Galligan pitches seven strong, Fratus improves hitting streak to 15 games

Sophomore Dan Fratus went 2-for-4 with two runs scored to improve his hitting streak to 15-straight games.

EASTON, Mass. (March 31, 2012) – Senior right-handed pitcher Bryan Galligan (Brockton, Mass./Brockton) yielded just three hits in seven innings pitched and Stonehill College, ranked fourth overall in the latest National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) East Regional Poll, poured out 16 runs on 12 hits to post a 16-1 victory over Saint Michael's College in Northeast-10 Conference (NE-10) Northeast Division action on Saturday afternoon at Lou Gorman Field.

Galligan, 3-1 overall, gave up one run (unearned), issued two walks and struck out four batters to help the Skyhawks claim their first victory in the NE-10 Northeast Division standings (1-1). Classmate Matt Olsen (Winchester, Mass./Winchester) struck out the side in the eighth inning and freshman Peter Cassidy (Attleboro, Mass./Attleboro) closed out the ninth allowing one hit alongside one strikeout.

Junior left-handed pitcher Andrew Kelley (Lincoln, N.H./Lin-Wood) was handed the loss on five innings pitched, eight hits, nine runs (three earned), three walks and a game-high six punchouts. Senior Jessie Sullivan (Saugus, Mass./Pingree School) tossed two-and-one-thirds innings of relief surrendering two hits, two runs (both unearned), one walk and five strikeouts.

Stonehill took a 7-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning and never looked back.

Junior centerfielder James DeAlto (Briarcliff Manor, N.Y./Briarcliff) led off the frame with a walk and immediately advanced to second base on a Michael Zeiner (Simsbury, Conn./Simbury) sacrifice bunt (2-3) to put a runner in scoring position.

After senior Michael White (Lisbon, N.H./Lisbon Regional) struck out and reached base on a throwing error and Dan Fratus (Plymouth, Mass./Plymouth North) tallied an infield single to push his hitting streak to 15-straight games, senior Steven Popp (Unionville, Conn./Farmington) struck a two-run double to left field to give Stonehill a 2-0 advantage.

Sophomore right fielder Billy Karalis (Pawtucket, R.I./Bishop Feehan) pushed the gap to 3-0 with a fielder's choice RBI, sophomore catcher Colin Shepard (Boxford, Mass./Masconomet) ripped a two-run single to right field to make it 5-0 and DeAlto capped the scoring with a two-run single of his own to right field for a 7-0 lead.

Saint Michael's cut into the deficit at 7-1 in the top of the second inning as junior designated hitter Collin Fishman (Bethesda, Md./Our Lady of Good Counsel) scored on a throwing error from second base. Fishman reached base on a one-out walk and advanced to second on a groundout to set up the Purple Knights lone run of the contest.

Stonehill tacked on another run in the third inning, one in the fifth and five more runs in the sixth inning to break the game wide open.

DeAlto and Popp both drove in three runs each and freshman third baseman Dan Pidgeon (Darien, Conn./Darien) led all hitters with a 3-for-4 performance at the plate with one run scored and two runs batted in. Fratus has now hit safely in 15-straight games dating back to March 12 against Pace University. During that span, Fratus has compiled nine multi-hit games.

Stonehill (16-9, 4-3 NE-10, 1-1 Northeast Division) hosts Saint Michael's (4-11, 1-5 NE-10, 0-2 Northeast Division) tomorrow for a doubleheader beginning at noon.