NEW LONDON, Conn. —  Tagging three home runs wasn't enough for the No. 3 Southern Vermont College baseball team Sunday morning as the Mountaineers dropped a 14-8 contest to top-seeded Mitchell College at Alumni Field in the championship round of the New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) postseason tournament.

SVC put up six runs in the top of the second on the back of a grand slam by freshman center fielder Zack Stacey (Saratoga, N.Y.), a lead that was cut in half as Mitchell scored three times in the bottom of the third. Southern Vermont got one back in the fourth on a solo shot by Stacey, only to see the Mariners put up five in the home half of the frame to take an 8-7 upper hand.

The Mountaineers used another solo home run in the fifth to tie it up, only to see the hosts come back with three more in the bottom of the inning to go in front once again. The 11-8 MC advantage held until the eighth when the Mariners notched three more runs to pad their cushion, one they would hold onto for their third straight postseason title.

When asked about what got the team to Sunday, after being projected to finish tied for last in the league in the preseason coaches poll, SVC head coach Dave Gage said, "It's our leadership – our guys, our captains, our juniors. Just believing in one another is what it really came down to. These guys believed in each other. They became tight together and worked hard all year."

Southern Vermont moved to 20-20 on the year with the loss in its second-ever championship game. The Mountaineers will have a chance to finish above .500 for just the second time in program history (1988: 17-9) as they are set to play one final non-conference game of the season, visiting Lyndon State College on Wednesday for a 3:30 p.m. first pitch.

SVC made it into Sunday's round after bouncing back on Saturday from a tough 21-7 loss to Mitchell with a 12-2 victory over Elms College while facing elimination from the tournament. "I told our guys we had to forget about [the loss] as fast as possible and play one pitch at-a-time," said Gage of the team's Saturday mentality. "We did a great job of that yesterday, and I thought we did a really great job of that today against a really good team."

Stacey was named to the NECC All-Tournament Team for his tremendous performance over the weekend as the Mountaineer rookie was 12-for-19 (.632) at the plate with four home runs, two doubles, nine runs scored, and 11 runs driven in. Asked about his great postseason play, Stacey commented that, "I didn't get much sleep this weekend, if that helped. I drank some chocolate milk this morning? I guess I just didn't try too hard; just relaxed, let it go, and hit it on the barrel. That's pretty much all you have to do. I think I was seeing the ball better, maybe because I wanted [the championship] so badly."

Additionally, SVC senior second baseman RJ Pingitore (Perth, N.Y.) and junior right-handed pitcher Dylan Angelo (Ft. Johnson, N.Y.) were also named to the All-Tournament squad.

"It's always nice to have individual honors, but I was really happy I was able to get to this championship with this team," Pingitore noted.

"Making the All-Tournament Team is great," Angelo said of his honor. "But it leaves a bitter taste in your mouth when you have to watch another team celebrate a championship."

When asked about what was his driving force for a spectacular, record-setting season, Angelo said, "It all comes from Coach and the guys behind me. Every time I'm out there, I just want to play with everything I have for these guys, especially Coach. We're a unit, this team- we're one, and we're going to be back. For us, as a team, it's what we expected all year. We expected to be here, we expected to be in this position, but we expected to win it. So falling short – it hurts."

Stacey went 2-for-5 with a pair of home runs on Sunday, and junior designated hitter Anthony Mercuri (Ridge, N.Y.) was 1-for-4 with a solo dinger. Freshman left fielder Cody Sullivan (Brunswick, N.Y.) had a walk, an RBI and a run scored while sophomore shortstop John Arancio (Oradell, N.J.), sophomore third baseman Rob Spatafore (Mahopac, N.Y.), and sophomore right fielder Niko D'Agnese (Mahopac, N.Y.) were all 1-for-4 with a run scored.

Mountaineer junior righty R.J. Henle (Plantation, Fla.) was strapped with the loss (2-3), giving up three runs in 1.2 innings of relief.

"I think we just wanted to prove to people that we could do it," Pingitore noted of his team's run to the championship game. "We've been so close [to getting into the playoffs] every year, and we were projected to finish better in those past years. So teams kind of overlooked us this season, and I thought we were more loaded than ever. There wasn't a doubt in our minds that we could do it, but we definitely played with a chip on our shoulders to prove to other people that we could be here. We knew we could swing it with anyone, and we proved it. But we knew that our pitching staff had to come together, which they did- they got us to this point. They carried us when we didn't have it as hitters. So a lot of credit to them. We had that attack mentality at the plate, and the attack mentality on the mound."

