Baseball Splits with Southern Vermont
NEW LONDON, Conn. – The Mitchell College baseball team split
a doubleheader against Southern Vermont College on Saturday
afternoon, winning the first game 4-0 but dropping the second by an
11-8 final.
Mitchell (9-7 overall, 4-1 NECC) took the first game behind a
strong effort from senior Jeremy
Chapman, who recorded his second shutout of the season while
fanning a career-high 15 batters in 7.0 innings. Southern Vermont
came from behind twice in the second game before handing the
Mariners their first conference loss. Pat Warrington went 2-for-3
with six RBI to lead the way for the Mountaineers.
Game 1: Mitchell 4, Southern Vermont 0
The Mariners gave Chapman all the run support he would need in the
second inning. Freshman Justin
Szela put Mitchell on the board with an RBI single through the
right side of the infield that scored senior Andrew
Langlais. The Mariners added a pair of runs in the third on RBI
singles from junior Jeff
Perillo and sophomore Ethan
Graynor and tacked on their final run on an RBI single by
Langlais in the sixth.
Southern Vermont put runners on base in every inning but the
seventh but were thwarted at every turn by Chapman. The
Mountaineers had their best chance to score in the fourth inning,
loading the bases with only one out. Chapman, however, got the
final two outs of the frame via strikeout. Southern Vermont left 10
runners on base in the contest.
Chapman allowed only five hits and issued four walks. He improved
to 3-0 on the season and has allowed just one earned run in 27.0
innings of work.
Connor Murray took the loss for the Mountaineers, allowing four
runs (three earned) on seven hits while striking out six and
walking one in 6.0 innings. Dan Cook had two of Southern
Vermont’s five hits, including a double in the sixth
inning.
Game 2: Southern Vermont 11, Mitchell 8
Southern Vermont trailed 4-0 after three innings but broke through
with two runs in the fourth to cut the deficit in half. Brett
Pawlak drove in the first run with a sacrifice fly to right, and
Warrington followed with an RBI single up the middle.
The Mountaineers took their first lead after a five-run sixth
inning. Warrington delivered the big blow, hitting a grand slam
over the centerfield fence for a 6-4 advantage. Southern Vermont
added to the lead later in the frame when Eric Wells scored on a
wild pitch.
Mitchell responded with four runs in its half of the sixth to go
back ahead. The Mariners tied the game at 7-7 on a bases-loaded
single by Perillo that drove in two, and junior John
McGarry followed with a single to left to plate the go-ahead
run.
Graynor took the hill in the seventh for the Mariners but
couldn’t keep the Mountaineers off the board. Warrington
picked up his sixth RBI of the game with a sacrifice fly to center
to tie the game once again, and David Northup put Southern Vermont
up for good with a double to right-center that scored a pair. Cook
finished the rally with an RBI single through the left side to put
the Mountaineers up 11-8.
Dave Gage put the Mariners down in order in the seventh to pick up
his second save. Corey Briggs earned the victory and didn’t
allow a hit in 0.2 innings of work. Starter Ben Naaktgeboren gave
up seven runs on nine hits in 5.0 innings in the no decision.
Five Mariners finished with two hits in the game. Perillo went
2-for-3 with four RBI and hit a two-run homer in the first inning.
Junior Paul Martinez scored two runs and had two hits,
including his team-leading third home run of the season to lead off
the first inning.
Freshman Garrett Cornwell got the start on the hill for
the Mariners, allowing four runs on seven hits in 5.1 innings.
Martinez and Graynor each saw action in relief. Graynor took the
loss and allowed four runs on three hits in 1.0 inning.
Mitchell and Southern Vermont will wrap up the weekend series with
a nine-inning affair on Sunday, April 11 at noon.