NEW LONDON, Conn. (Thursday, May 20, 2021) - After seeing their 11-game winning streak come to an end in the opener, Mitchell College looked to get back on track in the nightcap. However, after leaving the bases loaded in the first two innings, the Salve Regina 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 (Auburn, Mass./Auburn) 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 (Holyoke, Mass./Holyoke) knocked in the first run with a bloop single to right, and John-John Jose (Middlefield, Conn./Coginchaug Regional) followed with a base hit through the right side of the infield to plate another. Robbie DelaCruz (Uncasville, Conn./Montville) 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 (Old Lyme, Conn./Gould Academy) pitched around a one-out double in the ninth to keep the game knotted at 6-6, Lelo Martinez (New London, Conn./New London) and 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.