Senior Anthony Pagano went 2-for-4 in Stonehill's 4-2 win against Molloy.

Skyhawks defeat Molloy, 4-2, before falling to Pfeiffer, 2-1

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (February 23, 2014) – The Stonehill College baseball team split a pair of contests yesterday in its third day of action at the Ripken Experience Northeast Challenge. Stonehill defeated Molloy College, 4-2, in the morning, before dropping a 2-1 contest to Pfeiffer University later in the afternoon.

            Stonehill 4, Molloy 2

Senior first baseman Anthony Pagano (Cranston, R.I./Cranston West) led Stonehill's offense in the opening game with a 2-for-4 effort at the plate, with two singles and a run scored. Sophomore Brian Campbell (Franklin, Mass./Mount Saint Charles), recorded a hit, as did classmates Chris Hoyt (Walpole, Mass./Xaverian Brothers) and Chris Callahan (Southington, Conn./Holy Cross), and junior Christian Baglini (Milford, Conn./Notre Dame High School), while freshman Steven Lee (Braintree, Mass./Braintree) drove in his first career run with a pinch-hit single in the eighth inning.

Junior Neal Horan (Mashpee, Mass./BC High) started the game for the Skyhawks, going five innings and giving up one run on four hits while striking out five. Classmate Armand Rugel (Middletown, R.I./Middletown) earned the win after entering the game in the seventh and pitching 2.1 innings, giving up one run on two hits while striking out four.

After falling behind 1-0 in the third inning, Stonehill responded in the top of the fourth, when Baglini walked, and eventually came around to score on an RBI ground out by junior Eric Schneider (Camarillo, Calif./St. Bonaventure).

Stonehill would add two more runs in the seventh inning, as Campbell scored on a throwing error and Callahan came in after him on a passed ball. Lee then gave the Skyhawks a 4-1 lead in the eighth on his pinch-hit RBI single, and Rugel closed the door on the Lions despite allowing a run in the ninth.        

Molloy sophomore Shea Spitzbarth (Staten Island, N.Y./Moore Catholic) pitched six innings, giving up one run on four hits while striking out six.

             Pfeiffer 2, Stonehill 1

Stonehill' s offense in the second game of the day consisted of seniors Dan Fratus (Plymouth, Mass./Plymouth North), who went 2-for-3 with a pair of singles, and Billy Karalis (Pawtucket, R.I./Bishop Feehan), who went 1-for-4 with a double and an RBI. The Skyhawks only managed three hits in their first loss of the season.

Senior Dan Fratus went 2-for-3 with two singles in Stonehill's 2-1 loss to Pfeiffer.

Stonehill sophomore starter John Hauck (Pittsburgh, Pa./Penn-Trafford) went 5.0 innings, allowing just one earned run on four hits and two walks with two strikeouts. His counterpart, Pfeiffer junior left-hander Keith Little (Mooresville, N.C./Mooresville) allowed one run on three hits in six innings of work.

Hauck worked out of trouble in the third inning, as he put runners on second and third following a double by senior outfielder Jon Gray (Granite Falls, N.C./South Caldwell) and a single and steal by junior Cole McGraw (Claremont, N.C./Bunker Hill), before inducing a pair of fly outs to end the threat.

Stonehill finally got to Little in the sixth inning. Freshman outfielder Ben Monte (New Haven, Conn./Guilford) led off the frame with a walk, and then advanced to second when sophomore utilityman Brian Campbell was hit by a pitch. Monte came around to score on a double by Karalis to give the Skyhawks a 1-0 advantage, before Campbell was thrown out at second to end the inning.

Stonehill's lead would be short-lived, however, as Pfeiffer tied the game with a run of its own in the bottom half of the frame. The Falcons' first two batters reached base on a hit by pitch and a walk, and both stole bases to put runners on second and third with no outs. Freshman first baseman Zach Scudder (Belews Creek, N.C./East Forsyth) grounded into a fielder's choice, but a run scored to tie the contest.

Two innings later, Pfeiffer senior infielder Tyler Summers (Mechanicsville, Md./Chopticon) led off with a triple, and after the next batter grounded out, the Falcons loaded the bases with a hit by pitch and a walk. Stonehill freshman lefty Jeremy Roberts (Reading, Mass./Malden Catholic) was called into the game to try to work out of trouble, but he was called for a balk, allowing all of the runners to advance, and the lead runner to score the go-ahead run.

Junior pitcher Kyle Hackney (Pittsboro, N.C./Cary) took the hill in the ninth for the Falcons and retired the side in order.

Stonehill (3-1, 0-0 NE-10) will wrap up its five-game trip at the Ripken Experience Northeast Challenge today at 12:30 p.m., as the Skyhawks are scheduled to take on Dowling College. Molloy (1-2, 0-0 ECC) and Pfeiffer (8-5, 0-0 CC) will also be in action today, with the Lions facing Caldwell College at 12:30 p.m. and the Falcons taking on Merrimack College at the same time.

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