NEW LONDON, Conn. – The Mitchell College baseball team picked up a non-conference split against Salve Regina University in dramatic fashion on Thursday afternoon, walking off with a 9-6 victory in the nightcap following a 4-1 setback in the opener.
Hunter Yaworski clubbed a pair of three-run homers in the win, including the walk-off shot in the bottom of the ninth that secured the victory. The Mariners trailed 6-3 heading into the bottom of the eighth but rallied to tie the game, setting the stage for the dramatic finish in the ninth.
In the day's first game, Salve Regina starter Patrick Maybach went the distance and held the Mariners to one run on three hits. Sean O'Malley delivered a pinch-hit single to plate the go-ahead run in the fifth, and Maybach kept Mitchell off the scoreboard the rest of the way.
Both Mitchell (25-7 overall) and Salve Regina (14-5-1 overall) are preparing for postseason play. The NCAA Championship field will be announced on Sunday, May 23 at 10 p.m. on NCAA.com.
Game 1 – Salve Regina 4, Mitchell 1
Maybach and Mitchell starter Roland Thivierge each got off to strong starts. Neither pitcher yielded a run over the first three innings as they handled the opposing lineups the first time through.
The Mariners hit up Maybach for the game's first run in the fourth inning as Dougie DelaCruz crushed his eighth homer of the season over the left-center fence. The lead didn't last for long as the Seahawks responded with a pair of runs in the fifth to pull in front. Salve Regina tied the game on a sacrifice fly by Zach Barlok and took the lead on a pinch-hit single to center by O'Malley.
The Seahawks added a run in the sixth on a passed ball and another in the seventh on a pinch-hit triple by Tyler Petrosino, but Maybach wouldn't need the extra support. He retired the side in order in the seventh to improve to 3-0 on the year. He struck out six batters and walked three over 7.0 innings.
Thivierge suffered his first loss since 2019, allowing three runs (two earned) on four hits while striking out three.
Game 2 – Mitchell 9, Salve Regina 6
After seeing their 11-game winning streak come to an end in the opener, the Mariners looked to get back on track in the nightcap. However, after leaving the bases loaded in the first two innings, the Seahawks got on the scoreboard first with a pair of runs in the third to jump on top.
Yaworski erased the deficit with a three-run homer in the sixth to give Mitchell its first lead of the game. The margin held up until the eighth, when Salve Regina loaded the bases with only one out. Michael Breen delivered a grand slam—his second homer of the season—to give the visitors a 6-3 advantage.
Mitchell fought back to tie the game in the home half of the eighth. Anthony Diaz knocked in the first run with a bloop single to right, and John-John Jose followed with a base hit through the right side of the infield to plate another. Robbie DelaCruz then doubled to right-center to score the tying run, although the Seahawks cut down the go-ahead run at the plate to end the inning.
After reliever Eddie Kaftan pitched around a one-out double in the ninth to keep the game knotted at 6-6, Lelo Martinezand Dougie DelaCruz drew back-to-back, two-out walks to set the table for Yaworski. Yaworski took the second pitch he saw over the right-field fence for his second homer of the game and eighth of the season, setting off a wild celebration at home plate with the entire squad.
Kaftan picked up the win in relief, improving to 2-1 on the year.