NEW LONDON, Conn. – Southern Vermont College picked up its first New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) baseball win of the year on Sunday as the Mountaineers split a doubleheader at Mitchell College—taking the opener 3-2 before falling 8-2 in the series' rubber match.
The twin bill, which was relocated from Southern Vermont, saw the Mountaineers bat as the home team in each game.
SVC (2-9, 1-2 NECC) is back on the diamond Tuesday with a 3 p.m. non-conference start at Wells College.
GAME 1: Southern Vermont 3 – Mitchell 2
MC took an early edge with a lone run in the first, but Southern Vermont was able to tie it in the second. After the Mariners went back in front with another run in the third, SVC crossed the dish once in both the fifth and sixth innings to pull ahead and hang on for the win.
Mountaineer junior catcher Dan Mason (Bloomingdale, N.J.) went 2-2 with an RBI and a run scored, and he was also credited with catching four runners stealing. Senior right fielder Niko D'Agnese (Mahopac, N.Y.) was 2-4 while sophomore left fielder Nate Hickey (Bristol, Conn.) knocked in the winning run.
SVC senior righty Nick Hartman (East Hartland, Conn.) picked up the win (1-2) with a great outing on the hill; he allowed just one earned run on eight hits in his seven-inning performance while striking out three Mariners. It marked the Mountaineer's first-career complete-game victory.
A Southern Vermont fielding miscue in the top of the first led to the hosting squad going up 1-0, but the lead was short-lived as SVC came back with one in the second. Senior shortstop John Arancio (Oradell, N.J.) led off with a ground rule double, and Mason then knocked him in with a one-out single up the middle.
MC answered with one in the top of the third, and the 2-1 edge carried into the bottom of the fifth. That's when the Mountaineers loaded the bases with one out and saw junior center fielder Zack Stacey (Saratoga, N.Y.) ground one towards short; the Mariners were unable to make the inning-ending double play as SVC senior designated hitter Luigi Magliocca (Broadalbin, N.Y.) scampered in from third.
Southern Vermont then went in front for the first time of the day with another run in the sixth. A Mitchell error put runners at every base, and a Hickey grounder to first made way for Mason to come home for the go-ahead tally. Hartman returned to the bump in the top of the seventh and saw a single turn into a Mariner on third with two down; the SVC senior worked out of it, however, by getting a game-ending strikeout for the Mountaineers to even the league series at one game apiece.
GAME 2: Mitchell 8 – Southern Vermont 2
Mitchell led from wire to wire in the backend of the doubleheader—scoring in each of the first five innings to hold an 8-1 lead. SVC got another in the sixth, but that would be it for the Mountaineers.
Stacey went 2-3 with a run scored as senior third baseman Rob Spatafore (Mahopac, N.Y.) was 2-3 with an RBI at the dish.
Mason went to the rubber for the start of game two—suffering the loss (0-2) after giving up six runs (five earned).
MC chalked up two runs in the top of the first and never looked back. The Mariners added a solo run in both the second and third before SVC got on the board. With runners at the corners and no outs, D'Agnese grounded into a double play for Hickey to touch home. Mitchell would extend the lead in the next frame, however, with two runs in the fourth, and the hosts added another two pieces of insurance in the fifth.
With two outs in the bottom of the sixth, Spatafore singled down the line in left for Stacey to come around from second and score. Southern Vermont would be unable to stage a comeback in the seventh, though, as MC took the series victory.
– #LetsGoSVC –