Junior Rich McHugh racked up six hits, five runs scored and six RBI to pace the offensive onslaught this afternoon. (PHOTO BY Richard Orr)

Skyhawks close in on postseason berth after racking up 33 runs in two wins

Stonehill piled up 33 runs on 32 hits, including 12 for extra bases with four home runs, while taking advantage of 22 walks, hitting .432 as a team over the two games. Junior Rich McHugh (Pembroke, Mass./Thayer Academy) led the Skyhawks by going a combined 6-for-8 with five runs scored, three walks, a double, home run and six RBI over the afternoon. Senior Scott Hackett (Bangor, Maine/Bangor) hit 4-for-7 with four walks and three runs scored, a double and RBI, while junior Michael White (Lisbon, N.H./Lisbon Regional) batted 6-for-11 with a triple, home run, six RBI and four runs scored.

Senior Ryan Price (Binghamton, N.Y./Binghamton) led Saint Rose as he hit 7-for-9 with five runs scored, a double and three RBI on the afternoon. Classmate Garret Keenan (Massapequa, N.Y./St. John the Baptist) was 6-for-10 with two doubles, four RBI and two runs scored. The Golden Knights scored 18 runs on 28 hits for the afternoon, drawing 11 walks and hitting .384 as a team.

Stonehill broke the game open with a nine-run seventh inning on its way to a 17-7 victory in game one. The Skyhawks took advantage of 13 walks with 16 hits in the contest as all nine starters had at least one hit and five finished with multiple hits.

Rich McHugh led the way as he hit 3-for-4 with two walks, a home run, five RBI and two runs scored, while Michael White finished 2-for-5 with a triple and three RBI. Junior Kyle Shepard (Boxford, Mass./Masconomet) batted 2-for-5 with a double, home run, three RBI and two runs scored. Scott Hackett was 3-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored. Sophomore James DeAlto (Briarcliff Manor, N.Y./Briarcliff) drew four walks, scoring four runs, while collecting a hit in his only official at bat. Senior Angelo Bruno (Norwalk, Conn./Norwalk) chipped in by going 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI.

Junior Michael White also had six hits for the afternoon and six RBI, going 4-for-6 with a home run and three RBI in game two, while also getting four big outs on the mound in relief.

Senior righthander Bryan Galligan (Brockton, Mass./Brockton) picked up the win (5-1) on the mound, allowing five runs, three earned, on nine hits with five strikeouts and two walks over five innings. Senior righthander Dan Corrigan (Portsmouth, R.I./Portsmouth) added three strong innings of relief, allowing just an unearned run on two hits with two strikeouts.

Garret Keenan was 3-for-5 for Saint Rose with a double, two RBI and a run scored, while sophomore A.J. Capone (Lowville, N.Y./Lowville Academy) went 2-for-4 with three RBI. Ryan Price hit 3-for-5 with a double, RBI and two runs scored.

Junior righthander Nick Polsinelli (Guilderland, N.Y./Guilderland) took the loss (2-2) for Saint Rose, yielding eight earned runs on eight hits with nine walks and six strikeouts over 3.2 innings.

Stonehill opened the scoring with a three-run second as White and DeAlto both delivered RBI singles and Hackett drew a bases loaded walk. Saint Rose got two of those runs right back in the third on RBI doubles by Price and Keenan. Stonehill got one of those back in the home half of the third and then opened an 8-2 cushion with four in the fourth. Shepard had an RBI double to right center, while sophomore Michael Zeiner (Simsbury, Conn./Simsbury) added an RBI single and McHugh drove in two with a single.

Saint Rose drew within 8-5 with three in the fifth, keyed by a two-run single to center by Capone, before Stonehill broke the game open with its nine-run seventh. The Skyhawks got three home runs in the inning as Bruno and Shepard drilled two-run shots and McHugh belted a three-run bomb. White sparked the inning with a two-run triple with one out.

Stonehill piled on 16 more hits and collected nine walks to key a 16-11 triumph over Saint Rose in game two.

Junior Kyle Shepard was 2-for-5 with a double, home run and three RBI in game one.

Michael White was 4-for-6 with a home run, three RBI and three runs scored for Stonehill. Senior Nick Nardacci (Glenmont, N.Y./Bethlehem Central) hit 3-for-5 with a double, three RBI and three runs scored, while Rich McHugh finished up 3-for-4 with a double, three runs scored and an RBI. Junior Steven Popp (Unionville, Conn./Farmington) batted 2-for-5 with a pair of doubles, a run scored and four RBI, while Angelo Bruno went 2-for-5 with two RBI and two runs scored.

Junior lefthander Eric Haughn (Pembroke, Mass./Pembroke) earned the win (6-3), allowing four earned runs on nine hits with two strikeouts and two walks over five innings. White pitched 1.2 key scoreless innings of relief to preserve a one-run lead before the Skyhawks broke it open late again.

Ryan Price hit 4-for-4 with three runs scored and two RBI for Saint Rose, while Garret Keenan went 3-for-5 with a double, run scored and two RBI. Senior Grant Smith (Waterford, Pa./Fort LeBoeuf) batted 1-for-3 with three RBI. Freshman Brian Maynard (Lynn, Mass./Lynn English) chipped in by hitting 3-for-5 with a run scored.

Junior Alex Ferenti (Deerfield, N.Y./Whitesboro) took the loss (4-2), allowing eight earned runs on nine hits with two strikeouts and five walks over 4.2 innings.

Saint Rose struck first with a run in the third on an RBI single through the left side by Keenan. Stonehill answered in the bottom half with six runs. Nardacci sparked the inning with a two-run double, Bruno and Shepard both delivered RBI singles, while Michael Zeiner contributed a sacrifice fly and Scott Hackett scored from second on a fly ball deep to center by Popp.

Stonehill led 9-4 after five, when Saint Rose scored four in the sixth, keyed by an RBI single by Price and a bases-loaded walk from Keenan. Stonehill finally took control with a seven-run seventh as White and Bruno had RBI singles and Popp delivered his second double of the inning to clear the bases and cap the Skyhawks scoring. Saint Rose wouldn't go quietly, scoring one in the eighth and two in the ninth to draw within five, but could get no closer.