NEW LONDON, Conn. – The Keene State College baseball team four times had a one-run lead, including after scoring a pair in the top of the ninth inning, but Mitchell College answered every time and eventually forged their way to an 8-7 walk-off win on Adam Vartanian's walk-off single into right in non-conference action Wednesday afternoon at Alumni Field.

Records

• Keene State:  13-16
• Mitchell:  21-8

How It Happened
The Owls appeared as though they might notch their second win of the season when trailing after eight innings, but instead tumbled to their sixth loss when tied or leading after six innings and to 1-7 in games decided by one run.  Only one time in the game did either team lead by more than a run, and it came when the Mariners plated a pair in the first and one in the second to turn a 1-0 deficit into a 3-1 lead.  KSC answered, scoring one in the third and two in the fourth themselves to tie it at 3-3, and from there it was a seesaw affair all the way down to the final out.

Facing Jacob Quiles in the ninth after falling behind in the eighth, the Owls' rally began with an error and a hit by pitch as Evan McCue and Hamilton Barnes comprised the tying and go-ahead runs.  Emmett Borenstein then advanced both runners with a grounder to third, and that paid off when Alec Varano grounded to second to plate the tying run and make it 6-6.  Evan Cali then demonstrated his speed as a catcher, notching another bunt single to third to score Barnes and put KSC in front 7-6.

What seemed liked it might be an uplifting win that would move the Owls to within one game of .500 once more instead turned sour in the bottom half of the inning, as the first three Mariners reached safely on a leadoff single by Cole Lalli followed by a walk and an error.  The miscue by Daniel Cantafi on Marshall Gajda's bunt that was a sacrifice attempt to move two into scoring position allowed the tying run to score as the ball rolled away into right field.  Barnes was able to gather and throw out Sean O'Donnell attempting to score the winning run on that play.  Now 7-7 with a runner on second and one out, the Owls continued to labor in the ninth, as Jack Hayes rolled a single into left to put runners on the corners.  Cantafi whiffed Thai-ler Sestokas to move within an out of forcing extras, but Vartanian lined a single past diving second baseman Varano and into right for the walk-off hit to improve Mitchell to 10-1 at home.  The Mariners, who came within one win over a Super Regional appearance a year ago, have won 54 games over the past two seasons.

KSC, who was outhit 16-9, also suffered their fifth loss of the season when scoring six or more runs.

The Owls scored a run in the first inning without the benefit of a hit, as an error, ground out, and hit by pitch allowed them to execute a first-and-third double steal that again worked, as Cali came home with the game's first run.  However, a four-hit bottom of the first for Mitchell that included a game-tying double by cleanup man Lalli after Angel Galindez led off with a two-base hit.  A single to right by Chas Terni Jr. then put the Mariners in front 2-1.

The Owls responded, scoring three straight later to go in front 4-3 as Otis Follet brought them back within a run in the third with an RBI base hit that followed Chatfield's double.  In the fourth, a pair of sacrifice flies by Cali and Chatfield cashed in singles from Barnes and Ethan Rainha that started the frame.

Shutdown innings were elusive for most of the day, and remained so, as the home team got a two-out tying double from Owen Robbins in their half of the inning to make it 4-4.
A single and three walks in the top of the fifth gave KSC the lead back once more, but Robbins again tied the game (5-5) with a double in the bottom of the sixth.  A pair of singles, a free pass, and a sacrifice fly was enough to allow the Mariners to nudge in front 6-5 in the bottom of the eighth, but there were still two more lead changes to come after that.  Of the 18 half innings in the contest, the teams combined to score in 11 different trips to the plate (61 percent).

"It was a hard fought game," said Keene State head coach Jutin Blood.  "Mitchell threw some good arms at us and I thought we had good at bats all day.  David Floyd (six strikeouts and one run allowed in 3.1 innings) was great out of the bullpen, but we just could not get a shutdown inning when we needed it."

Cantafi (0-1) took the loss, allowing two hits, a walk, and an unearned run in the ninth inning with one strikeout.  KSC used five pitchers in the game, with Jack Lang getting the start and allowing three runs (two earned) in 1.2 innings.

Jadno Canelli got the ball for Mitchell and lasted three innings, allowing two runs (one earned) and three hits with one whiff.  Quiles improved to 5-2, allowing two unearned runs and two hits over the final 2.1 innings.

Cali singled, hit a sacrifice fly, and drove in three runs while KSC also got three multi-hit games offensively, including from Barnes (2-3, BB, 2 R), Follet (2-5, RBI), and Shea Zina (2-5, R).  However, Jonathan Chatfield (1-3, 2B, RBI, R) had their lone extra-base hit. 

Vartanian, the No. 9 batter in Mitchell's order, had a 4-for-4 day and drove in two runs while Sestokas, No. 8 in the order, was 2-for-4 with a walk and scored three times.  Robbins (2-2, 2 2B, 2 RBI), and Lalli (3-5, RBI, R) also had multi-hit efforts.

KSC is now 6-15 in true road games (7-1 at home or at a neutral site), and travels to play the University of Southern Maine for a conference doubleheader this Saturday (April 20) at 12:00 p.m.  Next week, the Owls are home for four straight on Tuesday, Wednesday, and a Saturday twinbill.

Mitchell visits the United States Coast Guard Academy tomorrow afternoon.