Skyhawks beat Bridgeport, 9-3 before falling to host Rollins, 9-0
Sophomore Chris Hoyt was 2-for-5 with one RBI in Stonehill's 9-3 win over Bridgeport today. |
Stonehill defeated Bridgeport for the third time in four games this season with the help of timely hitting and solid pitching. Freshman Eddie Bowler (Hingham, Mass./Hingham) went 2-for-4 with two RBI and two runs, while junior Eric Schneider (Camarillo, Calif./St. Bonaventure), sophomore Chris Hoyt (Walpole, Mass./Xaverian Brothers), and freshman Steven Lee (Braintree, Mass./Braintree) each recorded two hits. Eight of Stonehill's nine starters had hits, and seven had a run batted in.
Sophomore Mike Krupczak (Springfield, Mass./Cathedral) earned the win for Stonehill after going 5.2 innings and allowing two runs on four hits. Krupczak also walked two and struck out four before being replaced by senior Charlie DeFrancesco (Lincoln, Mass./Lincoln Sudbury). Juniors Armand Rugel (Middletown, R.I./Middletown) and Steve Pike (Stoughton, Mass./Catholic Memorial) combined to pitch the final 2.2 innings for Stonehill, allowing two hits and no runs.
Junior Mike Perry (East Haven, Conn./UConn Avery Point) led Bridgeport's offense, as he went 3-for-4 at the plate with one RBI, while junior Tim Bickford (Wallingford, Conn./Monmouth Univ.) and freshman Matt Costleigh (West Islip, N.Y./St. Anthony's) each added two hits.
Freshman Ray Kreiger (Derby, Conn./Central Conn. State) took the loss for Bridgeport after giving up five runs on seven hits in just 2.2 innings. Senior Mike Nowak (Latham, N.Y./Schenectady County CC) replaced Kreiger in the third inning and allowed just one hit in 2.1 innings.
Senior Anthony Pagano went 1-for-4 with one RBI and one walk against Bridgeport. |
After Krupczak retired the side in order in the top of the first inning, Stonehill's offense got right to work in the bottom of the frame. Hoyt singled up the middle with one out and moved up to second when senior Billy Karalis (Pawtucket, R.I./Bishop Feehan) was hit by a pitch. Kreiger then retired the next batter before giving up back-to-back RBI singles to senior Anthony Pagano (Cranston, R.I./Cranston West) and Bowler, as Stonehill led 2-0 after one inning.
Bridgeport threatened in the third inning, as Perry and Costleigh sandwiched a pair of singles between a pop out, but Krupczak was able to retire the next two batters and keep the Purple Knights off the board.
Stonehill put together more two-out offense in the bottom of the third to go up 5-0. Karalis and senior Dan Fratus (Plymouth, Mass./Plymouth North) started the frame with a walk and a single, respectively, but Pagano hit into a double play, leaving a runner on third with two down. Bowler then delivered his second RBI single of the afternoon, and Schneider followed with an RBI triple to put Stonehill up 4-0. After Kreiger was pulled from the game in favor of Nowak, sophomore Chris Callahan (Southington, Conn./Holy Cross) capped off the big inning with a single up the middle, scoring Schneider.
Krupczak ran into some trouble in the fifth inning, as he allowed the first two runners to reach base before recording an out. Following a sacrifice to put the runners in scoring position, the Purple Knights scored their first run of the game on an RBI groundout by senior Jesse Solar (Marlton, N.J./Cherokee). Bridgeport added another run in the sixth inning on an RBI single by Perry to draw to within 5-2.
Stonehill got the run right back, however, as Hoyt doubled home sophomore Brian Campbell (Franklin, Mass./Mount Saint Charles) in the bottom of the sixth. The run was Stonehill's sixth straight to come with two outs.
Bridgeport's best opportunity to get back into the contest came in the seventh inning, when the Purple Knights loaded the bases with one out on a walk and a pair of singles. Stonehill brought Rugel in to face Bickford, who delivered a run-scoring infield single to make the score 6-3. Rugel struck out the following hitter to strand three runners on base. Stonehill tacked on three more runs in the bottom of the seventh, and Rugel and Pike combined to keep Bridgeport off the board in its final two at-bats.
Senior Dan Fratus was one of three Skyhawks to record hits in Stonehill's 9-0 loss to Rollins tonight. |
After scoring nine runs in its first game of the day, Stonehill only managed three hits in the nightcap, a 9-0 shutout loss to host Rollins. Fratus, Schneider, and Lee each recorded singles for the Skyhawks, while Fratus, Hoyt, and sophomore Brian Hocking (Duxbury, Mass./BC High) drew walks to round out the offensive effort.
Sophomore Patrick Nicholson (Middleboro, Mass./Middleboro) took the loss for Stonehill after going the first five innings and allowing three runs (two earned) on six hits to go with five strikeouts.
Rollins sophomore Lucas Vallely (Dallas, Texas/Jesuit College Prep) matched Stonehill's hit total, as he went 3-for-4 with one RBI and one run. Junior Brett Flutie (Natick, Mass./Natick) and senior Yuta Okazaki (Tokyo, Japan/UConn Avery Point) each went 2-for-4, and junior Evan Rivera (Orlando, Fla./FSC Jacksonville) was 2-for-3 with one RBI.
Freshman Mike Gaughan (Walpole, Mass./Walpole) earned the win for the Tars after throwing 5.1 scoreless innings while only allowing three hits to go with six strikeouts. Rollins' bullpen took over for Gaughan in the sixth inning and allowed just two Skyhawks to reach base on walks.
Rollins put a run on the board in each of the first three innings before generating four runs in the sixth and tacking on two more in the seventh. Stonehill only got a runner past second base once, in the sixth inning when Hoyt reached third on a wild pitch before he was caught trying to steal home.
Stonehill (7-4, 0-0 NE-10) will be back in action tomorrow with a 2 p.m. contest against Saint Thomas Aquinas College. The Skyhawks defeated the Spartans, 7-1, on Saturday. Bridgeport (3-5, 0-0 ECC) will play the nation's top-ranked team, the University of Tampa, tomorrow at 6 p.m., while Rollins (11-8, 0-3 SSC) is set to face off with Saint Thomas Aquinas at the same time.
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