Mitchell College Wins Softball, Tennis Games

Mitchell College took both games of a doubleheader against Bay Path College on Thursday, taking the first game 6-4 and the second one 10-0. The Mariners also picked up a 9-0 men's tennis victory over Lesley University. The following information was provided by David Longolucco, sports information director at Mitchell College:

Softball: Mitchell 6, Bay Path 4; Mitchell 10, Bay Path 0

Senior pitcher Marissa Thomas (New London, Conn./Saint Bernard) earned both wins inside the circle for the Mariners (5-11 overall, 2-2 NECC), tossing a combined 12.0 innings on the day. Classmates Stacey Suplicki (New London, Conn./Saint Bernard) and Shannen Pelletier (Coventry, R.I./Coventry) led Mitchell at the plate, the former finishing with four hits and three RBI and the latter with three extra-base knocks and three RBI.

Mitchell will next play at Elms College on Saturday, April 7 at 12 p.m. Bay Path (5-20 overall, 0-4 NECC) returns to action at Regis College on Wednesday, April 11 at 5 p.m.

Game 1 – Mitchell 6, Bay Path 4

Bay Path jumped out to a quick lead in the first inning when Mercedes Griffith (Malden, Mass./Northeast Metro Technical) crushed an 0-2 pitch over the left field fence for a two-out, three-run homer. The blast was her first of the year and gave the Wildcats a 3-0 advantage.

The Mariners picked up their pitcher in the third inning with three runs to tie the game. Suplicki got things started with a bases-loaded single to right field that scored two, and Pelletier later followed with a sacrifice fly to center that plated the tying run.

Junior Tiffany Person (Waterbury, Conn./Crosby) hit a one-out double in the fourth and later scored on a wild pitch to give the Mariners their first lead at 4-3. Mitchell then tacked on another run in the fifth when senior Nikki Hoxie (Winsted, Conn./Gilbert School) also scored on a wild pitch.

Katherine Chabot (Brookfield, Mass./St. Peter-Marian) led off the sixth inning with a triple to spark the Wildcats. Nicole Ogden (Springfield, Mass./Longmeadow) immediately brought her home with a sacrifice fly to center to cut the lead to 5-4. Bay Path then loaded the bases with only one out, but Thomas escaped the jam by striking out the next two batters to retire the side.

Mitchell added an insurance run in its half of the sixth but wouldn’t need it. The Wildcats brought the tying run to the plate in the seventh, but Thomas recorded the final three outs to seal the win. She finished with a career-high 10 strikeouts and allowed four runs on 10 hits in 7.0 innings of work.

Rhodes allowed six runs (three earned) on six hits and struck out three while walking eight. Griffith finished with two hits, as did Keelin Dougherty (Northfield, N.H./Bishop Brady) and Marissa Stone (Londonderry, N.H./Londonderry), to pace the Bay Path offense.

Game 2 – Mitchell 10, Bay Path 0 (5 innings)

Mitchell pounded out 10 runs on 10 hits and invoked the eight-run mercy rule in the fifth inning following a walk-off, three-run home run by Person. Thomas allowed only two hits over 5.0 innings and struck out three to post her second shutout of the season.

The Mariners took the lead in the first inning when Person led off with a single into the outfield but ended up rounding the bases and scoring thanks to both a fielding and throwing error. Mitchell increased the margin to 2-0 in the second on an RBI double by Pelletier, the first of three extra-base hits in the game for the senior outfielder.

Mitchell broke the game open with a five-run third inning. Freshman Lindsey Romagnino (Totowa, N.J./Passaic Valley) plated the first run with a double down the left field line and later scored on double steal. Suplicki followed with an RBI single and scored on a ground out by freshman Dylan Riccardi (Elmont, N.Y./Sewanhaka). Pelletier capped the rally with an RBI triple to center that scored Hoxie, who had reached base with a bunt single.

Thomas didn’t give up a hit until Dougherty led off the fourth with a single down the left field line. Griffith also singled in the fifth, but that would be all the offense the Wildcats would muster.

Pelletier doubled in the home half of the fifth and moved over to third base on an error to put the winning run only 60 feet away. With runners at the corners and only one out, Person put an exclamation mark on the game with her first long ball of the season, a drive that cleared the center field fence with room to spare.

Dougherty got the starting nod for the Wildcats and struck out and walked two in the loss.

Men's Tennis: Mitchell 9, Lesley 0

A total of seven Mariners contributed to the victory in both singles and doubles play. It marked Mitchell’s second victory over Lelsey (1-3 overall, 1-3 NECC) in five days.

Mitchell (3-0 overall, 3-0 NECC) started the match by winning all three doubles points in decisive fashion. The team of junior Rocco Devona (Waterford, Conn./Waterford) and freshman Rajan Bawa (Basking Ridge, N.J./Ridge) triumphed over Lesley’s Nick Mattox (Pasadena, Md./Chesapeake) and Christian Domingo (Granada Hills, Calif./Delphi Academy) by an 8-2 final at the No. 1 spot. The remaining two doubles matches were decided by 8-1 finals.

Bawa coasted past Mattox at No. 1 singles without dropping a game, and Devona won at the No. 2 spot by 6-1, 6-1 finals against Paolo DiPietrantonio (Cambridge, MA/Cambridge Rindge & Latin). Senior Tyler Engleberg (Niantic, Conn./East Lyme) and Domingo battled at No. 3 singles, with the former coming away with a 6-4, 6-2 victory.

Mitchell took the rest of the singles points in straight sets, though all three matches featured sets that went to a tiebreaker. Seniors Andrew Small (Westerly, R.I./Westerly) and Alexander Fusco (Saugus, Mass./Saugus) won at the No. 4 and 5 spots, respectively, while junior Randy Coons (Yonkers, N.Y./Brewster) picked up his first win of the season at No. 6.

Mitchell will next host Becker College on Saturday, April 7 at noon. Lesley will next host Newbury College on Saturday at 5 p.m.