Junior Eric Haughn pitched a seven-hit shutout to lead the Skyhawks past Pace and snap a three-game skein.

Haughn tosses seven-hit shutout as Skyhawks snap three-game slump

Junior lefthander Eric Haughn (Pembroke, Mass./Pembroke) executed the role of stopper for Stonehill by tossing a seven-hit shutout, striking out seven and walking just one over the nine innings to earn the win (1-1). Haughn didn't allow an extra base hit and just one runner reached second base and none to third.

Senior Angelo Bruno (Norwalk, Conn./Norwalk) hit 2-for-2 with a pair of doubles, a stolen base, run scored and RBI for Stonehill. Junior Michael White (Lisbon, N.H./Lisbon Regional) was 2-for-5 with a double, stolen base, run scored and RBI, while senior Nick Nardacci (Bethlehem, N.Y./Bethlehem Central) went 2-for-5 with a run scored. Juniors Rich McHugh (Pembroke, Mass./Thayer Academy) and Kyle Shepard (Boxford, Mass./Masconomet) both batted 1-for-3 with a double, run scored and RBI, while McHugh also added a stolen base.

Senior Angelo Bruno was 2-for-2 with a pair of doubles. (PHOTO BY Richard Orr)

Junior Kyle Turner (Waterford, Conn./Waterford) was 2-for-2 to lead Pace, while senior Brian Kraminitz (Bedminster, N.J./Bridgewater-Raritan) hit 2-for-4.

Junior lefthander Richard Sullivan (Norwalk, Conn./Norwalk) took the loss (1-1), allowing three runs, two earned, on five hits with three strikeouts and five walks in 3.2 innings.

Stonehill took the lead in the third as Nardacci led off with a single, advanced to second on a wild pitch and scored on a one-out double to left by White. The Skyhawks added two in the fourth on an RBI single by senior Scott Hackett (Bangor, Maine/Bangor) with sophomore Michael Zeiner (Simsbury, Conn./Simsbury) also scoring on an error on the play. Stonehill scored two more in the fifth as Bruno led off with a double, stole third, and scored on a double by McHugh. He also stole third and came home on a sacrifice fly by Shepard.

Stonehill tacked on single runs in the seventh and eighth. White led off the seventh with a single and later scored on a sac fly by Bruno, while sophomore James DeAlto (Briarcliff Manor, N.Y./Braircliff) scored on a wild pitch with two out after the Skyhawks had loaded the bases with two walks and a single from Nardacci.

Stonehill (8-5, 0-0 NE-10) is back in action tomorrow when it faces the University of Bridgeport in Ormond Beach, Fla., at 1 p.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. Pace (6-5-1, 0-0 NE-10) faces Bentley University tomorrow at 11 a.m.