Softball Sweeps Newbury
NEW LONDON, Conn. – The Mitchell College softball team won
both games of an NECC doubleheader against Newbury College on
Saturday afternoon by final scores of 2-0 and 6-4.
Sophomores Kristina Torres and Marissa
Thomas each picked up wins in the circle for Mitchell (10-6
overall, 4-0 NECC). The Mariners have won nine of their last 10
games and improved to 8-0 on their home field. Newbury dropped to
6-12 overall and 1-3 in conference play.
Game 1 – Mitchell 2, Newbury 0
Both starting pitchers turned in solid performances. Torres (4-4
overall) gave up only five hits and didn’t allow a run,
fanning a career-high 17 batters to earn her first shutout of the
season. She recorded the first eight outs of the ballgame via
strikeout. Newbury’s Katie O’Hara allowed two runs on
three hits while striking out five in 6.0 innings of work.
Both of Mitchell’s runs scored on wild pitches in the fourth
inning. Freshman Meghan Burke and senior Sara
Krolikowski each singled in the frame and came around to
score.
Newbury’s best chance to score came in the third inning. The
Nighthawks loaded the bases with two outs, but Torres got the next
batter to pop out to end the threat. Katelyn Mark finished with two
of Newbury’s five hits.
Game 2 – Mitchell 6, Newbury 4
Mitchell scored three runs in the first inning and two more in the
second to stake Thomas to a 5-0 lead. Krolikowski and senior Michele Anderson each had RBI singles in the first, and
sophomore Brittany Zaccaria drove in runs in each
inning.
Newbury got on the board in the fourth thanks to an RBI single by
Sarah Thornton. Mitchell answered with a run in its half of the
fourth off the bat of Zaccaria, her third RBI of the game.
The Nighthawks put up three runs in the fifth to cut the lead to
6-4. Olga Cepeda delivered a three-run homer—her first of the
season—with two outs to provide the damage. Newbury then got
two more runners aboard before Thomas got a groundout to end the
rally.
Newbury put the tying runs in scoring position in the seventh
inning but couldn’t bring them home. Thomas got Thornton to
pop up to end the game and improved to 6-2 overall on the season.
She allowed four runs—all unearned—on 11 hits while
striking out four in 7.0 innings.
Sarah Young took the loss for the Nighthawks, allowing five runs
(three earned) on 10 hits in 1.2 innings of work. Rebecca Roach
threw 4.1 innings of relief and gave up one run on five hits while
striking out three.
Mitchell returns to action at home against Bay Path on Sunday,
April 11 at 1 p.m.
