Softball Splits Doubleheader with Becker

NEW LONDON, Conn. – The Mitchell College softball team came away with a doubleheader split against Becker College on Sunday afternoon, falling 9-3 in the first game before bouncing back to win 7-1 in the nightcap.

Becker (15-9 overall, 10-2 NECC) gave starting pitcher Kelsey Norberg plenty of support in the opener, pounding out 14 hits en route to the victory. Jessica Wheelahan led the Hawks at the plate with a 4-for-5 effort that included a pair of doubles and three RBI.

In the second game, Mitchell (7-19 overall, 4-8 NECC) got the bats going in support of junior right-hander Tricia Tomaselli. The Mariners finished with 10 hits in the contest, including solo homers by seniors Tiffany Person (Waterbury, Conn./Crosby) and Meghan Burke.

Mitchell will next play at the University of Saint Joseph on Wednesday, April 17 at 3 p.m.

Game 1 – Becker 9, Mitchell 3

Becker staked Norberg to a 1-0 lead in the first inning. Lead-off hitter Jaclyn Orangio reached base on an error, moved to third on a single by Jessica Wheelahan and scored on a sacrifice fly to center by Talan Barron.

The Hawks added five runs in the second inning to break the game open. With the bases loaded and two outs, Wheelahan delivered a double to left-center that scored all three runners. Barron and Megan Cordon then followed with RBI singles to build the lead to 6-0. 

Norberg didn't allow a hit the first time through the Mitchell order but yielded three in the fourth inning. Senior Chelsea Arpin got things going with a single to center, and sophomore Dylan Riccardi and freshman Shannon O'Neil both followed with base hits of their own. Becker also committed a pair of errors in the frame as the Mariners pushed across two runs to make it 6-2.

Becker added an insurance run in the sixth and two more in the seventh. Lavalle drove in a run with her third hit of the game as the Hawks went up 9-2.

The Mariners got a run back in the seventh, but it wasn't enough to keep Norberg from improving to 10-4 on the season. She allowed three runs (one earned) on five hits and struck out nine while walking three. Freshman Kaisea Caramante took the loss and allowed nine runs (seven earned) on 14 hits.

Game 2 – Mitchell 7, Becker 1

Becker loaded the bases in the first inning but came away empty as Tomaselli worked out of the jam. The Mariners then took a 1-0 lead in the home half of the frame on a lead-off homer to center field by Person, her first of the season.

Mitchell added three more runs in the second to go up 4-0. Arpin plated the first run with a base hit and junior Ariel Hallisey later followed with a lined shot just over the shortstop to bring in two more.

Tomaselli pitched around an error in the fourth to strand a runner at third base and keep the Hawks off the board. She couldn't do the same in the fifth when Orangio reached base on a throwing error and ended up on second when the ball went out of play. Orangio moved to third on a single by Wheelahan and scored on a ground out by Cordon to cut the deficit to 4-1.

Mitchell scored a pair of runs in the bottom of the fifth to extend the lead. Tomaselli helped her own cause with an RBI double while freshman Bridget Thomson brought home a run with a sacrifice fly to left. Burke then added a solo home run in the sixth to cap the scoring, drilling a shot to dead center field for her first long ball of the season.

Tomaselli improved to 6-11 overall in a complete game performance. She allowed one unearned run on seven hits and struck out three. Cordon took the loss for the Hawks, surrendering seven runs on 10 hits.