BENNINGTON, Vt. — Southern Vermont College notched its first New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) baseball win of the 2016 season Wednesday afternoon as the Mountaineers defeated visiting Mitchell College by a 13-9 tally during SVC's Opening Day at Bill Epstein Field.
Southern Vermont trailed 9-4 going into the bottom of the seventh but then opened up for eight runs to pull ahead before closing out the series' rubber match.
SVC (4-11, 1-2 NECC) looks to keep its momentum going with a weekend league series against Daniel Webster College set to start on Friday with a single 3 p.m. contest at DWC. The Mariners (11-3, 5-1 NECC) turn to a Saturday non-conference doubleheader at home with Trinity College, first pitch slated for 1 p.m.
The victory is just the second for Southern Vermont over Mitchell in the last 15 meetings between the two sides, and it marks the first SVC win over the Mariners at Bill Epstein Field since May of 2011.
The Mountaineers were led offensively by a 4-for-5 performance from sophomore shortstop John Arancio (Oradell, N.J.) who scored three times and knocked in two runs; he tagged an insurance homer, his first of the year, in the eighth to help pad SVC's lead. Sophomore left fielder Luigi Magliocca (Broadalbin, N.Y.) was 3-4 at the dish, also registering two RBIs and scoring a run in the victory.
Southern Vermont freshman reliever Ryan Richards (Beaumont, Calif.) picked up his first collegiate win from the hill (1-1) after tossing the top of the seventh before the Mountaineers went in front for good. Senior righty Chris Bradt (Ballston Spa, N.Y.) collected his second save of the year, going the last two innings to close out the victory. Junior right-handed starter Dylan Angelo (Ft. Johnson, N.Y.) went six innings with the ball, striking out seven while giving up five runs.
Mitchell had a 4-for-5 showing at the dish itself, junior first baseman Francis Prettitore (Bayville, N.Y.) doing so while scoring a run on the day. Three Mariners turned in a pair of RBIs including junior Mike Luzzi (Hopewell Junction, N.Y.) who knocked out a two-run homer in the seventh after entering the game in the previous inning.
MC junior right-hander Axel De Jesus (Stratford, Conn.) suffered the loss (2-2) after coming on in relief and giving up the go-ahead run in the seventh. Mariner sophomore Eddie Santiago (New London, Conn.) went six innings with the start, giving up seven runs (six earned) while striking out two on the day.
Mitchell went on top right away in the first as the visitors got things going with two outs. Three straight singles on the ground allowed junior designated hitter Tyler Pina (Plainville, Conn.) to score from second, his slide into home breaking up what would've been a side-retiring relay from right field.
Southern Vermont was able to tie it up with a lone run in the second after junior third baseman Niko Horwith (La Crescenta, Calif.) led-off the frame with single just inside the third base bag. Arancio followed with a single to the gap in right center, and a ground out then advanced both Mountaineers into scoring position. SVC freshman catcher Dan Mason (Bloomingdale, N.J.) sent a fly out deep enough to center for Horwith to tag up and score from third to make it a 1-1 ballgame.
The Mariners got the run right back in the ensuing box, two walks and a Prettitore single to short loading the bases with just one out. Junior left fielder Chandler Whitney (Beaverton, Ore.) took a pitch to the body for the bruising RBI, giving the upper hand back to MC.
Mitchell extended its lead in the fourth with two runs on two hits. Junior center fielder Tristan Hurley (Mystic, Conn.) roped a run-scoring double down the line in right, and a single to left off the bat of sophomore second baseman Kyle Hartenstein (Meriden, Conn.) then made it a 4-1 Mariner advantage.
The Mountaineers had a response, however, as they battled back with three of their own in the bottom of the fourth to once again tie the game. Arancio pulled a lead-off single through the left side to get aboard, and a pair of ensuing base hits then loaded the bases for SVC. Magliocca dropped the squeeze bunt, placing it perfectly down the first base line for one run to score; as the MC infield kicked around the ball, a second Mountaineer came all the way around from second to slide safely into home and get SVC within one. Mason then trotted across the dish for the 4-4 tally on a ground out to short by freshman center fielder Zack Stacey (Saratoga, N.Y.).
That score would hold through the fifth, Southern Vermont getting back into the dugout with a double play turned by the middle infield before Mitchell got SVC to strand a runner in the bottom of the inning. MC tacked up one more in the sixth with the help of two wild pitches and a fielder's choice RBI by Hurley. Mitchell nearly plated another on a double to left by Hartenstein, but the Southern Vermont relay from Magliocca through Arancio to home was in time to finish the frame with the Mariners up just 5-4.
A pair of close plays ended the Mountaineers' turn to bat in the bottom of the sixth as Mason was called out at second when the base umpire declared that Hartenstein dropped the throw from short on the exchange as he went to throw down to first. The Mariners then got out of the inning with a completed double play, the relay throw just beating Magliocca at first to retire the side.
Mitchell got some separation in the seventh with four runs, a pinch-hit RBI by freshman Peter Abate (Wallingford, Conn.) getting the scoring started as he singled through the right side to bring in Prettitore. A sacrifice fly to left gave way for Whitney to cross the plate, and Luzzi then knocked his dinger over the fence in right center for MC to go ahead 9-4.
Southern Vermont refused to go away, using the seventh to come back and take its first lead of the day. Stacey led-off the frame with a dribbler to third, and D'Agnese followed with a well-placed bunt for the single. Senior second baseman RJ Pingitore (Perth, N.Y.) followed with a tough at bat that ended with the captain cranking a base hit to left center, scoring Stacey and forcing the Mariner pitching change. With runners on the corners, a wild pitch scored the second SVC run of the inning before Arancio slapped an RBI single down the right field line. A passed ball brought home another Mountaineer run as the hosts kept their energy up.
A plunked SVC batter loaded the bases for Magliocca for a second time, and he was picked to go back to the squeeze play; he squared around for the bunt, only to see the ball fly off his bat right back at the mound. It had enough air to sail over De Jesus and drop in, making way for him to beat out the throw to first while Arancio scored from third. Another passed ball allowed Mason to score from third, and D'Agnese capped the inning's scoring with a two-run single to left center for the 12-9 advantage.
Bradt came out of the pen in the bottom of the eighth and gave up just a lone two-out single up the middle before inducing an inning-ending grounder to first for SVC to get back into the dugout. Arancio knocked his first home run as a Mountaineer out of the park in the bottom of the eighth to put Southern Vermont on top by four, and Bradt got the Mariners to go down 1-2-3 in the ninth to seal the victory.
Prior to the start of the game, Southern Vermont celebrated the beginning to its home schedule with a ceremonial first pitch tossed out by SVC men's basketball head coach, and two-time NECC Coach of the Year, Dan Engelstad.