Late-Inning Rally Dooms Skyhawks Again
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| Dave Fradette had two RBI in the Skyhawks' 10-9 loss at Assumption. |
Worcester, Mass. - For the third time in recent memory, a Stonehill opponent rallied for late inning runs to snatch victory away from the Skyhawks. This time the culprit was Assumption, as the host Greyhounds scored two runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to erase a one run deficit and steal a 10-9 win over Stonehill on Tuesday afternoon at H.L. Rocheleau Field.
Stonehill pounced on Assumption early, scoring five runs in the top of the first, with a two-run double coming from Dave Fradette (Goffstown, N.H.) and a two-run single coming from Scott Hackett (Bangor, Maine). That was enough to chase Greyhound freshman starter Zachary Jacques after he only recorded one out.
The beneficiary of the Skyhawks run support was Shane Penzone (Hudson, Mass.) but the freshman hurler couldn't take advantage, as he yielded six earned runs in 3.2 innings.
After allowing a run in the first he gave up another in the fourth but managed to get a key double play in the inning with first and third and nobody out that seemed to turn the tide in the Skyhawks favor. But the Greyhounds then put together four straight hits, including a two-run single by Shawn Frigon that ended Penzone's day.
Justin Perry (Wilbraham, Mass.) was then greeted by back-to-back singles and a two-run triple before getting a flyout to end the inning.
Stonehill answered with four runs in the sixth, which featured a bases-clearing double from Ryan Healey (Lynn, Mass.) that gave the Skyhawks a 9-8 lead after six innings.
Assumption then loaded the bases with one out in the eighth against Perry before he was relieved by Matt Giusti (Hopkinton, Mass.). Giusti then plunked the first batter he faced to even the score at 8-8 and an RBI single by Jeff Barbale gave the hosts all the runs they would need.
Mitch Davis (Bow, N.H.) was 3-for-5 with two runs and an RBI from his leadoff spot, while Shane Franz (Cazenovia, N.Y.) went 2-for-5.
The No. 4 and 5 hitters for Assumption, Tim Scafidi and JBarbale went a combined 5-for-9 on the day with six RBI.
Perry (1-4) took the loss for Stonehill (16-15), while Andrew Quinn (1-4) gets the win for the Greyhounds (12-21). Tim Dupuis pitched the ninth for his third save of the season.
The two teams will meet again on Thursday at Lou Gorman Field with first pitch scheduled for 3:30 p.m.