Late Offensive Outburst Powers Baseball Past Dean in GNAC Tournament
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Dean | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 1 |
|
Mitchell | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 1 | X | 7 | 12 | 2 |
NEW LONDON, Conn. – The top-seeded Mitchell College baseball team used a big seventh inning to pull away for a 7–2 victory over No. 4 Dean College in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Tournament pod play on Saturday afternoon at Alumni Field.
With the win, the Mariners (26-12, 16-4 GNAC) advance to the Pod A championship game on Sunday against the winner of Saturday's late game between the Bulldogs and No. 8 Elms College. First pitch from Mitchell College is scheduled for 11:00 a.m.
After falling behind 2–0 through five innings, the Mariners got on the board in the bottom of the fifth on a sacrifice fly by junior Michael Ficocelli (North Providence, R.I.) that plated senior Johnny Brucato (Cheshire, Conn.).
Mitchell then broke the game open in the seventh, erupting for five runs to take control. Senior Nicholas Bracale (East Haven, Conn.) delivered a two-run double to give the Mariners their first lead of the game, and Ficocelli followed with a two-run home run—his second of the season—to extend the advantage. Senior Kenneth Miller Jr. (New London, Conn.) added an RBI single later in the frame to cap the rally.
The Mariners added an insurance run in the eighth on an RBI bunt single by Brucato to push the lead to 7–2.
Mitchell finished with 12 hits in the contest, with Ficocelli driving in three runs and Bracale adding a pair of RBI in the win.
On the mound, freshman Andrew Manzo (North Haven, Conn.) got the start and allowed two runs on seven hits over 6.0 innings. Junior Ethan Chavez (New London, Conn.) was dominant in relief, tossing 3.0 scoreless innings to earn the win while striking out four and not allowing a hit.
Dean finished with seven hits, with Luke Fahey leading the way with three hits and two runs scored. Domenic Brazeau took the loss after allowing six runs (five earned) over 6.1 innings.
