Mariners Down Hawks In Softball Doubleheader

Mitchell College swept a New England Collegiate Conference softball doubleheader against Becker College, scoring 4-2 in the first game and 12-5 in the second. The following information was provided by Matt Tittle, sports information director at Becker College:

Game one began as a pitching duel as Mitchell starter Marissa Thomas had a perfect game though four innings before Talan Barron (Methuen, Mass.) led off the fifth with a single up the middle. With one out Paige Needham (Worcester, Mass.) singled in Barron from third, giving the Hawks a 1-0 lead.

The Mariners tied the game in the top of the sixth when they attempted a double steal and the Becker catcher overthrew the third baseman allowing Brittany Zaccaria (White Plains, N.Y.) to score.

The Mariners finally took the lead in the top of the seventh. With two outs and a runner on second base Meghan Burke (Bronx, N.Y.) hit what looked to be an inning ending groundball to short stop Felicia Laufer (Salem, Conn.), but her throw pulled Whitney Buck (Old Town, ME.) off the bag, allowing Burke to score the go ahead run. Tiffany Person (Waterbury, Conn.) followed with an RBI triple to right field putting the Mariners in front for good.

Marissa Thomas earned the win for the Mariners, allowing one earned run on just three hits, while striking out seven. Paige Needham took the loss for the Hawks in relief, allowing two unearned runs on one hit.

In game two the Mariners pounded out 14 hits on their way to a 12-5 victory. Jen Bordonaro (Winsted, Conn.) and Tiffany Person each hit a homerun and combined to drive in five runs. Chelsea Arpin (Killingly, Conn.) and Stacey Suplicki (New London, Conn.) chipped in with two hits apiece. Marissa Thomas shook off a shaky first inning to earn her second win of the day. The sweep lifts the Mariners to 11-15 overall and 8-4 in the NECC.

Mitchell will continue NECC play when they host Lesley University on Saturday, with the first pitch scheduled for noon.

Paige Needham led the Hawks going one for three at the plate with three RBI. Unfortunately Needham also earned the loss in game two after pitching all six innings, allowing nine earned runs. The two losses drop the Hawks to 10-16 overall and 6-4 in the NECC. Becker will travel to Newbury College on Friday for a NECC doubleheader beginning at 3pm.