Softball Sweeps SVC to Clinch NECC Regular Season Title
NEW LONDON, Conn. – The Mitchell College softball team clinched the New England Collegiate Conference regular season title with a pair of shutout wins over Southern Vermont College on Saturday afternoon at Alumni Field.
The Mariners (17-13 overall, 16-2 NECC) won by final scores of 6-0 and 16-0 to finish atop the conference standings for the first time in school history. Mitchell has earned the top seed in the 2015 NECC Championship and will host the double-elimination tournament on May 1-3.
Brittany Fiederlein tossed a two-hitter in the opener and recorded her seventh shutout of the season while Rivkah Berkman pitched 3.0 innings of relief in the nightcap to pick up her first career win inside the circle. Shannon O'Neil went 4-for-5 with a double and four RBI in the doubleheader while Dylan Riccardi and Berkman added four hits apiece.
Southern Vermont (9-14 overall, 5-11 NECC) wraps up the regular season with a doubleheader at Wheelock College on Sunday, April 26 at noon.
Game 1 – Mitchell 6, Southern Vermont 0
Mitchell jumped on top 2-0 in the first inning behind a sacrifice fly from O'Neil and a RBI single by Fiederlein. SVC pitcher Emily Fleming limited the damage by striking out the next two batters to strand a pair of runners in scoring position.
The Mariners tacked on a run in the third and two more in the fourth. Fiederlein knocked in runs in each frame, plating Riccardi with a bunt in the third and Riccardi again in the fourth with a double to left. Samantha DelConte capped off the scoring with a RBI single in the fifth to make it a 6-0 game.
Both of Southern Vermont's hits came in the sixth inning. Singles by Erika Garay and Rachel Robtoy loaded the bases with only one out, but Fiederlein got a strikeout and ground ball to escape trouble.
Fiederlein allowed only the two hits in 7.0 innings and struck out five to improve to 15-7 on the season. Fleming (4-5 overall) allowed six runs (four earned) in 6.0 innings and fanned eight.
Game 2 – Mitchell 16, Southern Vermont 0 (5 innings)
Mitchell erupted for 13 runs on 10 hits and batted around twice in the first inning of the nightcap to seize control. Jenny Groman had a RBI single and a RBI double in the frame while Danielle Autieri produced a pair of RBI singles.
Fiederlein got the starting nod in the circle but turned the ball over to Berkman in the third. Berkman retired nine of the 10 batters she faced and allowed only a leadoff single to Kirstin Buchan in the fifth en route to the win.
Groman, Autieri and O'Neil each knocked in three runs in the game to lead the Mitchell offense. Riccardi also drove in a pair while DelConte and Tanisha Ruiz plated one each.