GAME TWO (Elimination Game): Elms 9 - Becker 2
NEW LONDON, Conn. – A two-out rally in the bottom of the sixth inning by the Elms Blazers helped them break a tie game and eliminate the Becker Hawks from the New England Collegiate Conference Postseason Tournament on Friday evening.
THE BASICS
May 7, 2021
Mariners Athletic Complex at Alumni Field
Score: Elms 9 – Becker 2 (NECC Loser's Bracket – Elimination Game)
No. 4 Becker Hawks 6-18
No. 3 Elms Blazers 9-13
GAME SUMMARY
With the game tied at 2-2 late in the game, the Blazers pulled away in the bottom of the seventh inning thanks to putting six runs up on the board to take control at 8-2.
All the damage came with two outs in the inning as the Blazers took a 3-2 lead on an RBI single junior Austin Roy (Cromwell, Conn.). Another RBI single by freshman Cole Blades (Lowell, Mass.) would put the Blazers ahead 4-2.
That lead doubled in the next at-bat with freshman Justin Miller (Prospect, Conn.) hitting a two-run double to left field, giving Elms a 6-2 lead.
Senior Josh Keaton (Northbridge, Mass.) capped off the scoring with his first home run of the season, a two-run shot that gave Elms a comfortable cushion and an 8-2 lead.
The Blazers jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the fourth on an RBI single by Roy. The Hawks answered in the top of the fifth on an RBI groundout.
The Hawks took their first lead in the top of the sixth on a solo home run by sophomore Niko Mokanos (Montvale, N.J.). That lead what short-lived as Keaton answered for the Blazers in the bottom of the sixth on an RBI single.
FOR THE HAWKS
- Mokanos finished 2-for-4, including the home run and a double.
- Senior Noah Rivera (New Bedford, Mass.) batted 2-for-4 with a pair of singles.
- Freshman Russell Dunlap (North Attleboro, Mass.) pitched 6.2 innings, allowing eight runs, all earned while striking out 4.
FOR THE BLAZERS
- Roy went 3-for-5, all singles, with two RBI and two runs scored.
- Blades and Keaton both batted 2-for-4. Keaton finished with three RBI while Blades added two RBI.
- Junior Damon Wesley (Springfield, Mass.) threw a complete game, allowing two runs, both earned on eight hits with six strikeouts.
UP NEXT
The Hawks have been eliminated from the NECC Tournament while the Blazers advance into tomorrow's play and will face the loser of the No. 1 Mitchell Mariners and No. 2 New England Pilgrims in an elimination game tomorrow afternoon.
GAME ONE: Mitchell 20 - Becker 0
NEW LONDON, Conn. – A offensive outburst for the Mariners from the fourth inning onward helped them to secure their first win of the New England Collegiate Conference Baseball Tournament, earning a 20-0 victory over the Becker Hawks on Friday morning.
THE BASICS
May 7, 2021
Mariners Athletic Complex at Alumni Field
Score: Mitchell 20 – Becker 0 (NECC Double-Elimination Tournament)
No. 4 Becker Hawks 6-17
No. 1 Mitchell Mariners 22-6
GAME SUMMARY
The Mariners led 1-0 through one inning but it was a seven-run bottom of the fourth that helped the Mariners pull away and advance to the winner's side of the double-elimination bracket.
Mitchell's first three batters of the fourth inning reached base safely, loading the bases with no outs. After a hit by pitch and RBI groundout made it 3-0, a two-run double down the left field line by junior Dougie DelaCruz (Uncasville, Conn.) put the Mariners ahead 5-0.
Later in the inning with two runners on, Mariners senior Anthony Laureano (Emerson, N.J.) hit his third home run of the season, a three-run shot, to cap off the high-scoring inning for an 8-0 lead.
The Mariners would add three more in the bottom of the fifth on RBI singles by DelaCruz and junior Hunter Yaworski (Brooklyn, Conn.), combined with a Hawks error, as Mitchell went ahead 11-0.
Meanwhile, on the mound, Mariners senior Jakari Pellegrini (New Britain, Conn.) was rolling, allowing four hits in six innings while striking out 10.
Pellegrini got out of a bases-loaded jam in the top of the fifth, shutting down the Hawks best chance of the morning. A strikeout and flyout got Pellegrini out of the bases-loaded situation as the Mariners kept their shutout alive.
The Mariners continued to add runs in the sixth, seventh, and eighth innings, as Mitchell cruised to a 20-0 victory to advance into tomorrow's play.
FOR THE HAWKS
- Freshman Ethan Perry (Dartmouth, Mass.) batted 3-for-4, all singles.
- Senior Noah Rivera (New Bedford, Mass.) had the Hawks only extra-base hit, a double in the fifth, as he batted 1-for4.
- Senior Tevon Johnson (New Bedford, Mass.) got the start on the mound and went five innings, allowing 11 runs, six earned while striking out seven.
FOR THE MARINERS
- DelaCruz went 5-for-6 with two doubles, five RBI, and three runs scored.
- Laureano finished 4-for-5 with a pair of home runs, four RBI, and four runs scored.
- Sophomore Lelo Martinez (New London, Conn.) went 1-for-3 with three RBI.
