Mariners Advance To NECC Semifinal

The Mitchell College softball team won an 11-3 victory over Daniel Webster College in a five-inning game on Tuesday afternoon in the quarterfinals of the 2011 New England Collegiate Conference Softball Championship. The following information was provided by David Longolucco, sports information director at Mitchell College:

Third-seeded Mitchell (14-17 overall) advances on to play second-seeded Elms College in the semifinals on Friday, May 6. The semifinal and final rounds will be hosted by top-seeded Lesley University on the campus of UMass Boston. Daniel Webster, the sixth seed in the tournament, ends the season with a record of 7-18 overall.

The Mariners scored runs in every inning and held off a rally in the fifth inning to invoke the eight-run mercy rule. Mitchell finished with a total of 10 hits in the contest, including five that went for doubles. Junior Stacey Suplicki (New London, Conn./Saint Bernard) had two hits and a pair of RBI while freshman Chelsea Arpin (Killingly, Conn./Killingly) went 1-for-2 with a double and four RBI.

Daniel Webster struck first to take a 1-0 lead in the opening frame. Amanda Varricchio (Middletown, Conn./Mercy) reached base on an error and later scored on a single to center by TC DiSantis (Hinsdale, Mass./St. Joseph’s).

Mitchell didn’t trail for long, scoring six runs on five hits in the bottom of the first to take the lead for good. Suplicki tied the game at 1-1 with a RBI infield single, and Arpin followed with a bases-loaded double that plated three. Junior Shannen Pelletier (Coventry, R.I./Coventry) added a RBI double and freshman Tricia Tomaselli (Guilford, Conn./Guilford) capped the rally with a RBI single to center.

The Mariners put up another run in the second inning on a sacrifice fly to center by Suplicki. Mitchell then made it 10-1 in the third, with senior Jen Bordonaro (Winsted, Conn./Gilbert School) driving in a run with a double to center and junior Brittany Zaccaria (White Plains, N.Y./Maria Regina) plating a pair with a double to left. The Mariners tacked on their final run in the fourth on a sacrifice fly to left by Aprin.

Daniel Webster didn’t go down quietly in the fifth. The Eagles rallied to score three runs behind doubles by Kacie Lang (Raymond, N.H./Raymond), Alycia Gervais (Windham, Conn./Windham) and Varricchio to cut the deficit to eight with only one out. Mitchell right-hander Marissa Thomas (New London, Conn./Saint Bernard) settled down to get the final two outs, keeping the Eagles from extending the game into the sixth inning.

Thomas (11-7 overall) allowed three runs (two earned) on six hits and struck out one in 5.0 innings. Daniel Webster starter Amanda Wilson (Merrimack, N.H./Merrimack) gave up 11 runs (nine earned) on 10 hits and struck out three. She finished the year with a record of 5-9.

Friday’s game between Mitchell and Elms is slated for a 12 p.m. start.