Softball Sweeps Johnson & Wales
NEW LONDON, Conn. – The Mitchell College softball team
extended its winning streak to six games with a doubleheader sweep
of Johnson & Wales University on Monday afternoon by final
scores of 5-3 and 15-2.
Sophomores Kristina Torres and Marissa
Thomas each threw a complete game for Mitchell (7-5 overall),
which improved to 6-0 on its home field. Johnson & Wales (3-19
overall), however, batted as the home team, as the Wildcats were
originally scheduled to host the doubleheader before last
week’s rain forced a site change.
Game 1 – Mitchell 5, Johnson & Wales
3
The Mariners staked Torres to a 4-0 lead after four innings.
Mitchell scored one run in the first on a fielding error and then
tacked on two more in the third, both of which scored on a double
to left field by sophomore Stacey
Suplicki. Senior Sara
Krolikowski added an RBI single in the fourth to give Torres
all the support she would need.
The Wildcats didn’t go down quietly. Johnson & Wales
threatened in the fourth—putting runners on at the corners
with only one out—but came up empty after Ashley Mata flew
out to right field and the runner at first was doubled up.
Johnson & Wales finally broke through in the sixth, plating
three runs and cutting the deficit to 4-3. The first run scored on
a sacrifice fly by Amy Fish, and Mata followed with an RBI single
up the middle. The final run of the frame scored on a single to
right by Rachel Marino, but the Mariners escaped with the lead
after Torres got Korissa Bailey to ground out to third to end the
rally.
Mitchell added an insurance run in the seventh, as freshman Meghan Burke led off with a triple and later scored on
a throwing error. Torres then took care of business in the bottom
half of the inning, improving to 3-3 overall on the season with the
victory. She gave up three runs on eight hits and struck out five
in seven innings of work.
Marino (2-9 overall) got the start for the Wildcats and allowed
five runs (three earned) on eight hits while striking out five over
seven innings. She also finished 2-for-3 with an RBI at the
plate.
Game 2 – Mitchell 15, Johnson & Wales 2 (5
innings)
Mitchell fell behind 2-0 in the first inning but rallied back for
five runs in the third to take the lead for good. The Mariners
added two more runs in the fourth before breaking the game open
with an eight-run fifth, ultimately leading to a five-inning,
mercy-rule victory.
The Mariners batted around in the fifth inning and senior Michele Anderson struck the biggest blow with a grand
slam over the left-center fence. It was her first home run of the
season and marked her second consecutive game with four or more
RBI. Krolikowski went 1-for-2 with three RBI in the game while
sophomore Brittany Zaccaria had two hits and a pair of
RBI.
Thomas settled down after the first inning and cruised to her
fourth victory of the season. She allowed two runs on five hits and
struck out three without issuing a free pass.
Holliann Barry had two of the Wildcats’ five hits in the game
and scored a run in the first on a wild pitch. Amanda Rae Sullivan
got the start inside the circle and gave up 11 runs (10 earned) on
seven hits in 3.2 innings. She also struck out four and walked
eight. Nathaly Sanson threw 1.1 innings of relief and yielded four
runs while walking three.
Mitchell returns to action at Saint Joseph College on Wednesday,
April 7 at 3 p.m.
