May 9, 2010

The 2010 NECC Baseball Championships: EAGLES RALLY PAST BECKER, MITCHELL TO EARN SHARE OF CROWN

Nashua, NH – Needing a win in the final day of a weather-shortened double-elimination tournament, top-seeded Daniel Webster rallied from an early day 8-6 loss to second-seeded Mitchell College and rebounded to eliminate third-seeded Becker College 7-5, and finally top Mitchell in the nightcap, 12-1 to earn a share of the title with the Mariners Sunday at Harvey Woods Field.

The seven-game tourney was shortened to six games due to a wash-out of Saturday's schedule. By virtue of the Eagles 12-1 win, both Daniel Webster and Mitchell finished with one tournament loss and will share the title.

The title is the first for Mitchell (17-14) since joining the NCAA, while it marks the first baseball tourney title for the Eagles (21-16) since 1996 when the program captured the Great Northeast Athletic Conference championship.

The tourney title also marks the third of what has proven to be the most successful season in DWC athletics history. The baseball team joins the men's soccer and women's volleyball teams who won their respective NECC tournament championships this past Fall. All three programs - along with women's basketball and men's ice hockey - won regular season crowns for a total of 8 combined conference or division championships this past season.

Both teams now await word on a possible at-large ECAC New England Championship tournament bid.

The teams also shared co-most valuable player awards as part of the all tournament team. Daniel Webster's Nick Michaud (Windsor Locks, Conn.) and Mitchell's Andrew Langlais (Ledyard, Conn.) took the honors.

Michaud was a one-man wrecking crew over the three game stretch Sunday, going a remarkable 7 for 10 at the plate with two doubles, knocking in 11 and scoring three times.

Langlais meanwhile, hit .400 over Mitchell's three games knocking in two, scoring two and was 1-0 on the mound with a 4.2 ERA and seven strikeouts against one walk.

 

Game 4: (2) Mitchell 8, (1) Daniel Webster 6

In the day's opener, Mitchell built an 8-2 lead after five and a half innings and then held off a late Eagle rally to post the two-run win despite Daniel Webster ringing up 16 hits.

Connor Rochefort (Dayville, Conn.) led the Mariners with three hits knocking in one while all-tournament selection Paul Martinez (New London, Conn.) and Jared Bishop (Moodus, Conn.) added two hits. John McGarry (Waterford, Conn.) added a RBI double.

Langlais (4-3) earned the victory on the mound allowing three earned runs on 11 hits striking out seven and walking one over 6 1/3 innings. Cody Faddis (Muskogee, Okla.) earned the save going the rest of the way.

All tournament selection Chuck Manning (Riverside, R.I.) led the Eagles going 3 for 4 with three run scoring singles in the second, sixth and eighth, respectively. Josh Chasse (Haverhill, Mass.), Elliott Kilgore (Milford, Mass.), Rich Lizotte (West Warwick, R.I.), Bruce Brown (Lowell, Mass.) and Zach Cantor (Windham, Maine) had two hits.

Noah Shaw (Lebanon, Conn.) took the loss (3-1).

 

Game 5: (1) Daniel Webster 7, (3) Becker 5

Nick Michaud tore apart opposing pitching by hitting .700 on Sunday to earn Co-MVP honors (Gil Talbot photo).

In the middle game, Eagle pitcher Zach Hurley (Hudson, N.H.) tossed five long innings of relief to get the win (2-2) holding the Hawks (14-18) at bay after Becker had plated all five of their runs in the first inning. The Eagles escaped despite committing an uncharacteristic and season high six errors including four in a jittery first.

But DWC settled, rallying for three runs in the third, three in the fifth and one in the sixth to move into the final round.

Michaud, who started and went four innings allowing the five runs which were all unearned, again led the Eagle attack going 3 for 4 knocking in three more including a two-run single in the third and a RBI double in the fifth.

Chasse, Lizotte, Brown and Chris McKenzie (Burlington, Mass.) knocked in single runs with McKenzie's RBI double in the fifth standing up as the eventual game-winner.

Ryan Sczerbinski (Cranston, R.I.) led Becker going 3 for 4 and knocked in two with a single in the first. All-tourney selection Austin Phillips (Thomson, Ga.) added two hits.

Joe Franchi (Millbury, Mass.) took the loss (4-4).

All-tourney selection Keith Kandel (Fresno, Cal.) added a single and scored once.

 

Game 6: (1) Daniel Webster 12, (2) Mitchell 1

In the nightcap to tie for the title, Michaud capped his remarkable day going 3 for 3 knocking in four more and scored twice and the Eagles put it away with six runs in the fifth to break open a 2-1 game.

Kilgore added two hits knocking in two while both Brown and McKenzie went 2 for 4 knocking in single runs. Cantor would add two hits as part of the 15-hit Eagle attack.

Rookie David Wesson (Pelham, N.H.) pitched the game of his young career with six sparkling innings to get the win (2-4), allowing one earned run on seven hits while striking out two and walking three.

Wesson showed particular poise in the top of sixth as Mitchell loaded the bases with one out, ringing up a strikeout and force out to escape unscathed before the Eagles would ice it with three runs in the eighth.

Langlais again led Mitchell with two hits while Jared Bishop (Moodus, Conn.) added a RBI single in the fourth. Garrett Cornwell (Oxford, Conn.) took the loss (4-3).

The Eagles pushed two across in the third for a 2-0 lead as Lizotte tripled to score Michaud who had singled, and Lizotte would come home on a Brown single three pitches later.

Michaud would push Darrik Marstaller (Spofford, N.H.) home with a single in the third and provided the biggest blow of the day with a two-out, bases-clearing double in the six-run fourth.

 

All Tournament Team

Rich Lizotte, Daniel Webster

Chuck Manning, Daniel Webster

Paul Martinez, Mitchell

Jeff Perillo, Mitchell

Keith Kandel, Becker

Austin Phillips, Becker

Dave Gage, Southern Vermont

Corey Armstrong, Southern Vermont

 

Most Valuable Players

Andrew Langlais, Mitchell

Nick Michaud, Daniel Webster