Softball Loses Two to Bay Path on Senior Day

Softball Loses Two to Bay Path on Senior Day

NEW LONDON, Conn. – The Mitchell College softball team lost to Bay Path University by final scores of 6-4 and 6-1 on Sunday afternoon in New England Collegiate Conference play at Alumni Field.

Bay Path built early leads in each game and held on behind stellar defensive play and solid pitching. Madison Goodhart and Felicia Gaillardetz each picked up wins inside the circle, with the latter also nailing down a save in the opener.

Mitchell (11-17 overall, 7-5 NECC) will next host Nichols College on Tuesday, April 24 at 3 p.m. Bay Path (15-13 overall, 8-4 NECC) returns to action at home against Pine Manor College on Tuesday at 3 p.m.

Game 1 – Bay Path 6, Mitchell 4

Bay Path sent nine batters to the plate in the top of the first and pushed across five runs. The first five Wildcats reached base safely and came around to score. Lilly West, Katrina Peck and Goodhart all had RBI singles in the rally while Taylor Feraco drove in a run with a sacrifice fly.

Mitchell got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the second on an RBI single by Megan Elphick that scored Danielle Autieri. In the fourth, Autieri trimmed the deficit to 5-2 with an RBI double to center.

A sacrifice fly by White padded the Bay Path lead in the fifth. Mitchell then picked up a pair of runs in the sixth on a two-out, two-run double by Italia Krick.

The Mariners provided some late-game drama by loading the bases in the seventh with three consecutive singles—all with two outs—to put the tying runs in scoring position. However, Gaillardetz struck out the final batter to earn her second save of the season.

Goodhart got the start in the circle and went 6.0 innings in the win, improving to 5-4 on the season. She allowed four runs on 10 hits and struck out one.

Shyla Phillips-Krick took the loss for the Mariners, dropping to 5-9 overall. She allowed six runs (five earned) on five hits and fanned four over 7.0 innings.

Game 2 – Bay Path 6, Mitchell 1

The Wildcats followed a similar script in the second game, scoring a pair of runs before the Mariners even stepped to the plate. Kayla Vance and Feraco did the damage with back-to-back RBI singles.

Bay Path added to the margin with three runs in the second inning. Marissa Sarna-McCarthy led off with a triple and later scored on a sacrifice fly by Lauren Vallee. Peck capped things off with a two-run single through the right side of the infield to make it 5-0.

Krick led off the third inning with a base hit and later came around to score Mitchell's lone run on a single by Kaitlin Thibodeau-Corey. The Wildcats added their final run of the day in the fifth with the help of a throwing error.

Gaillardetz (8-5 overall) scattered 10 hits over 7.0 innings and struck out five. Mitchell starter Taylor Duchesneau yielded six runs (three earned) on nine hits and punched out two.