Hillier Scatters Five Hits And Fans Eight Over Eight Innings Of Work As Baseball Takes Rubber Game Of Three-Game Northeast-10 Weekend Set From 11th-Ranked Franklin Pierce With 3-2 League Triumph

April 2, 2006

STONEHILL BASEBALL

Sunday, April 2, 2006

Gorman Field, Easton, Mass.

FINAL:STONEHILL 3, FRANKLIN PIERCE 2

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Franklin Pierce (17-7, 2-3 Northeast-10)100000001-250

Stonehill (11-10, 7-2 Northeast-10)00011010x-360

BATTERIES

FPC:Tyler Cummings, Nate Berberian (4), Tom Gilmore (7) and Matt Anderson

STO:Andy Hillier, Joe Breen (9) and Matt Vaughn

WP:Hillier (2-0)LP:Berberian (1-1) Save: Breen (2)

EASTON, Mass.-- Sophomore Andy Hillier (Hanover, Mass.) scattered five hits and struck out eight over eight-plus innings of work as Stonehill took the rubber game of a three-game Northeast-10 Conference baseball weekend set from 11th-ranked Franklin Pierce with a 3-2 league triumph Sunday afternoon at Gorman Field.

The host Skyhawks (11-10, 7-2 Northeast-10), who posted a 3-1 10-inning nightcap victory yesterday in Rindge, N.H. to end a 13-game winless streak in the series between the two schools, made it two straight over the visiting Ravens (17-7, 2-3 Northeast-10) by overcoming an early 1-0 deficit with single runs in the fourth on a bases loaded walk to sophomore Ryan Halloran (Tyngsboro, Mass.) and an RBI fielder's choice groundout by junior Max Vigliotti (Stamford, Conn.) after Franklin Pierce had taken a 1-0 edge in its first at-bat on an RBI single by senior Bryan Duplissie (East Swanzey, N.H.). Stonehill added a key insurance run in the seventh on a two-out RBI double by Vigliotti, as the Ravens closed to within one on an RBI single by senior Mike Chambers (Londonderry, N.H.) in the top of the ninth but got no closer, as senior Joe Breen (Swampscott, Mass.) came on to pick up his second save in as many games for the hosts.

Senior Coley Lyons (West Roxbury, Mass.) had two of Stonehill six hits on the day and scored what proved to be the winning run on Vigliotti's seventh-inning double, as Hillier retired seven straight in the early innings and nine straight in the latter stages of the contest to pick up his second victory in as many decisions this season. Duplissie accounted for two of Franklin Pierce's five hits on the afternoon, as junior Nate Berberian (Northboro, Mass.) suffered the setback on the mound for the Ravens, allowed two runs in 3 1/3 innings in relief of senior Tyler Cummings (South Paris, Maine), who allowed three hits and a run over the first 3 1/3 innings for the visitors.

Stonehill heads to North Andover, Mass. on Tuesday afternoon to begin a Northeast-10 home-and-home set with Merrimack that begins at 3:30 p.m., while Franklin Pierce heads to Smithfield, R.I. on Tuesday afternoon to square off with Bryant in a league outing at 3:30 p.m.