Softball Eliminated at Bay Path

LONGMEADOW, Mass. -- Sixth-seeded Mitchell College saw its season come to an end on Tuesday afternoon, falling 5-2 to third-seeded Bay Path University in the opening round of the 2018 New England Collegiate Conference Softball Championship. 

The Mariners fell behind 5-0 before fighting back to score single runs in the final two innings. Mitchell brought the tying run to the plate in the top of the seventh, but Bay Path held on to advance to Thursday's double-elimination portion of the tournament. 

Italia Krick went 3-for-4 in the final game of her collegiate career to lead the Mariners, who finished the season with a record of 14-21. Danielle Autieri supplied an RBI double in the sixth inning to plate Mitchell's first run, and Stephanie Adams added a single in the seventh to drive in the other. 

Bay Path jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning and tacked on another run in the second. The big blow came in the fourth as Lauren Vallee belted a two-run homer to extend the lead to 5-0. 

Mitchell starter Taylor Duchesneau (8-9 overall) surrendered five runs (four earned) on seven hits and struck out two. Bay Path's Felicia Gaillardetz (12-5 overall) scattered nine hits over 7.0 innings and yielded a pair of runs while fanning eight.

Bay Path moves on and will next play at second-seeded Becker College on Thursday, May 3 at 3 p.m.