Softball Topped Twice in GNAC Opener
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Saint Joseph's (Me.) | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 8 | 1 |
|
Mitchell | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 0 |
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Saint Joseph's (Me.) | 0 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 14 | 20 | 2 |
|
Mitchell | 0 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 10 | 0 |
NEW LONDON, Conn. – The Mitchell College softball team opened up Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) play on Saturday afternoon at home, dropping a pair of close games to Saint Joseph's College (ME) at Alumni Field.
In the opener, the Monks used scored the go-ahead run in the top of seventh and held on for a 3-4 victory, before SJC outslugged the Mariners 14-11 in the second game to secure the sweep.
The Mariners (5-9, 0-2 GNAC) won't have to wait long for an opportunity to bounce back, as the Mariners play a pair of conference games on Sunday, March 30, at Elms College. The Monks (5-9, 2-0 GNAC) return to action on Wednesday, April 2, with a non-league game the University of Southern Maine.
Game 1 – SJC 4, Mitchell 3
Following a pair of scoreless frames to begin the opening game of the day, the Monks went ahead by two runs in the top of the third, as Sylvia Foley hit an RBI single through the right side and Chantelle Bouchard hit a sacrifice fly to left field.
The Mariners finally got on the board in the bottom of the fifth when senior Gemma Landry (Lewiston, ME) ripped a run-scoring single up the middle, but a double by Madison Pelletier in the top of the sixth pushed the Monks back ahead by two, 3-1. Mitchell knotted the score in the bottom of the frame, loading the bases with nobody out. Senior Emma LaBreck (Rollinsford, N.H.) then drove in two with an RBI single up the middle, forcing the Monks to change pitchers with the bases still loaded, and they turned to Rylee Page, who retired the next three batters to escape the jam.
SJC managed to push the eventual game winning run across in the top of the seventh, as Sadie Tirrell hit a one out single, then advanced to second on a passed ball, third on an infield single, and scored on a sacrifice fly to right field by Foley.
Emma LaBreck went 2-3 with two RBI to lead the Mariners at the plate, while Brooke Whitmarsh doubled.
Senior Emily Reynolds (Somers, Conn.) was charged with the loss after allowing four runs (three earned) across seven innings of work.
Rylee Page picked up her second win of the spring, closing the game with a pair of no-hit innings. Tirrell and Madison Pelletier had two hits apiece for SJC in the game.
Game 2 – SJC 14, Mitchell 11
SJC took an early lead in the second game, plating two runs in the top of the second to pull ahead. The Mariners then answered in a big way in the bottom of the frame, scoring seven runs, as Madison Cole (Westbrook, ME), Kaylee Drago (Danbury, Conn.), Gemma Landry, and Brooke Whitmarsh each picked up an RBI.
For Whitmarsh, the RBI was number 100 in her Mitchell career, marking the first time in the Division III era of the program that a player has reached the milestone.
Trailing 7-2, the Monks began chipping away, scoring two runs in the top of the third, before erupting for seven more in the top of the fourth, chasing Mitchell starting pitcher Katelynn Goodman (Virginia Beach, VA) from the game, as well as the first relief pitcher used, Olivia DeCicco (Haverhill, Mass.). The Mariners then began to claw back, scoring three runs in the bottom of the fourth on a bases loaded walk by freshman Nadya Hudson (Milwaukee, WI) and a two-run double by Madison Cole.
An RBI single by Emily Reynolds in the bottom of the sixth tied the score at 11-11, but the Monks pushed three more runs across in the top of the seventh and were able to work around Mitchell loading the bases in the bottom half of the inning, holding on for the win.
Olivia DeCicco had a game-high two hits, including a double, for the Mariners, while Madison Cole went 1-3 with a double, three RBI, two runs scored, and a pair of walks. Emily Reynolds took the loss in the circle, pitching three and one third innings of three-run ball.
Chantelle Bouchard had four hits to lead the Monks, while Rylee Page came out of the bullpen to earn the win, surrendering three runs in three and one third innings.
