Senior Justin Perry allowed just two runs on five hits while striking out seven in the Skyhawks 5-2 win over Merrimack

Skyhawks Double Up Warriors, 11-6, 5-2

Boxscore Game 1 / Boxscore Game 2

Easton, Mass. - The Skyhawks won their fourth and fifth straight games to improve to 13-11 on the season and 6-5 in NE-10 play beating Merrimack 11-6 and 5-2 on a windy Sunday at Lou Gorman Field. 

Stonehill was led on offense by sophomores Scott Hackett (Bangor, Maine) and Angelo Bruno (Norwalk, Conn.). Hackett was 3-7 on the day with four RBI and three runs scored and two stolen bases while Bruno was 4-8 with two RBI and three runs scored. 

In the first game of the doubleheader it was the Skyhawks who got on the board first. Bruno hit a one out single in the bottom of the second and Rob Von Stein (Trumbull, Conn.) drove him home with a triple over the right fielder's head and came around to score on a throwing error. 

In the top of the third the Warriors returned the favor as Jeff Bercume hit a two-run shot over the right field fence to tie the game at two.  Merrimack added two more in the top of the fourth to double up the Skyhawks for a 4-2 advantage. 

Stonehill opened the bottom of the frame with two consecutive singles and a walk to load the bases to bring up freshman Kyle Shepard (Boxford, Mass.). Shepard lined a single to score a run and a fielder's choice by Mitch Davis (Bow, N.H.) left the bases loaded with one out. 

Hacket came up and drove a single up the middle scoring two runs to give Stonehill back the lead, 5-4. Outs on the Skyhawks the next two at bats ended the run. 

Senior hurdler Matt Giusti (Hopkinton, Mass.) retired the next eight batters before a walk set up  Bercume's second  two run homer of the afternoon to take a 6-5 lead. 

Hackett led off the bottom of the seventh with a double and scored two batters later on a single by Nick Nardacci (Glenmont, N.Y.) to knot the game at six. 

In the eighth Stonehill put five more on the board, highlighted by a two run single off the bat Bruno to go up 11-6 while sophomore Dan Corrigan (Portsmouth, R.I.) pitched the final 2.1 innings for his third win of the season. 

In the second game of the doubleheader, senior Justin Perry (Feeding Hills, Mass.) held the Warriors at bay through the first two innings, but a two run single with two outs gave Merrimack the 2-0 advantage.

In the bottom of the fourth Hackett ripped a one out double to the fence to score Davis and cut the lead in half. A walk, a Shane Franz (Cazenovia, N.Y.) single and two Warrior errors allowed three more runs to cross the plate to give Stonehill the 4-2 lead. 

The Skyhawks added an insurance run in the seventh as Davis scored on a single by senior Nate Weber (Hanson, Mass.). 

The pitching duo of Perry and Shane Penzone (Hudson, Mass.) shut down the Warrior offense over the final six innings giving up just three hits and only allowing one runner to reach second.  Perry finished with seven strikeouts in 6.2 innings of work to earn his second win of the season. 

Stonehill returns to the diamond on Monday when they travel to play Merrimack with first pitch set for 3:30 p.m.