NEW LONDON, Conn. – After Nick Lemay kept that Hawks alive in the NECC Tournament with a complete game victory, Mitchell eliminated the Hawks after pounding out 17 hits on their way to a 14-2 victory.
In the first elimination game against Lelsey, Becker took a 1-0 lead in the third inning on a RBI double by Baldino that one-hopped the fence in left field. With runners on second and third and only one out, the Hawks tried to score another run on a wild pitch but ran into an out at the plate. Tom Muratore (Mamaroneck, N.Y./Mamaroneck, N.Y.) then got a ground ball to escape the inning without any further damage.
Lesley answered back with a run in the fourth to tie the game. David Hersey (Wolfeboro, N.H./Kingswood) led off the frame with a single through the left side and later scored from third on a ground out by Joe Muratore (Mamaroneck, N.Y./Mamaroneck, N.Y.).
Consecutive singles through the left side of the infield by Keon Jenkins (Nashua, N.H./Nashua) and Kevin Perez (Jersey City, N.J./Union City) set the table for Becker in the fifth. Baldino then knocked in his second run of the day with a single through the right side to put the Hawks back on top 2-1.
A RBI single by Gustavo Polidor (Caracas, Venezuela/IMG Academy) tied the game once again in the home half of the fifth. The Lynx could have had more but stranded a pair of runners in scoring position as Lemay got a fly ball to end the threat.
Becker used its speed on the base paths to edge in front in the sixth. Consigli led off with a single to left field and moved into scoring position with a steal of second base. With two outs, Consigli was off on the pitch when pinch hitter Michael Cioce (Poughkeepsie, N.Y./Roy C. Ketcham) singled to the hole between first and second. Lesley second baseman Adam Ciampi (Westford, Mass./Westford Academy) made a diving stop to keep the ball in the infield but had no play at either first or home as the run scored.
Lesley opened the sixth with back-to-back singles by Adam Hopwood (Winter Haven, Fla./Lake Region) and Joe Muratore and tied the game on a RBI single to center by Justin Clark (Chino Hills, Calif./Chino Hills). The Lynx then took their first lead of the day when a ground out by Ciampi plated another run. Becker limited the damage to only two runs as Lemay got the final two outs to leave the bags packed.
Consigli was the spark again as the Hawks tied the game in the eighth. He roped a lead-off single to left that was misplayed, and with his speed he ended up on third base before the ball made it back to the infield. Two batters later, Cioce lifted a fly ball to deep left that allowed Consigli to tag up and easily score the tying run.
Lesley tried to win the game in the ninth on a two-out double down the left field line by Mike Slaby (Foxboro, Mass./Foxboro). Polidor was on first base when Slaby's shot skipped over the third base bag, and he rounded third as the relay throw hit Consigli in shallow left. Consigli's strike to the plate was in plenty of time to cut down the runner and sent the game into extra innings.
Consigli started off the 10th with a single and scored the go-ahead run all the way from first base on a double down the left-field line by Niko Bedell (Manorville, N.Y./Eastport-South Manor). T.J. Sempkowski (Oceanport, N.J./Shore) followed with a double of his own to knock in an insurance run that made the lead 6-4, though the Hawks left the bases loaded as Lesley reliever Jeff Heinz (Portsmouth, N.H./Bridgton Academy) came in to record a big strikeout.
Lemay came out in the 10th and retired the side in order to wrap up the win. He allowed four runs on 11 hits over 10.0 innings and struck out six to improve to 4-1 on the season.
Consigli finished 3-for-5 at the plate and scored three runs. Baldino went 3-for-6 with a double and two RBI while Perez went 3-for-4 with a double.
Tom Muratore (6-3 overall) tossed 9.2 innings and allowed six runs (five earned) on 15 hits. He also struck out nine batters while walking two.
In the second elimination game, Mitchell sent 12 batters to the plate and scored seven runs in the first inning as the offense, which was dormant the game prior, finally came to life. LaLima led off the game with a triple to right and came home on a two-run homer by Olszewski that was launched over the left field fence. A single by Kyle Hartenstein (Meriden, Conn./Maloney), a double by Ryan Goodwin (Tunkhannock, Pa./Tunkhannock) and a single by LaLima also plated runs in the frame as the Mariners got into the Becker bullpen early.
The Mariners added three runs in the second inning to bump the lead to double digits. Hartenstein knocked in another run with a single to right-center while Goodwin added a two-run single to left. A two-run homer by Peter McTernan (Union, N.J./Union) in the fourth inning extended Mitchell's lead to 12-0.
The Hawks got on the scoreboard in the sixth on a two-run homer by Consigli. His shot over the left field fence was his fifth long ball of the season. Olszewski added his second homer of the game in the bottom of the frame, a solo shot to left that brought his season total to three. Neftali Arroyo (New Haven, Conn./Wilbur Cross) then put the Mariners up 14-2 with a sacrifice fly to right that scored Peck.
Mitchell's Axel De Jesus (Stratford, Conn./Stratford) was the pitcher of record when the game was halted heading into the top of the eighth. He allowed two runs on six hits over 7.0 innings and struck out five batters. Jenkins got the starting nod for Becker and gave up seven runs (six earned) on five hits and didn't make it out of the first inning.
