Mitchell College Tops Baseball 8-4, 6-5

HOLYOKE, Mass. – Elms College freshman outfielder Dan McCormack (Shelton, Conn.) lifted a two-run homer to right field in game two and scored four total runs, but Mitchell College's game-one starter Mike Tandy (Montrose, N.Y.) struck out four in eight innings and Nova Crespo (New London, Conn.) cracked a two-run homer to right field to help pace the Mariners to an 8-4 New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) victory and then followed with a 6-5 non-league win on Sunday afternoon at MacKenzie Stadium.

With the losses, Elms moves to 10-13 overall, 3-4 in NECC action, while Mitchell improves to 15-10 overall, 10-2 in league play.

Mitchell 8, Elms 4

In game one Elms took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning when junior left fielder Alex King (Lebanon, Conn.) drove in McCormack with a sacrifice fly.

Mitchell answered when Crespo blasted a two-out, two-run homer over the right field fence scoring Neftali Arroyo (New Haven, Conn.) on the play who had reached on a throwing error with two outs in the frame, making both runs unearned.

The Blazers tied the game at 2-2 in the bottom of the fifth when senior center fielder Stephen Fisher (West Boylston, Mass.) drove in freshman second baseman Aedin Wadja (Lebanon, Conn.) who singled to lead off the frame.

The Mariners pulled away in the top of the seventh inning highlighted by a two-run double to right center by Marc Dorsi (West Haven, Conn.), RBI singles by Arroyo and Gavin LaLima (Waterford, Conn.) and a sacrifice fly by Kenneth Olszewski (Canterbury, Conn.) to set the score at 7-2.

McCormack scored on an infield miscue in the top of the seventh and Mitchell responded with a run in the top the eighth when Eddie Lorah (East Lyme, Conn.) connected for a sacrifice fly to set the score at 8-3.

Elms' freshman shortstop Nolan Medeiros (Taunton, Mass.) singled to left center to start the Blazers' eighth, stole second and then scored on a single to left field by freshman third baseman Brian Langdon (Beacon Falls, Conn.) to cut the deficit in half at 8-4, but was out on a fielder's choice to end the inning.

Tandy allowed four runs (two earned) on eight hits and struck out four in 8.0 innings of work to improve to 4-3 on the mound. Elms' freshman starter Thomas Weldon (Springfield, Mass.) moved to 3-2 overall allowing seven runs (four earned) on seven hits in 6.1 innings.

Josh Zurita (New London, Conn.) allowed just one hit in one scoreless inning of relief for Mitchell, while Blazers' senior reliever Ryan Burnette (Chicopee, Mass.) surrendered just one unearned run on two hits in 2.2 frames of relief.

Crespo and Dorsi drove in two runs each for the Mariners, while LaLima, Dorsi and Arroyo delivered two hits apiece.

McCormack finished 2 for 5 with two runs scored, Mederios was 2 for 4 with a run scored and junior designated hitter Sam Farnsworth (Westfield, Mass.) was 2 for 5 at the plate.

Mitchell 6, Elms 5 (7 innings)

In game two, Mitchell pushed across two runs in the top of the first inning before Elms answered with three in the bottom of the frame, sparked by RBI singles from King and Fisher to give the Blazers a 3-2 edge.

After Elms' sophomore starting pitcher Geoffrey Frost (Ludlow, Mass.) retired the side in order in the second, Elms added to its lead when sophomore right fielder Brady Forrest (Hampden, Mass.) singled to start the frame and then came full circle when McCormack cranked the Blazers' first home run of the season to right field to give Elms a 5-2 lead.

Mitchell took the lead in the top of the third when Dorsi delivered a sacrifice fly with the bases loaded, followed by a run-scoring double to right center by Arroyo, a sacrifice fly to center by Rafael Garcia (New Britain, Conn.) and a single up the middle by Doyle to give the Mariners a 6-5 advantage.

Mitchell's reliever Jeff Dowling (Branchburg, N.J.) who entered to start the third for the Mariners, earned the win (1-1) and pitched five innings of scoreless baseball, allowing just one hit and striking out eight batters.

Frost allowed five runs (four earned) on four hits in the 2.1 inning no-decision. Freshman Bryan Leonard (Vernon, Conn.) suffered the loss to move to 0-1 on the season, allowing one run on three hits in 1.2 frames of work.

Freshman Kyle Bartlett (Huntington, Mass.) struck out a batter and allowed one hit in 1.1 innings, and Langdon gave up just one hit and struck out one in 1.2 innings of work. Neither gave up a run.

Forrest had two hits in the losing effort for Elms, while LaLima was 4 for 4 with two runs scored and Dorsi and Arroyo drove in two runs to highlight the win for Mitchell.  

Elms is back in NECC double-header action on Monday, April 15 when it hosts Lesley University and 5:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. at MacKenzie Stadium.