Four-Run Seventh Frame Drives Baseball Past Mitchell College, 5-3

NEW LONDON, Conn. – Elms College used three RBI singles and a sacrifice fly in the seventh inning to erase a 3-0 deficit and lift the Blazers to a 5-3 victory over Mitchell College in Thursday afternoon's New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) baseball game at Alumni Field in New London, Conn.

With the win, Elms improves to 8-11 on the season, 4-3 in NECC action, while Mitchell moves to 13-11-1 overall, 7-6 in conference play.

Mitchell plated two runs in the bottom of the second on an RBI single through the right side by Gavin LaLima (Waterford, Conn.) sending Nova Crespo (New London, Conn.) home with the first run of the game. Crespo later scored on a balk to lift the Mariners' advantage to 2-0.

Mitchell added to its lead in the bottom of the fourth when Neftali Arroyo (New Haven, Conn.) legged out an infield single advanced to second on a failed pickoff attempt and then advanced to third on a groundout. He then scored on a two-out single to center field off the bat of Will Charkowsky (Cold Spring, N.Y.) to set the score at 3-0.

Mitchell starter Axel De Jesus (Stratford, Conn.) held Elms scoreless through the first six innings of the contest before the Blazers answered with four in the top of the seventh.

Junior third baseman Geoff Frost (Ludlow, Mass.) led off the stanza with a bunt single, advanced to second on a single to right by freshman first baseman Jordan Zima (Berlin, Conn.) and then scored when freshman left fielder Tim Gelzinis (North Dighton, Mass.) singled to third. Sophomore second baseman Aedin Wadja (Lebanon, Conn.) followed with an RBI base hit and junior center fielder Brady Forrest (Hampden, Mass.) drove in a run with a single through the right side to even the game at 3-3. Sophomore shortstop Nolan Medeiros (Taunton, Mass.) then lifted a sacrifice fly to center field to give Elms a 4-3 edge.

The Blazers plated an insurance run in the top of the ninth when senior catcher Zach Dreher (Naugatuck, Conn.) scored on a fielder's choice and infield error to give Elms a 5-3 cushion.

Blazers' sophomore starter Tom Weldon (Springfield, Mass.) pitched seven innings and earned the win, allowing three runs (two earned) on five hits while striking out seven batters to improve to 2-3 on the hill. Sophomore reliever Kyle Bartlett (Huntington, Mass.) tossed two scoreless frames of relief and picked up his first save of the season.

De Jesus (2-2) struck out five batters in the loss for the Mariners while LaLima led the offensive efforts with a 2 for 5 effort at the plate with an RBI.

Wadja led the Blazers with a 3 for 4 showing at the plate with an RBI and a run scored, while Gelzinis and Frost both had two hits and a run scored.

Elms returns to NECC action when it hosts Mitchell College on Saturday, April 19 for a pair of seven-inning games at 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. at MacKenzie Stadium in Holyoke, Mass.