing a run. The Mariners then took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the frame when sophomore Dylan Riccardi drove in Romagnino with a single up the middle.

Elms got on the scoreboard with three runs in the second. Kellie McLaughlin plated the first run with an RBI single to center and proceeded to score on the play due to a pair of Mitchell errors. Ally Witaszek followed with a triple off the right field fence and later scored on a single off the bat of Alexandra Bonavita.

The Mariners tied the game in the home half of the second on a two-run homer to center field by freshman Bridget Thomson. It was the first home run of her collegiate career.

Mitchell put runners on second and third with nobody out in the fourth but came away empty after Elms pitcher Jessica Colson retired the next three batters. Colson also escaped trouble in the sixth, getting a ground out to end the inning with two runners in scoring position.

Romagnino delivered the walk-off homer with one out in the seventh. She crushed the ball over the left-center fence for her team-leading second long ball of the season.

Tomaselli did her part in the late innings, retiring the last 10 batters she faced to improve to 4-9 on the season. She gave up three runs on seven hits in 7.0 innings while striking out three and walking two. Colson (0-4) yielded four runs on 11 hits and struck out seven in 6.1 innings of work.

Riccardi went 3-for-3 with an RBI at the plate for the Mariners. McLaughlin and Leah Spring each finished with a pair of hits for the Blazers.

Game 2 – Elms 10, Mitchell 2

Elms wasted little time grabbing a 1-0 lead in the nightcap. Spring led off the game with a single and later scored on a sacrifice fly to left by Sarah Buckley. The Blazers then added a pair of runs in the second inning to go up 3-0, highlighted by an RBI single by Gina DiGiovani.

Miner pitched around two hits and an error in the third inning to keep the Mariners off the board. Mitchell had the bases loaded with one out but couldn't get the ball out of the infield.

The Blazers loaded the bases with no outs in the fifth but plated only one run on a ground ball by McLaughlin. Mitchell starter Kaisea Caramante escaped further damage by getting a line out and strike out to end the threat.

The Mariners cut into the deficit with a run in the fourth. Senior Tiffany Person reached base on a one-out double and later scored from third on a single to left by Romagnino.

Miner slipped out of trouble once again in the sixth after Mitchell put runners at second and third with no outs. Miner sandwiched a pair of strikeouts around a heads-up unassisted putout by Rachel Butt at third base to keep the lead at 4-1.

Elms batted around in the seventh inning and scored six runs to break the game open. Bonavita delivered the big blow with a two-run single that extended the lead to 10-1. McLaughlin and Witaszek also picked up an RBI each in the rally.

Mitchell hit up Miner for a single run in the seventh as she improved to 2-1 on the season. She gave up two runs on eight hits over 7.0 innings and recorded four strikeouts. Caramante (1-6) allowed 10 runs (six earned) on 14 hits and struck out three in 7.0 innings of work.

McLaughlin was one of five Blazers with multiple hits and finished with three hits and two RBI in the finale. Romagnino had two hits and a pair of RBI while Person recorded two hits to pace the Mariners.