With only Pingitore and senior right-handed pitcher Chris Bradt (Ballston Spa, N.Y.) set to graduate from the team in just a few short weeks, SVC will bring the majority of its crew back next year, now having postseason experience under its belt. "The future is very bright," Gage said of his program. "Zach and Dan Mason were tremendous at the top of our lineup. They set the table for us all weekend. Those guys are going to be great players in this league, and we just want them to stay hungry. Today is going to be a chance for us to play and work a little bit harder for next year."

"Obviously, it gives us confidence, even losing RJ- one of the most important pieces on this team," Stacey added about Southern Vermont making it all the way to the title round. "But I love everybody on this team. I believe we have the talent – we definitely have the talent – to do it."

"As I said- I think this is going to leave us with that bitter taste," Angelo commented about what the championship loss will do to the team. "It's going to make us work harder and focus more. It's just going to give us a drive. Now that we have a taste of it and know that we can go get it, we know what we have to do to get it done."

Neither side could manufacture any offense in the first as both pitchers sat down the side in order. SVC found foul ground often in the early-going, popping up outside the lines three times in the first 1.2 innings. The Mountaineers would get some hits to fall in fair territory, however, with another dropping between the poles and over the fence for Southern Vermont to stake a 6-0 lead in the top of the second.

Arancio made solid contact to start the frame with a double, and Spatafore dropped a single in behind the mound to put a pair aboard. A two-out grounder booted by the MC shortstop loaded the pond for Sullivan, and he worked a walk to bring in the opening run of the day.

Stacey then came to the plate and continued his long ball success as he jacked the grand slam over the fence in left to make it a 5-0 lead. Freshman catcher Dan Mason (Bloomingdale, N.J.) worked a walk to extend the inning before Pingitore lined a single out to left-center to put runners at the corners. A second error by the Mariner shortstop allowed Mason to trot home, giving SVC the six-run upper hand.

Bradt continued his strong start in the bottom of the second, allowing just a lone, two-out single to right-center in the frame.

"It felt great to get the ball," Bradt, who had spent most of the year coming out of the bullpen as Southern Vermont's closer, commented of getting the start on the hill. "I had my mentality to come out and throw nine saves throughout the whole game. Just like all year- can't change it now."

After the Mountaineers went down in order, however, the Mariners got to Bradt with three runs on three hits in the third. With MC threatening to do more damage with the bases loaded and just one out, Southern Vermont brought freshman righty Ryan Richards (Beaumont, Calif.) in from the pen. He strung up the first batter he faced before getting the second to fly out to center for the inning-ending out.

With one down in the fourth, Stacey's bat continued its tear as he launched the ball down the line in left and over the fence for the solo jack that put SVC up 7-3. The Mariners responded in a big way, however, chalking up five runs on five hits and two walks in the bottom of the inning to go on top.

Another Mountaineer long ball came in the top of the fifth, although Mercuri's blast to left also being with the bases empty to only tie it at 8-8. That would be the final score for Southern Vermont as Mitchell kept the visitors from crossing home the rest of the way while reclaiming, and keeping, the lead.

MC put up three in the bottom of the fifth to immediately go back in front before D'Agnese got stranded at second in the sixth. SVC sophomore right-hander Jean-Carlos Berasgoico (New York City, N.Y.) got the Mariners to go down 1-2-3 in the home half of the frame, but the Mountaineers were then retired in order in both the seventh and eighth boxes.

Mitchell gained some more separation with three runs in the bottom of the eighth, and the Mariners then finished off their third consecutive NECC Championship victory with another 1-2-3 inning in the ninth.

"I came [to SVC] as a sophomore and saw a lot of progress in the program," Bradt added. "I definitely saw a lot of improvement in getting to the playoffs over the last two or three years. This year- I didn't see it coming into the fall. But in the spring, guys turned it around and came closer together, and I started to feel like we had a shot. As the season went on, something inside said 'We're going to get there.' We lost a heartbreaker today, but I know the underclassman can come back and get it next year."