Baseball Falls to Swarthmore in Spartan Southern Classic Opener
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Swarthmore | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 12 | 10 | 6 |
|
Mitchell | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 3 |
LEXINGTON, S.C. – The Mitchell College baseball team battled throughout but fell to Swarthmore College, 12–7, on Tuesday afternoon in its opening game of the 2026 Spartan Southern Classic at Lexington County Stadium.
Swarthmore struck first in the third inning on an RBI single by Leor Kedar, but the Mariners answered in the bottom half when sophomore Christopher Piscione (Cranston, R.I.) singled to right field to drive in senior Adam Vartanian (Cumberland, R.I.) and even the score.
Mitchell moved in front in the fourth inning. Junior Michael Ficocelli (North Providence, R.I.) came around to score on a wild pitch before senior Johnny Brucato (Cheshire, Conn.) added an RBI single to give the Mariners a 3–1 advantage.
The Garnet responded with three runs in the fifth to regain the lead, though Mitchell quickly tied the game again when senior Kenneth Miller Jr. (New London, Conn.) drove in Vartanian with a groundout.
Swarthmore pulled ahead with three runs in the sixth inning, highlighted by a two-run double from Kedar, and added another run in the seventh to build an 8–5 lead. The Mariners continued to chip away, cutting the deficit to two in the bottom of the seventh when junior Chas Terni Jr. (Prospect, Conn.) singled to center field to bring home Miller Jr.
Swarthmore added four runs in the ninth inning to extend its lead before Mitchell pushed across a run in the bottom half to cap the scoring.
Terni Jr. and junior Jayden Sgro (Glastonbury, Conn.) each recorded two hits to lead the Mitchell offense. Brucato drove in two runs, while Piscione, Miller Jr., Ficocelli, and Terni Jr. each added an RBI. The Mariners also drew seven walks and stole six bases in the contest.
Junior Patrick Mitchell (Garristown, Ireland) started on the mound for the Mariners and allowed four runs (three earned) over 4.1 innings while striking out three. Junior Lucas Nichols (Essex, Conn.) was charged with the loss in relief.
Swarthmore was led by Kedar, who finished 4-for-5 with two doubles and five RBI.
The Mariners (2–3, 0–0 GNAC) jump right back into action on Wednesday, March 11, facing No. 20 Case Western Reserve University in South Carolina at 12:00 p.m.
