Mitchell College Sports Roundup

Mitchell College won a softball doubleheader against Lyndon State College on Saturday, while the men's lacrosse game narrowly lost to Regis College. The following information was provided by David Longolucco, sports information director at Mitchell College:

Softball: Mitchell 8, Lyndon State 0; Mitchell 10, Lyndon State 8

Senior Marissa Thomas (New London, Conn./Saint Bernard) and sophomore Tricia Tomaselli (Guilford, Conn./Guilford) picked up wins in the circle for the Mariners (3-8 overall). Junior Meghan Burke (Bronx, N.Y./Preston) and freshman Dylan Riccardi (Elmont, N.Y./Sewanhaka) each finished with four hits on the day to lead the Mitchell offense.

Jena Finnegan (Keeseville, N.Y./AuSable Valley Central) was one of three Hornets with three hits in the doubleheader. She finished 3-for-4 with a double, three RBI and two runs scored in the second game.

Mitchell will next play at Johnson & Wales University (RI) on Wednesday, March 28 at 3:30 p.m. Lyndon State (6-8 overall) returns to action at the University of Maine at Farmington on Saturday, March 31 at 2 p.m.

Game 1 – Mitchell 8, Lyndon State 0 (6 innings)

Mitchell took a 1-0 lead in the first inning on an RBI double by Burke and led by that same margin heading into the sixth inning. Lyndon State’s Ashley Barski (St. Johnsbury, Vt./St. Johnsbury Academy) led off the frame with a base hit and later moved into scoring position with two outs. Meghan Gadapee (Littleton, N.H./Littleton) followed with a grounder up the middle, but senior second baseman Nikki Hoxie (Winsted, Conn./Gilbert School) made a diving stop in the hole and threw the runner out from her knees to save a run and end the threat.

Mitchell carried the momentum into the bottom of the sixth and scored seven runs to invoke the mercy rule. Burke, who went 4-for-4 in the contest, led off with a homer to center. The Mariners then piled on six more runs, including two that scored on a double by Riccardi. The game ended following an RBI single by senior Stacey Suplicki (New London, Conn./Saint Bernard) that scored freshman Lindsey Romagnino (Totowa, N.J./Passaic Valley).

Thomas took care of business in the circle, limiting the Hornets to only four hits over six innings. She also struck out two and walked one to post her first shutout of the season.

Gadapee took the loss for Lyndon State. She pitched 5.2 innings and allowed eight runs on 13 hits while striking out two.

Game 2 – Mitchell 10, Lyndon State 8

Lyndon State jumped out to a 1-0 lead thanks to an RBI single by Gadapee in the first inning and tacked on five more runs in the second. Finnegan delivered the big blow in the rally, clearing the bases with a three-run double to center field. Gadapee followed with another RBI single to extend the lead to 6-0.

Mitchell answered back with two runs in the home half of the second. Riccardi put the Mariners on the board with an RBI single that scored Suplicki, and Hoxie also scored on the play following a throwing error.

The Hornets scored two more runs in the third to take an 8-2 lead. Barski singled to drive in a run and later scored on a wild pitch.

Mitchell drew back-to-back walks to start the third inning, igniting a four-run rally that cut the deficit to two at 8-6. Hoxie and Riccardi both had RBI singles in the frame, and the Mariners also scored a pair of runners from third base on wild pitches.

Mitchell plated another run in the fourth and took the lead for good behind a three-run fifth inning. Sophomore Chelsea Arpin (Killingly, Conn./Killingly) brought in a run with a fielder’s choice to tie the game at 8-8, and the Mariners took their first lead when Riccardi scored from third base on a wild pitch. Junior Tiffany Person (Waterbury, Conn./Crosby) later added an insurance run with a one-out single to score Arpin.

Tomaselli did not allow a run in 4.1 innings of stellar relief and gave up only three hits while striking out two. Lyndon State starter Katie Davis (North Haverhill, N.H./Woodsville) gave up 10 runs on eight hits in 6.0 innings in the loss.

Men's Lacrosse: Regis 7, Mitchell 6

Mitchell College senior Adam Grillo (Waterford, Conn./Waterford) scored the game-winning goal less than a minute into overtime as the Mariners pulled out a 7-6 victory over Regis College on Saturday afternoon in men’s lacrosse action.

A goal by freshman Jordan Cook (Groton, Conn./Fitch) with only 16 seconds remaining in regulation sent the game into extra time. Regis won the face-off to earn the first possession of overtime, but a check by sophomore Wayne Brookbanks (West Hartford, Conn./William H. Hall) caused a turnover to give Mitchell the ball. After an initial shot attempt was blocked, Grillo scooped up the loose ball and deposited it into the back of the cage for the game winner.

Six different players scored for Mitchell (2-5 overall), which trailed for most of the contest and only held the lead for a 21-second stretch in the third quarter. Sophomore Demetre Lyras (Rocky Point, N.Y./Rocky Point) finished with a pair of goals to lead the Mariners. Chris Costello (Edgartown, Mass./Martha’s Vineyard) finished with three goals and an assist while Billy Stewart (West Roxbury, Mass./Catholic Memorial) added a goal and three helpers to pace Regis (2-5 overall). 

The Pride led 1-0 at the half thanks to Costello’s first score of the afternoon with 13:31 remaining in the second quarter. Regis took advantage of a Mitchell penalty and scored with the man advantage off a feed from Matt Vogan (Belmont, Mass./Belmont Academy).

Stewart scored on another man-up opportunity in the early stages of the second half to make it 2-0. The Pride looked to be in control, but moments later a slashing penalty swung the momentum to Mitchell’s favor. The Mariners capitalized on the man advantage, as Lyras ripped a shot from the top of the box for his first goal. On the ensuing face-off, sophomore Chris Joy (East Lyme, Conn./East Lyme) scooped up the ground ball and raced in for a score to tie the game at 2-2.

Sophomore Aaron Feinberg (Waterford, Conn./Waterford) gave the Mariners their first lead of the day at 4-3 with a man-up goal with 2:13 to play in the third quarter. Regis answered back quickly, however, with Costello tying the game with 1:52 to play to close the scoring in the stanza.

Chris Campbell (South Hadley, Mass./South Hadley) and Costello each netted goals in the early stages of the fourth quarter to put Regis up 6-4. The Mariners cut the deficit to one on a goal by freshman Nicholas Gresio (Commack, N.Y./Commack) at the 10:58 mark, but both teams struggled offensively down the stretch. Regis killed off four penalties in the final 10 minutes of regulation to stay in front.

Regis had possession in its offensive end with a minute to go in the fourth before Brookbanks caused a turnover to give Mitchell possession. The Mariners moved the ball around the perimeter until Cook worked his way free for a right-handed shot from up top to tie the game with 16 ticks remaining.

Sophomore goalie Peter Eshenfelder (Quaker Hill, Conn./Waterford) made 12 saves to earn his second victory of the season. Regis goalie Breandan Crane (Billerica, Mass./Arlington Catholic) was also solid in goal, making 12 of his game-high 17 saves in the second half.

Penalties played a huge role in the contest, as the teams were whistled for a combined 23 infractions. The Pride went 4-for-9 with the extra man while the Mariners chimed in at 3-for-10.

Mitchell returns to action at Husson College on March 31 at 5 p.m. Regis will next play at Springfield College on March 31 at 1 p.m.