Daniel Webster Takes Two from Softball

NASHUA, N.H. – The Mitchell College softball team dropped a pair of New England Collegiate Conference games at Daniel Webster College on Thursday afternoon by final scores of 13-7 and 2-1 at Eagle Field.

Sara Pelkey, Amanda Wilson and Courtney Brennan led a 16-hit attack and combined to go 8-for-11 with seven RBI in game one, and Dallas Fonck tossed a four-hit complete game gem in the nightcap for Daniel Webster. The wins pushed the Eagles (13-19, 8-8 NECC) into a three-way tie for fifth place with Bay Path College and Elms College with each team having two league games left on the docket. Mitchell dropped to 9-23 overall and 6-10 in the NECC with two games remaining.

In the opener, DWC rapped out eight extra-base hits including three triples. Wilson belted three doubles, knocked in two and scored three times, Pelkey slammed a two-run triple and knocked in three, and Brennan had three singles and knocked in two. Theresa DiSantis tripled and knocked in a run, Abigail Goslin had an RBI double, Mollie Bartles added a three-bagger and scored on an error in the first inning and Chelsey Crawford doubled.

Pelkey helped her own cause as she went the distance in the circle, improving to 7-6 while allowing three earned runs on nine hits and striking out two.
 
Mitchell freshmen Shannon O'Neil and Bridget Thomson each had two hits with a double and knocked in two runs apiece. Classmate Jenny Groman also doubled for the Mariners. Tricia Tomaselli took the loss (7-13 overall).

Mitchell was hurt by five errors that led to five unearned runs for the Eagles. 

DWC built a 5-1 lead after two keyed by Pelkey's two-run triple as part of a four-run second, but Mitchell took advantage of two costly Eagle miscues leading to four unearned runs in the third to make it a 5-5 game. Goslin's RBI double in the fourth helped DWC pull back in front 7-5, but Mitchell answered in the top of the fifth with back-to-back RBI singles from Tomaselli and Thomson to tie it again at 7-7.
 
But Brennan answered with an RBI single to plate Wilson and later scored on an error for a 9-7 lead in the bottom of the fifth. DWC took control with four in the sixth on five hits.  The key blow came from Wilson, who belted her third two-bagger of the day, a two-run job to left.

In the nightcap, Fonck (4-7) was solid throughout, propping up an Eagles offense that went nearly silent, managing just two hits. Tough-luck Mariner pitcher Kaisea Caramante took the loss (2-10) as all three runs in the third game were unearned. She struck out one and walked one while Fonck struck out five and walked one.

Mitchell jumped in front in the top of the first as senior Tiffany Person led off by reaching third on an error. She then scored on junior Ariel Hallisey's grounder to short.

DWC plated both runs in the second as Wilson and Brennan reached on back-to-back infield errors, and DiSantis made the Mariners pay with a clutch double to right-center for a 2-1 lead.

Caramante allowed just one base runner the rest of the way. Mitchell threatened in the fourth as it put two on with one out, but Fonck induced two ground outs to end the threat. She got stronger as the game progressed, striking out three of the final five batters including two in the seventh.

Mitchell will close out the regular season with a doubleheader at Wheelock College on Saturday, April 27 at noon.