Baseball Walks It Off in the 10th to Secure Win in GNAC Championship Series Opener
| Final (10) | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Saint Joseph's (Me.) | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 10 | 0 |
|
Mitchell | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 14 | 2 |
NEW LONDON, Conn. – Senior Johnny Brucato (Cheshire, Conn.) laced a game-tying double to right field in the bottom of the ninth inning before fellow senior Adam Vartanian (Cumberland, R.I.) delivered a walk-off single to right in the 10th on Thursday afternoon, lifting the top-seeded Mitchell College baseball team to a dramatic 8–7 victory over No. 3 Saint Joseph's College (Maine) in the opening game of the best-of-three Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Baseball Championship Series at Alumni Field.
With the win, the Mariners (28-12, 16-4 GNAC) will need just one more victory on Friday against the Monks to claim their second GNAC Baseball Championship in the last three years. Saint Joseph's (34-12, 16-6 GNAC), meanwhile, will look to stave off elimination on Friday, with first pitch scheduled for 11:00 a.m. in New London.
The Mariners struck first in the opening inning when junior Michael Ficocelli (North Providence, R.I.) singled through the right side to plate sophomore Jayden Sgro (Glastonbury, Conn.), and junior Christopher Piscione (Cranston, R.I.) followed with an RBI single to make it 2–0.
Saint Joseph's answered with an unearned run in the second before Mitchell regained a two-run edge in the bottom half on an RBI single by senior Nicholas Bracale (East Haven, Conn.).
The Monks erupted for four runs in the third inning, capitalizing on Mitchell miscues to take a 5–3 lead. Nic Frink delivered an RBI double, Michael Richards drew a bases-loaded walk, and Connor Finn added a two-run single during the rally. Mitchell responded with a run in the bottom of the inning on a wild pitch before reclaiming the lead in the fourth when Piscione ripped a two-run single up the middle to put the Mariners in front, 6–5.
Saint Joseph's regained the advantage in the fifth inning, tying the game on an RBI fielder's choice by Richards before Finn added another RBI single to give the Monks a 7–6 lead.
Mitchell remained within striking distance thanks to dominant relief work from junior Ethan Chavez (New London, Conn.), who tossed 5.0 scoreless innings while allowing just four hits and striking out three. Senior Jacob Quiles (Wallkill, N.Y.) followed with a scoreless 10th inning, striking out two to earn the victory.
Trailing by one in the bottom of the ninth, junior Luis Collazo (Windsor, Conn.) came around to score when Brucato drilled a double to right field to tie the game at 7–7.
In the 10th, Bracale opened the inning with a triple before Vartanian lined the first pitch he saw into right field for the walk-off hit.
Mitchell finished with 14 hits in the contest, led by Bracale and Piscione, who each recorded three hits. Piscione drove in three runs, while Brucato collected two hits and scored twice.
Saint Joseph's totaled 10 hits, with Connor Finn driving in three runs and Michael Richards adding two RBI. Paul Donnelly and Nic Frink combined to allow just one run over the final 2.0 innings before Vartanian's game-winning hit.
