NEW LONDON, Conn. – The Mitchell College baseball team finished with 27 hits in a doubleheader sweep of Lesley University on Sunday afternoon, winning by scores of 13-4 and 11-4 in New England Collegiate Conference play at Alumni Field.
With the wins, the Mariners have secured no worse than a second place finish in the NECC standings. Mitchell is currently a half-game behind Becker College for first place, and the team that finishes atop the conference will earn the right to host the upcoming NECC Championship.
Mitchell (18-11-1 overall, 11-6 NECC) and Lesley (10-14 overall, 9-8 NECC) will wrap up their three-game series on Tuesday, April 29.
Game 1 – Mitchell 13, Lesley 4
Mitchell picked up two runs on four hits in the second inning. Evan Peck (Shelton, Conn./Shelton) led off with a single and later scored on a ball put into play by Garcia. Blaze Iannetti (Middlesex, N.J./Middlesex) then delivered a two-out RBI single through the right side of the infield to drive in Garcia.
The Mariners added a run in the third, as Marc Dorsi (West Haven, Conn./West Haven) led off with a single and stole second base to move into scoring position. Olszewski followed with a single to right, and Dorsi beat the throw to the plate to make it a 3-0 Mitchell lead.
Dorsi was the catalyst once again as Mitchell bumped the lead to six with a three-run fifth inning. He reached base on a one-out single before swiping his second bag of the day, and Olszewski brought him home with a double to the fence in right-center. Nova Crespo (New London, Conn./New London) added an RBI single up the middle, and Garcia knocked in a run with a double to left-center to complete the rally.
A double by Gavin LaLima (Waterford, Conn./Waterford) and singles by Olszewski and Jeff Dowling (Branchburg, N.J./Somerville) all plated runs for the Mariners in a seven-run sixth in which 12 batters came to the plate.
Shamas was on cruise control through six innings but came out a bit rusty in the seventh after sitting through Mitchell's extended rally. Lesley took advantage, loading the bases with no outs before Casey Blanchard (Bernardston, Mass./Pioneer Valley) unleashed a two-run single to left-center. The Lynx also scored runs on a ground out by Adam Ciampi (Westford, Mass./Westford Academy) and a passed ball, but Shamas closed out the game to improve to 7-2 on the season.
Shamas, who allowed three earned runs on seven hits, finished the regular season 6-0 in NECC play for the second straight season. John Gosnell (Toronto, Calif./York School) suffered the loss for Lesley, giving up five earned runs on 11 hits over 5.0 innings.
Lesley freshman Mike Slaby (Foxboro, Mass.) and junior David Hersey (Wolfeboro, N.H.) each finished with two hits and a runs scored while Blanchard finished 1-for-2 with two RBI and a run.
Game 2 – Mitchell 11, Lesley 4
Mitchell's offense picked up right where it left off, sending a total of 11 batters to the plate in the first inning and pushing across seven runs. The first three Mariners reached base safely to set the stage, and a pair of Lesley errors added fuel to the fire. Olszewski, Garcia and Arroyo all recorded RBI singles in the frame while Iannetti added a sacrifice fly and LaLima contributed an RBI groundout.
The Mariners tacked on three runs in the second inning, the first coming on a double to left-center by Crespo that scored Peck from first base. Garcia then followed with a two-run shot over the left field fence for his first home run of the season.
Arroyo went yard in the fourth to increase the Mitchell lead to 11-0. The solo blast over the left field fence was his team-leading third home run of the season.
Lesley got on the scoreboard with a pair of runs in the sixth. Slaby plated the first run with a sacrifice fly to right, and Tyler Plourd (Canton, Conn./Canton) added an RBI double to the warning track in left. The Lynx then drew three straight walks to open the seventh and pushed across two more runs thanks to a groundball by Blanchard and a sacrifice fly by Kevin Hopwood (Winter Haven, Fla./Lake Region).
Matt O'Donnell (Somerville, Mass./Somerville) was charged with the loss for the Lynx, as he falls to 1-2 on the year. Koby Mitchell (Fall River, Mass./Bishop Connolly) tossed 2.0 innings of scoreless relief and did not yield a hit.