BOSTON, Mass. – The Lesley University baseball team dropped a three-game series against defending New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) champion Mitchell College following a 12-8 loss, Sunday afternoon. First year leftfielder Steven DePalma (Albertson, N.Y.) went three-for-four with a double and a homerun while driving in four runners.
Mitchell wasted little time jumping on the scoreboard scoring once in the first two innings to take a 2-0 advantage but the Lynx were not going away. DePalma launched his first collegiate career homerun in the bottom of the third to cut the lead in half. However the Mariners answered, scoring once in the top of the fourth to extend their lead back to two, 3-1.
Trailing by two for the second time in the ballgame the Lynx responded in the home half. Junior centerfielder J.P. Agiorgousis (Hanscom AFB, Mass.) ripped a one-out single before coming around to score on a double by first year first baseman Matthew Warner (San Diego, Calif.) to pull the Lynx to within a run. Two batters later sophomore shortstop Nicholas Ferragine (Randolph, N.J.) plated Warner with the game-tying run with a base-hit to right but was thrown out trying to stretch a single into a double.
With the game all square at three, it gave new life to the Lynx but it did not last for very long. Senior Tyler Pina (Plainville, Conn.) turned the game around, launching a one-out, three-run homerun in the top of the fifth to re-gain the lead for the Mariners.
Mitchell added to their lead putting up a crooked number five in the top of the seventh to extend their lead to 11-3 but Lesley was not going away quietly. With runners in scoring position and two outs, DePalma roped a two-out double to plate Ferragine and fellow sophomore, second baseman Vincent Taliercio (Valley Stream, N.Y.) cut the Mariner lead to 11-5. Two batters later sophomore Ryan Pumphret (Shrewsbury, Mass.) brought in DePalma with the sixth Lynx run. Agiorgousis capped off the inning with a two-run single to bring the Lynx to within three runs, 11-8.
It was as close as they would get. The Mariners pushed across another run in the top of the ninth to extend their lead to 12-8 as they never looked back.
Mitchell junior lefthander Bryton Ferris (Manchester, Conn.) earned his fifth victory of the season tossing six innings along three runs on six hits while striking out two. Lesley sophomore Nick DeGrenier (Marshfield, Mass.) took the loss allowing six runs – five earned – on seven hits while striking out three in five innings.
Game 2: Mitchell 8, Lesley 4
Before the two teams played the series final they finished off game two of the series that was halted Saturday afternoon due to rain. The Mariners took game two by a final score of 8-4 after a five-run fourth inning that spun momentum over to the Mitchell dugout.
Junior southpaw Eddie Santiago (New London, Conn.) improved to 2-2 on the season after tossing five innings allowing four runs on six hits while striking out six Lynx. Lynx junior right-hander Nick Iadevaio (Mineola, N.Y.) took the loss, dropping him down to 3-4 on the season.
Lesley drops to 15-14-1 and 6-6 in conference action while Mitchell improves to 21-10 and 9-3 in the NECC. The Lynx return to the diamond on Tuesday April 25th when they travel to Franklin, Mass. to face Dean College at 3:30 p.m. The Mariners will also be in action on Tuesday afternoon when they travel to Nashua, N.H. for a double-header against NECC foe Daniel Webster College at noon.