| Mitchell athletics photo |
NEW LONDON, Conn. – Top-seeded Mitchell College claimed the 2014 New England Collegiate Conference Championship on Sunday by winning a pair of games against second-seeded Becker College at Alumni Field.
The Mariners handed the Hawks their first loss of the double-elimination tournament by a 13-3 final in the day's first game to force a winner-take-all final match-up. Mitchell then slugged to a 27-11 win in the second game to earn the program's third NECC title and first since 2011.
Gavin LaLima was named the Most Valuable Player of the tournament after going 5-for-8 with two RBI and seven runs scored on the day. He batted a team-high .579 over five tournament games and finished with 11 hits, 11 runs scored and six runs batted in.
The win also earned Mitchell (23-12-1 overall) the conference's automatic berth in the NCAA Championship. Regional play will be held on May 14-18 while the selections will be released on May 11.
Game 2 – Mitchell 27, Becker 11
Mitchell pounded out a season-high 27 runs on 25 hits to cruise to victory in the finale. Kenneth Olszewski, Neftali Arroyo and Will Charkowsky each homered for the Mariners while all nine starting players finished with a hit.
A pair of defensive gems kept Becker off the scoreboard in the opening innings. Evan Peck made a diving grab at first base to keep a run from scoring in the first, and Arroyo gunned down a runner at the plate from right field to end the second.
The Mariners led 2-0 after the first inning and sent 11 batters to the plate in the second to increase the margin to 8-0. Becker starter Keon Jenkins didn't make it out of the inning as Mitchell got RBI singles from Marc Dorsi, Peck and Charkowsky and sacrifice flies by Rafael Garcia and Ryan Goodwin.
Becker cut the deficit in half in the third and knocked Mitchell starter Troy Stango from the game. Matt Consigli connected for a two-run homer while Randall Minogue and Mike Smith each added RBI singles. Mitchell reliever Devin Robbins entered the game with the bases loaded and two outs and retired the first batter he faced to limit the damage.
The Mariners added two runs in the third on a double by Olszewksi and a single by Peck before opening up the game with a nine-run fourth inning and an eight-run fifth. Charkowsky hit both a two-run dinger and an RBI double in the fourth while Olszewski added a two-run shot. Arroyo went yard in the fifth as the Mariners opened up a commanding 27-4 lead.
Becker put up seven runs in the seventh behind eight hits. Tom Natoli led off the frame with a monster shot over the right field fence, and Consigli capped the scoring with his second homer of the game.
Johnny Cabrera didn't allow a hit in 2.0 innings of relief and closed out the game on the hill for the Mariners. He got the final Becker batter to pop up to second base, and the celebration began once the final out was recorded.
Robbins (1-0 overall), who made his collegiate debut in the biggest of all spots, tossed 4.1 innings of relief to earn the win. Jenkins (4-3 overall) took the loss for the Hawks (20-17 overall).
Following the game, Mitchell was presented with the tournament trophy and the all-tournament team was announced. Included on the 10-man roster were: LaLima (MVP), Dorsi and Axel De Jesus from Mitchell; Taylor Kapulka, Consigli and Tyler Wagar from Becker; Zach Dreher and Andrew Sadowski from Elms College; and Joe Muratore and Kevin Hopwood from Lesley University.
Game 1 – Mitchell 13, Becker 3
Mitchell starter Mike Tandy tossed a complete game and allowed three runs (one earned) on eight hits while striking out four in the opener. The Mariners provided him with plenty of run support, led by a 2-for-2 effort at the plate by LaLima and a five-RBI game from Dorsi.
The Mariners batted as the visiting team and plated a run in the first inning on an RBI single to left by Peck. The Hawks answered in the home half of the frame when Chris Testa led off with a single and later scored from third base on a wild pitch.
Becker went ahead 2-1 in the third on an RBI single to center field by Natoli. The Hawks held the one-run advantage until the fifth when LaLima doubled to center to tie the game and Dorsi followed with a single to right-center to put the Mariners in front for good.
Mitchell scored runs in the final five innings to secure the victory. Becker's best chance to cut into the deficit came in the seventh when it loaded the bases with two outs. Although Natoli drew a walk to force in a run, Tandy worked out of the jam by getting a fly ball to right field to end the threat with a 7-3 lead intact.
Dorsi delivered a three-run double in the ninth to seal the win for the Mariners. He finished with four hits (two doubles) and scored three runs while LaLima crossed the plate five times.
Tony Cantalupo got the start for Becker and lasted 5.0 innings in the loss. Testa and Consigli each finished with two hits while Natoli knocked in a pair of runs.