Softball Picks Up Two Wins vs. Becker

NEW LONDON, Conn. -- The Mitchell College softball team used the eight-run mercy rule and a late comeback to secure a pair of wins over Becker College on Friday afternoon in a New England Collegiate Conference showdown.

The Mariners won the first game by an 8-0 final in six innings as starter Katelyn Lipsky tossed a one-hitter and struck out nine. At the plate, Laurissa Amaker finished with a double and a grand slam as Mitchell pounded out 12 hits.

In the nightcap, Becker jumped out to a 6-0 lead before the Mariners reeled them back in. Mitchell put up four runs in both the fifth and sixth innings to post a 9-8 win.

Mitchell (5-14 overall, 3-9 NECC) will wrap up the weekend series at Becker (9-11 overall, 5-7 NECC) on Saturday, April 24 at noon.

Game 1 -- Mitchell 8, Becker 0 (6 innings)

Mitchell scored the only run it would need in the first inning as Nene Capeles scampered home on a wild pitch. Madison Nicynski added to the lead with a two-run single in the second, and Amaker's grand slam in the fifth extended the margin to 7-0. Maliah Pabellon capped the scoring with an RBI single in the sixth to end the game due to the eight-run mercy rule.

Lipsky, who didn't allow a runner past second base, was dominant throughout. She took a no-hitter into the sixth inning before losing it thanks to a leadoff single by Lindsay Mitchell.  

Game 2 -- Mitchell 9, Becker 8

Becker jumped on top early in the second game, scoring four runs in the second inning. A two-run homer by Holly Letourneau then put the Hawks up 6-0 in the third.

The Mariners started digging out of the hole in the home half of the third, getting on the scoreboard thanks to an RBI single by Pabellon. Two innings later, the Mariners cut the deficit to one as a Nicynski double and a Pabellon single both plated runs, and Jenna Bennett added a two-run single to make it 6-5.

A two-run double by Sarah Ellis extended Becker's lead to 8-5 in the sixth, but Mitchell once again answered back in the bottom of the frame. A two-run double by Capeles cut the deficit back to one, and three batters later Jossette Madison gave the Mariners their first lead of the game with a two-run double to center.

Lipsky, who took the ball in relief in the third, retired the Hawks in order in the seventh to clinch her second win of the day. She allowed two runs on two hits and fanned eight over 5.0 innings, improving to 5-7 on the year.