Junior Michael White was 4-for-5 with a double, stolen base and two runs scored this afternoon. (PHOTO BY Richard Orr) |
Late rally falls short as Skyhawks drop third-straight
Senior catcher Mike DeLellis (Marlton, N.J.) and junior centerfielder Matt Renaudo (Milford, Conn.) led Bridgeport's 14-hit attack with three hits each. DeLellis was 3-for-3 with a walk, run scored and two RBI, while Renaudo hit 3-for-5 with a pair of doubles and a run scored. Junior first baseman Eric Schlitter (Guilford, Conn.) batted 2-for-5 with an RBI and run scored, while senior Peter Barrows (Old Saybrook, Conn.) finished 2-for-4 with a stolen base and two runs scored. Senior shortstop Gaetano Giunta (Brooklyn, N.Y.) chipped in with a home run.
Junior righthander Shaun Hancock (Oakville, Ontario) picked up the win (2-0) on the mound for Bridgeport, allowing two earned runs on six hits with three strikeouts and two walks over five innings.
Junior leftfielder Michael White (Lisbon, N.H./Lisbon Regional) led Stonehill's 13-hit effort as he finished 4-for-5 with a double, stolen base and run scored. Sophomore shortstop Michael Zeiner (Simsbury, Conn./Simsbury) went 2-for-3 with a double and run scored, while junior designated hitter Steven Popp (Unionville, Conn./Farmington) hit 2-for-4 with a double and RBI. Junior catcher Rich McHugh (Pembroke, Mass./Thayer Academy) batted 2-for-5, while senior Angelo Bruno (Norwalk, Conn./Norwalk) drove in two runs.
Sophomore Michael Zeiner was 2-for-3 with a double and run scored. |
Senior righthander Alex McCormick (Weymouth, Mass./Cardinal Spellman) took the loss (2-1) on the mound for Stonehill, yielding six runs, four earned, on ten hits with three strikeouts and two walks over five innings. Senior righthander Dan Corrigan (Portsmouth, R.I./Portsmouth) pitched well in relief, allowing just a run on four hits with two strikeouts and no walks to give the Skyhawks a chance for a comeback.
Both teams got on the board in the first as Bridgeport scored twice in the top of the frame before Stonehill got a run back in the home half. Ranaudo doubled to left and scored when Schlitter reached on an error with two out. Junior Ryan Barba (Stratford, Conn.) reached on another Stonehill error that scored Barrows, who had walked. In the bottom of the frame, senior Nick Nardacci (Bethlehem, N.Y./Bethlehem Central) drew a leadoff walk and later scored on a sacrifice fly to center by Bruno.
Bridgeport added a run in the third as Barrows led off with a single through the left side and scored on a one-out single up the middle by Schlitter. The Purple Knights opened a 6-1 lead with three in the fourth. Junior Matt Nassi (North Providence, R.I.) led off with a double down the leftfield line and scored on a single through the left side by DeLellis. Giunta followed a batter later with a two-run home run to right.
Stonehill scored a run in the bottom of the fourth when White led off with a single and later scored on a sacrifice fly by Popp. Bridgeport got that run back in the seventh as Schlitter singled with one out and scored on a two-out single to right by DeLellis.
Stonehill got a run in the eighth when White reached on an infield single and later scored on a two-out single to right by junior Kyle Shepard (Boxford, Mass./Masconomet). The Skyhawks threatened to force extra innings in the bottom of the ninth as Zeiner led off with a double to right and scored on a one-out single by senior Scott Hackett (Bangor, Maine/Bangor). White followed with a double down the rightfield line to put two runners in scoring position before Bruno drove in Hackett with his second sac fly of the day. McHugh reached on an infield single to put the tying run on base, but Bridgeport reliever Matt Bartolomei (Stratford, Conn.) forced Popp to ground out to end the game.
Stonehill (7-5, 0-0 NE-10) is back in action tomorrow when it faces Pace University for a non-conference matchup at Rollins College at 11 a.m. The Skyhawks first home game is scheduled for Friday, March 25, when they host Post University for a non-conference doubleheader starting at 1 p.m. Bridgeport (4-1, 0-0 ECC) faces Bentley University tomorrow at 1 p.m.