New England Collegiate Conference Baseball Championship – DAY THREE RESULTS
At Daniel Webster College (Double Elimination)
Friday, May 3
GAME 1: at (1) Daniel Webster 3, (4) Becker 1
GAME 2: (2) Mitchell 7, (3) Elms 6
Saturday, May 4
GAME 3: (4) Becker 6, (3) Elms 1 (Elms eliminated)
Game 4: (2) Mitchell 11, (1) Daniel Webster 2
Game 5: (1) Daniel Webster 6, (4) Becker 4 (Becker eliminated)
Sunday, May 5
GAME 6: (1) Daniel Webster 12, (2) Mitchell 8
GAME 7: (1) Daniel Webster 9, (2) Mitchell 6 (Mitchell eliminated)
Nashua – Needing two victories entering the final round of the New England Collegiate Conference championship tournament, host and top-seeded Daniel Webster scored its most memorable comeback in program history, waging a late-inning rally to capture the game six opener 12-8 and then came back from deficits of 5-0 and 6-1 in the nightcap to score a 9-6 victory in game seven and capture their second straight tourney title Sunday at Harvey Woods Field.
The Eagles, who continue to add wins to the best overall mark in program history, improved to 28-10 overall, and now await an opponent and destination for a second-straight trip to the NCAA tournament, expected to begin next weekend.
"It's still sinking in," said a beaming Eagle Head Coach J.P. Pyne after the stunning victories as DWC became only the second team in NECC tournament history to take both games six and seven and come out of the loser's bracket to win the title. "Our team has some extraordinary veteran leadership (12 seniors) and that showed today. Mitchell is a great program and we had to overcome a great team today. We just kept coming back and not giving in. Our coaching staff is truly proud of the entire team effort we made."
Tournament Most Valuable Player Rich Lizotte (West Warwick, R.I.) took top honors with a mesmerizing performance in the field, at the plate and on the mound. The senior shortstop and reliever finished a tournament-best .455 with three doubles and three RBI, committed just one error in the field in 41 chances, and added three saves allowing no earned runs over 3 2/3 innings. On Sunday alone, Lizotte was everywhere combining to hit 7 for 11 with two doubles, scored four runs, knocked in one, stole a base, was flawless in the field in 14 chances, and picked up saves in both victories.
"He was remarkable for us," said Pyne. "He was due for a breakout series like this and he just did a little bit of everything to help us out. He really had a great series."
In the championship, DWC fell behind 5-0 in the second and 6-1 in the fifth before stunning the Mariners with a game and playoff-changing sixth inning. The Eagles would send 12 men to the plate, rapping out seven hits and scoring eight to take a 9-6 lead, from which Mitchell wouldn't recover.
Josh Chasse (Haverhill, Mass.), Darrik Marstaller (Spofford, N.H.), and Erick Bourdeau (Alton Bay, N.H.) all knocked in two runs apiece. Bourdeau would finish 3 for 4 while Joe Morin (Pelham, N.H.) added two hits and knocked in a run. Kyle Brigham (Hudson, N.H.) and Elliot Kilgore (Milford, N.H.) knocked in single runs.
Senior righty Zack Hurley (Hudson) pitched one of the best games of his career, coming in for rookie Sean Hannon (Billerica, Mass.) who was chased in the five-run second. Hurley effectively shut the door, allowing one run over the next six innings, striking out a season high seven and walking two.
Enter Lizotte, who was touched for one unearned run in the top of the ninth. Mitchell put the tying run at the plate with two out, but Brigham pulled in a pop foul on the third base side to end it and send the Eagles on to the NCAA's.
Marc Dorsi (West Haven, Conn.) led Mitchell in the final with three hits and knocked in a run. Gavin LaLima (Waterford, Conn.) added a pair of hits. Josh Zurita (New London, Conn.) was credited with the loss (2-2) in relief of starter Tyler Shamas (Westbrook, Conn.), who made his second start in as many days.
DWC forced the seventh game despite nearly imploding with a season-worst six errors in the 12-8 victory. The Eagles made up for the gaffes by pounding out a remarkable 19 hits and every member of the lineup knocked in at least one run and seven had at least two hits.
In all, the teams combined for 20 runs, 33 hits and eight errors.
Lizotte was an unconscious 5 for 6 with two doubles, scored three times and knocked in one.
Remarkably, only Bourdeau and Morin knocked in more than one run, as each had two RBI.
Evan Peck (Shelton, Conn.) was 3 for 5 knocking in one, Kenneth Olszewski (Canterbury, Conn.) had a two-run double in the sixth, and LaLima had two hits.
Mike Patane (Salem, N.H.) earned the win with two innings of relief of starter Greg Dubela (Stratham, N.H.), who started on one day rest. Lizotte came on to toss a final and perfect 1 2/3 innings.
Reliever Jeff Dowling (Branchburg, N.J.) was touched with the loss (1-3).
The Eagles had built a 7-1 lead with one run in the top of the first, three in the second, and three in the top of the fifth.
But Mitchell answered with three in the bottom of the fifth and tied it in the sixth on Olszewski's two-bagger.
But RBI doubles from Kilgore and Lizotte in the eighth put the Eagles up for good and RBI singles from Brigham and Tyler Bonin (Litchfield, N.H.) in the ninth iced it.
The all-tournament team included Bonin and DuBela from DWC, Olszewski, Shamas and Neftali arroyo (New Haven, Conn.) from Mitchell, Dan McCormack and Curtis Lebeau from Elms, and Nick Lemay and Tony Cantalupo from Becker.