Mountaineers Top Mariners 13-6 In Series Finale
NEW LONDON, Conn. – The Southern Vermont College baseball team topped NECC foe the Mitchell College Mariners 13-6 to close out the season series on Sunday afternoon. Southern Vermont (7-10 overall, 3-3 NECC) pounded out 17 hits in the contest, and every starting position player contributed with at least one hit. Eric Wells led the way for the Mountaineers by going 4-for-6 at the plate and driving in four runs.
Starting pitcher Adam Northrup earned the win, going 5.0 innings and giving up three runs (two earned) on four hits while striking out five and walking four.
Mitchell (9-8 overall, 4-2 NECC) finished with a total of eight hits, three of which went for extra bases. Junior Jeff Perillo and freshman Eric Pesino each homered while junior John McGarry had a double, one of two hits on the day for the Mariners’ second baseman. Senior Andrew Langlais got the start on the hill and lasted 6.1 innings. He gave up nine runs (six earned) on 13 hits and struck out two.
The Mountaineers jumped on top early with a three-run first inning. Wells and Dan Cook each had RBI singles in the frame as Southern Vermont hit up Langlais for four hits.
Langlais settled down and kept the Mountaineers off the board over the next four innings. The Mariners got two runs back in the third on a pair of solo homers by Pesino and Perillo. Both blasted shots over the right field fence; Perillo’s was his third of the season while Pesino’s was the first of his career. Pesino reached base in all four of his plate appearances and finished with two RBI.
Mitchell scratched across another run in the fifth to tie the game at 3-3. Pesino began the inning with a leadoff walk and moved to second on a failed pick-off attempt. He then advanced to third on a single by freshman Connor Rochefort and later scored on a two-out single by sophomore Ethan Graynor through the right side of the infield. With runners at second and third, McGarry followed with a hot shot back through the box, but Northrup stopped the comebacker with his bare hand and recovered in time to get the out at first to preserve the tie.
Southern Vermont got to Langlais again in the sixth, plating four runs on four hits to take a 7-3 lead. Dave Gage got things going with an RBI single and Pat Warrington followed with a sacrifice fly to right to drive in another run. Wells provided the finishing touch, spanking a single to left to drive in a pair.
The Mountaineers pushed across three runs in the seventh and three more in the ninth to seal the victory. Wells added an RBI single in the final frame while Northrup brought home two with a double to right.
Corey Briggs and Max Ginter each saw action out of the Southern Vermont bullpen. Briggs pitched 2.1 innings and allowed three runs on two hits. Ginter closed out the game with a scoreless 1.2 innings and gave up a pair of hits.
Junior Cody Faddis logged 2.2 innings of relief for the Mariners. He allowed four runs (three earned) on four hits and struck out one while walking three.
Southern Vermont will next host Skidmore College on Tuesday, April 13, at 3:30 p.m.
