Short Has Big Day as Bears Sweep Mitchell

NEW LONDON, Conn. – Freshman Hayden Short was 5 for 6 with two doubles, a homer and seven RBI's leading Coast Guard to a doubleheader sweep of host Mitchell. The Bears won the opener 8-3 and the nightcap 9-7 games played with Coast Guard as the home team.

The Bears snapped a nine-game slide to improve to 7-15 on the season while Mitchell drops to 2-14 overall.


GAME ONE: COAST GUARD 8, MITCHELL 3

Short was 3 for 3 with a homer, two runs scored and four RBI's while senior Sarah Sorensen went the distance allowing seven hits and two earned runs while walking two and fanning four to improve to 4-12 on the season.

Mitchell struck first as freshman Suzanne Vachon led off with a triple and scored on a throwing error in the top of the first.

Coast Guard scored twice in the home half of the first on a two-run double by sophomore Casey Cruzpino.

The Mariners tied the game 2-2 in the second on an RBI single by senior Jenny Groman.

The Bears took the lead for good in the third on a sacrifice fly by sophomore Emily Hvozdovich
before Short blasted a solo homer to left for a 4-2 lead. Short added an RBI single in the fourth to extend the lead to 5-2.

Coast Guard put the game away with three in the sixth with the big hit again coming from Short, a two-run single while Cruzpino closed the scoring with an RBI single for an 8-3 lead.

Hvozdovich and Cruzpino (3 RBI) each had two hits in the win for Coast Guard while sophomore Samantha DeConte and Vachon added two hits each for Mitchell.

Junior Brittney Fiederlein (2-7) went the distance and took the loss for Mitchell.

GAME TWO: COAST GUARD 9, MITCHELL 7

Coast Guard built a 6-1 lead and held on for the 9-7 win behind the complete game victory from freshman Mackenzie Everett.

Short was 2 for 3 with three RBI's while freshman Emily Hogan had three hits in the win.

Hogan got the Bears on the board in the first on an RBI double before freshman Sharayah Simco added an RBI single for a 2-0 lead.

Mitchell struck in the second as Groman doubled and scored on a ground out by freshman Taylor Duchesneau. Coast Guard answered right back on an RBI single by Hogan for a 3-1 lead.

The Bears scored three in the third as junior Cherokee Strickland led off with a deep homer to left, freshman Kelli Franza had an RBI double before junior Sara Cammuso added an RBI single to push the lead to 6-1.

Duchesneau had an RBI single in the fourth before sophomore Emma Hvozdovich led off the home half of the inning with a solo homer to center for a 7-2 lead.

The Mariners got two in the fifth on an RBI double by DelConte and an RBI single by senior Shannon O'Neil to make the score 7-4.

Coast Guard would get both runs back in the bottom of the inning on a two-run double by Short.

Mitchell rallied in the seventh getting four straight singles to begin the inning, the last two by DelConte and O'Neil driving in runs to make the score 9-6. The final run would score on a wild pitch, and the tying run was left on first base and back-to-back ground outs ended the threat and the game.

Everett improved to 2-2 on the season scattering 11 hits while walking one and striking out five to get the win.

Duchesneau (0-7) was the starter and loser for Mitchell.

DelConte and O'Neil were both 3 for 4 in game two while Fiederlein was 2 for 2 off the bench.

Simco added two hits in the game two win for Coast Guard.

The Bears are back in action on Friday at Wheaton in a conference doubleheader at 3:00.