NEW LONDON, Conn. - The Pilgrims took down the near unanimous preseason favorite Mariners in game one of the doubleheader, 5-1, before Mitchell rallied back to take game two, 12-2 to kick off Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) play.
The first three baserunners of the first game all reached for the Pilgrims, with senior Nick Hernandez (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.) scoring off a wild pitch for the game's first run. NEC again applied pressure on the base paths in the fourth, doubling their lead as graduate Tyler Fenton (Wilmington, Mass.) singled home senior Harold Martinez (Wethersfield, Conn.).
Mitchell pushed a run across off NEC starter senior Christopher Chagnon (Portsmouth, R.I.) in the bottom of the fifth after a pair of hits to lead off the frame. Chagnon retired the next three batters to limit the damage to one. In the top of the sixth, junior Charlie Greenberg (Lewisboro, N.Y.) drove in Martinez to return the NEC lead to two, 3-1.
After Chagnon faced the minimum in the sixth, the Pilgrims added to their lead in the top of the seventh. Senior Ryan Cote (Goffstown, N.H.) and graduate Brady Philibotte (Weare, N.H.) both got on and came around to score on a double off the bat of sophomore Bobby Trigilio (Chicopee, Mass.) for the eventual final score of Pilgrims 5, Mariners 1.
Chagnon was excellent for the 'Grims in the first game of the doubleheader as the Mariners failed to square him up all afternoon. He went the distance, needing just 85 pitches for his second seven-inning complete game of the season, limiting the Mariners to just one run on four hits.
In game two, the top of the order came through again in the first. With both Hernandez and Philibotte aboard, Martinez doubled to right field, scoring Hernandez. One batter later, freshman Dillan Abbate (Port Jervis, N.Y.) drove in Philibotte on a single through the ride side to give NEC a 2-0 advantage.
Mitchell responded in the bottom of the inning, using some ground ball singles to plate a run off starter, senior Isaias Nuño (Rialto, Calif.). The Mariners came back with two more runs in the fourth to take a 3-2 lead. Nuño's day ended after five innings with just the three runs allowed.
Four straight hits to start the home half of the sixth put the Mariners in complete control, ultimately scoring eight runs in the inning. The hosts tacked on one more run in the bottom of the seventh to take a 12-2 win in the shortened night-cap.
The Pilgrims will take a 1-1 conference record into another GNAC road doubleheader tomorrow against Lasell University. The first game will begin at 11:00 AM from Kezer Field in Melrose, Massachusetts.
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