NEW LONDON, Conn. – The Mitchell College baseball team picked up a pair of 2-1 victories over Nichols College in non-conference action on Wednesday afternoon at Alumni Field.

Despite an 18-day layoff since their last game in Florida, the Mariners (10-2 overall) got back on the winning track behind timely hitting and strong pitching. The Bison (1-2 overall) outhit Mitchell 12-10 on the day but left a total of 16 runners on base in the doubleheader. 

Mitchell will next host Daniel Webster College for a nine-inning game on Friday, April 3 at 3 p.m. Nichols returns to action with a doubleheader at Endicott College on Saturday, April 4 at noon.

Game 1 – Mitchell 2, Nichols 1

Mitchell scored its only runs of the game in the first inning. After loading the bases with only one out, the Mariners scored both runs on a ball put into play by Neftali Arroyo. His infield grounder pushed one run home, and the second crossed the plate due to an errant throw as Nichols tried to turn a double play.

The Mariners threatened again in the second inning as Peter McTernan led off with a triple to the right-center gap, but Zach Morgillo pitched his way out of trouble by getting a pair of strikeouts and a fly ball to center to end the inning. The Mariners then returned the favor in the third as Nichols put two runners in scoring position with no outs, but Bryton Ferris retired the next three batters to escape unscathed.

Nichols struck for a run in the fifth after a Mitchell fielding error extended the inning. Mike Piekarczyk made the Mariners pay by sending a flare into shallow left that scored Brendan Martin from second base and made it a 2-1 game. 

Spencer Madden led off the Nichols sixth with a fly ball that dropped between three Mitchell fielders in shallow right-center field. The Mariners then went to the bullpen for left-hander Troy Stango, who retired the next two batters before surrendering a single to Ross Caswell to put the tying run on second base. Nick Roy followed with a line drive that looked like it would get through the infield, but second baseman Kyle Hartenstein snuffed it out with a backhanded stab to end the frame.

Ferris (2-0 overall) gave up five hits and one unearned run in 5.0 innings to go along with four strikeouts and no walks. Stango yielded only one hit in 2.0 shutout innings to pick up his first save of the season. Morgillo (0-1 overall) lasted 5.1 innings and surrendered two runs on seven hits while walking four and striking out three.

Game 2 – Mitchell 2, Nichols 1

Nichols cashed in on a two-out walk to Piekarczyk in the first inning as Nick Osma plated him with a double into the right-center gap. The 1-0 lead could have been more, but a potential two-run homer by Joseph Nicolace sailed just wide of the right field foul pole, and the Mariners escaped without any further damage.

The Mariners dodged another bullet in the third as Nichols put runners on first and second with one out. Mitchell ended the frame with an unorthodox double play as Osma put a ball into play on the right side of the infield and beat the turn from second. However, the Bison attempted to score on the play, and first baseman Evan Peck fired home to cut the runner down at the plate.

Nichols starter Vincent Amato kept the Mariners quiet over the first four innings and faced only the minimum 12 batters. Mitchell finally got to him in the fifth, however, taking the lead behind a pair of runs without the benefit of a hit. The Mariners loaded the bases with no outs and scored the first run on an error and the second on a sacrifice fly to left field by Tyler Pina that scored Arroyo.

Nichols made it interesting in the seventh as Cam Cook reached base on an infield dribbler and advanced to third on consecutive failed pickoff attempts. The top of the Bison order then had three cracks at tying the game, but reliever Al Jordan Johnson settled down and retired three straight batters to earn his first save of the year.

Eddie Santiago picked up the win in relief for the Mariners, throwing 1.2 innings of shutout ball and striking out three. The Bison squandered a strong effort from Amato (0-1 overall), who gave up only two hits and one earned run over 6.0 innings.