Pilgrims End Softball’s Season in GNAC Tournament
STANDISH, ME – The Mitchell College softball team saw their season come to an end on Saturday afternoon with 6-3 loss to New England College in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) elimination game at Richard W. Bailey Field on the campus of Saint Joseph's College (ME).
The Pilgrims struck first in the bottom of the third when Emily Gagne singled to reach first, then stole second, then stole third, then scored off a fielding error with two outs to give her team the 1-0 lead. In the bottom of the fifth, NEC catcher Emma Lopez doubled to left-center to plate sophomore Grace Giesler, increasing the lead to two. On the very next at-bat, an RBI single by first baseman Abigail Grimes drove in Lopez, making it 3-0 in favor of the Pilgrims.
Junior Emma LaBreck (Rollinsford, N.H.) got the Mariners on the board with an RBI double in the top of the sixth, and two more runs then came across to tie the game at 3-3 when sophomore Olivia DeCicco (Haverhill, Mass.) drove in Brooke Whitmarsh (Portsmouth, R.I.) with a fielder's choice, and freshman Madison Cole (Westbrook, ME) followed that up with a sacrifice fly.
The lead was short lived, however, as Giesler laced a two-RBI triple to left center to put the Pilgrims up for good, and Lopez then drove Giesler in on the next at-bat, making it a 6-3 game.
Senior Katelyn Lipsky (Plantsville, Conn.) took the loss in her final career start with Mitchell, allowing six runs (five earned) over six innings of work.
The Mariners finish the season with an overall record of 16-20.