Skyhawks compiled 18 hits in victory over the Purple Knights

Senior Michael Magnussen knocked in a game-high four runs along with classmate Michael White.

WINTER PARK, Fla. (March 14, 2012) – Stonehill College, ranked seventh overall in the latest National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) East Regional Poll, slugged its way to a non-conference, 14-0, victory over the University of Bridgeport on Wednesday afternoon at Alfond Stadium on the campus of Rollins College.

Sophomore right-handed pitcher Zach Soulier (Milford, Conn./Jonathan Law) notched his second victory of the season in as many starts scattering four hits over seven shutout innings with a game-high eight strikeouts. Soulier retired the first eight batters he faced in order, struck out the side in the fourth inning (all swinging) and fanned at least one batter in every inning he pitched except the fifth.

Senior left-hander Matt Olsen (Winchester, Mass./Winchester) issued one walk and struck out the side in the eighth inning while classmate Brendan Wright (Easton, Mass./Cardinal Spellman) gave up one hit and one walk in the ninth.

Senior Nick Vautrin (South Hadley, Mass./Holyoke Community College) was handed the loss on one inning pitched, four hits, five runs (three earned), no walks and one punchout. Sophomore Paul Spadacenta (East Haven, Conn./East Haven) hurled a scoreless seventh inning and senior Kyle Trudeau (Branford, Conn./Branford) pitched a scoreless eighth inning with one strikeout.

Offensively, seniors Michael White (Lisbon, N.H./Lisbon Regional) and Michael Magnussen (Carver, Mass./Coyle & Cassidy) led the Skyhawks with four runs batted in apiece. White was 2-for-4 at the plate with one run scored and one stolen base while Magnussen had a 2-for-3 showing. Junior centerfielder James DeAlto (Briarcliff Manor, N.Y./Briarcliff) went 3-for-5 out of the leadoff spot in the order with three runs scored and one run driven in. Senior designated hitter Steven Popp (Unionville, Conn./Farmington) went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and one run batted in while junior shortstop Michael Zeiner (Simsbury, Conn./Simsbury) was 2-for-5 with three runs scored.

Stonehill jumped out to an early 5-0 lead in the bottom half of the first inning and never looked back as White collected a fielder's choice RBI, Magnussen notched a sacrifice fly to centerfield and sophomore catcher Colin Shepard (Boxford, Mass./Masconomet) drove in a run with an infield single to highlight the scoring frame.

In the second, the Skyhawks took a 6-0 advantage on a sacrifice fly from White to right field. DeAlto got the offense going with a leadoff single up the middle and Zeiner followed with a base knock through the right side of the infield advancing DeAlto to third base to set up the RBI opportunity for White.

Magnussen collected two of his four RBI's on the afternoon in the fourth inning with a two-run single to centerfield plating sophomore second baseman Dan Fratus (Plymouth, Mass./Plymouth North) and Popp with two outs. Stonehill also added two more runs in the fifth and four runs in the sixth.

Stonehill (9-4, 0-0 NE-10, 0-0 Northeast Division) takes on American International College on Thursday, March 15 in doubleheader action in Fort Pierce, Fla. with game one scheduled for noon. The University of Bridgeport (1-3, 0-0 ECC) plays Bentley University tomorrow in Ormand Beach, Fla. in a single game schedule for 1 p.m.