Junior Dan Fratus went 2-for-4 with a RBI-double for the Skyhawks (PHOTO BY Bert Lane) |
Kelly's three-run shot helps Hawks take rubber match over Stonehill
EASTON, Mass. (April 28, 2013) – The Stonehill College baseball team dropped the final game of a three-game series with Northeast-10 Conference foe Saint Anselm College, 6-4 Sunday afternoon at Lou Gorman Field in Easton, Mass.
Freshman pitcher Tom Hudon (Merrimack, N.H./Merrimack) pitched seven innings to earn the victory for the Hawks. Hudon held Stonehill to one run (unearned) on five hits and three walks, while striking out five batters. Freshman Clayton Welch (Manchester, N.H./Manchester West) pitched 1.2 innings of relief to lock down his first save of the season. Welch gave up two hits and walked one batter, while fanning two Skyhawks in the outing.
Sophomore Neal Horan (Mashpee, Mass./BC High) was tagged with his second loss of the season for Stonehill. The sophomore gave up four earned runs on six hits and four walks to take the loss. Freshman John Hauck (Pittsburgh, Pa./Penn-Trafford) pitched two scoreless innings of relief, giving up just two hits and striking out one batter in his appearance.
Senior Robert Kelly (Aurora, Colo./Santa Margarita Catholic (Calif.)) led the way for the Hawks. Kelly posted a 2-for-4 afternoon with a double, a home run, three RBI, and two runs. Sophomore Mike Hayden (Cranston, R.I./Cranston West) and Richie Manzi (Plymouth, N.H./Plymouth Regional) also posted RBIs for the Hawks.
Junior Billy Karalis (Pawtucket, R.I./Bishop Feehan) piloted the Skyhawks offense, going 2-for-4 with two RBI. Classmate Dan Fratus (Plymouth, Mass./Plymouth North) also posted two hits and a RBI for the Skyhawks.
Stonehill jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the third inning. With two outs seniors Michael Zeiner (Simsbury, Conn./Simsbury) and James DeAlto (Briarcliff Manor, N.Y./Briarcliff) attempted a double steal of second and third base. The catcher made an errant throw to second base that allowed Zeiner to score on the play to put Stonehill ahead 1-0.
Saint Anselm responded two innings later, scoring four runs in the fifth. With runners on the corners and two outs, Manzi roped a RBI-single up the middle to knot the score at one. Kelly followed Manzi with a line drive home run over the right field fence, making it 4-1 Hawks.
The Hawks padded their lead to five runs when they scored two in the top of the seventh. After Kelly hit a one-out double to right center field, Hayden brought Kelly home when he hit a RBI-double to right center. Hayden scored later in the inning on a passed ball to make the score 6-1.
Stonehill would not quit though, as they fought back with three runs in the eighth inning. With runners on first and second and one out, Fratus doubled into the gap in left center field to cut the score to 6-2. Karalis then made it a two-run game when he hit a two-run single up the middle.
That was as close as Stonehill would get, as Welch struck out the final two batters in the eighth and closed out the Skyhawks in the ninth to earn his first collegiate save.
Next up for Stonehill (21-20, 9-14 NE-10) is a Tuesday afternoon matchup with UMass Lowell at 3:30 pm at Lou Gorman Field. Saint Anselm (18-26-1, 13-14 NE-10) returns to action on Monday afternoon at 3:30 pm to conclude its suspended game with Bentley University from April 1st.
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