Softball Tops Rosemont, Johnson on Opening Day

CLERMONT, Fla. -- The Mitchell College softball team opened the 2019 season with a pair of victories on Saturday afternoon, defeating Rosemont College by a 7-6 final before cruising to a 15-0 victory over Northern Vermont University Johnson.

It marked the first time since 2009 that the Mariners opened the season with a pair of wins. Taylor Duchesneau and Suzanne Vachon each picked up wins in the circle for Mitchell on the day.

Mitchell (2-0 overall) will next play Dominican University on Sunday, March 3 at 3:45 p.m.

Game 1 - Mitchell 7, Rosemont 6

A walk-off walk led Mitchell past Rosemont in the first game of the day. With the score knotted at 6-6 in the bottom of the seventh, Duchesneau drew a bases-loaded walk that forced in the winning run.

The base paths were crowded all game as Mitchell collected 10 hits and Rosemont had 11. Alex Lopez, Kaitlin Thibodeau-Corey, and Nene Capeles had two hits apiece to lead the Mariners. 

After giving up a pair of runs in the top of the second inning, Mitchell answered back with three in the home half to snag the lead. A sacrifice fly by Sydney Oatway plated the first run, and a two-out RBI single by Vachon tied the game at 2-2. Capeles followed with a single to drive in the go-ahead run, and the Mariners never trailed again.

Mitchell picked up a run in the third on an RBI single by Laurissa Amaker but gave one right back in the fourth. However, Duchesneau helped her own cause with a two-run single in the bottom of the frame to put the Mariners on top 6-3. 

The Ravens picked up two runs in the sixth to close the deficit to one. In the seventh, Rosemont was down to its final out before an RBI single by Samantha DeFrancisco tied the game at 6-6.

Capeles got things going with a one-out double in the seventh for the Mariners. After an error and a Lopez single loaded the bases, Duchesneau came to the plate with two outs and winning run just 60 feet away. After working the count full, she drew the walk-off walk to seal the win for Mitchell.

Duchesneau also picked up her first win of the season. She went all 7.0 innings and allowed 11 hits and six runs while striking out five and walking one. 

Game 2 - Mitchell 15, NVU-Johnson 0 (5)

Vachon tossed a gem for the Mariners in the second game as the offense kicked into high gear. She allowed only five hits and struck out two to earn her first career shutout. Meanwhile, Mitchell's offense gave her plenty of support. The Mariners finished with 12 hits in the game as Lopez and Maliah Pabellon each collected three hits to lead the way.

Mitchell put up four runs in the top of the first and never looked back. The first run came home via a double steal, and Thibodeau-Corey followed with a ground out to make it 2-0. Pabellon later tripled home a run and then scored on a wild pitch to make it 4-0. 

The Mariners added five runs in the second to break the game open. Capeles supplied a two-run double to start the rally while Lopez and Oatway followed with RBI singles. 

Capeles added a sacrifice fly in the third to bump the lead to 11-0. A two-run single by Lopez highlighted a four-run fifth inning for the Mariners.