Mitchell Edges Elms in NECC Opener
HOLYOKE, Mass. - The Mitchell College baseball team came away with
a 3-1 victory in its NECC opener at Elms College on Thursday night
at MacKenzie Field.
The Mariners improved to 6-5 overall with their fifth straight win.
Senior Andrew Langlais took the ball for Mitchell and turned
in a complete-game performance, allowing one run on six hits
through nine innings. The loss dropped Elms to 4-10 on the
season
Elms’ Matt Wood and Langlais each started the game by
putting up five scoreless innings. Junior Jeff
Perillo hit a two-out double to start a sixth-inning rally for
the Mariners. Perillo then came full circle on sophomore Ethan
Graynor’s RBI single giving Mitchell a 1-0
lead. Junior John McGarry then capped off the three-run sixth
inning by hitting a two-run home run over the right field wall.
The Blazers opened their half of the inning with a triple off the
bat of Stephen Fisher, who then raced home on Andrew
Kravontka’s RBI sacrifice fly to cut the Mariners lead to
3-1. Mike Andrews later reached second base on a two-out error, but
Elms failed to drive in the run.
Following the error, Langlais retired 10 of the final 11 batters to
earn the complete game victory. He tossed seven strikeouts and
recorded his first win of the season.
Wood hurled the first seven innings for the Blazers, fanning four
batters in the loss. He moved to 2-2 on the year. Nick Cordeiro
entered in relief and pitched two scoreless innings.
With one out in the top of the third inning freshman Connor
Rochefort hit a line drive to right field that appeared to be
falling in for a hit before Albert Betances made a diving catch to
keep the Mariners off the base paths.
Elms received offensive support from Fisher and Carmino Bonavita
who each had a pair of hits in the losing effort.
Mitchell received a large contribution from Perillo who went
3-for-4 at the plate with a run scored, while McGarry added two
hits and two RBI in the winning effort. The Mariners also
received multi-hit games from Langlais and Graynor.
The two teams will meet again on Saturday, April 3 in New
London, Conn. The first game of the scheduled doubleheader is
set to begin at noon.