Senior Armand Rugel earned the win in game one after pitching all seven innings and giving up just one unearned run with four strikeouts. |
Junior Brian Campbell goes 3-for-6 with a double, two RBI, and three runs as Skyhawks improve to 7-1
LAKE WORTH, Fla. (March 7, 2015) – The Stonehill College baseball team returned to action today with a pair of seven-inning non-conference victories over Post University as part of the Palm Beach Challenge at the Santaluces Complex in Lake Worth, Florida. Stonehill rallied to win the opener, 3-2, before slugging its way to an 11-6 victory in game two.
Making his second start of the season in game one, senior righthander Armand Rugel (Middletown, Rhode Island/Middletown) improved to 2-0 after lasting all seven innings and giving up just one earned run while striking out four and walking none.
Junior left fielder Brian Campbell (Franklin, Massachusetts/Mount Saint Charles) led the Skyhawks at the plate, going 3-for-6 over the two contests with a double, two walks, two RBI, and three runs scored. Senior shortstop Dan Fratus (Plymouth, Massachusetts/Plymouth North) went 2-for-4 with a double and four RBI, while junior catcher Brian Hocking (Duxbury, Massachusetts/BC High) added two hits, two walks, and two RBI.
Post was led offensively by junior Erik Rodriguez (Miami, Florida/Miami Christian), who went 2-for-5 with two doubles and three RBI. Senior Dylan Pastor (Hewlett, New York/Hewlett) recorded two doubles and drove in one run, while junior Brian McKenna (New York, New York/Xavier) and freshman Trey Fitzgerald (Jupiter, Florida/Jupiter) chipped in with two hits each for the Eagles.
Stonehill 3, Post 2
Stonehill utilized a strong pitching performance from Rugel and a late rally to claim the opener over Post. Eagles senior righthander Don Crook (Meriden, Connecticut/Platt) took the loss despite giving up just two earned runs on four hits with one walk in his six innings of work.
McKenna led Post offensively, going 2-for-3 with a run, while senior Christian Baglini (Milford, Connecticut/Notre Dame High) drove in two runs for the Skyhawks and Fratus delivered the game-winning sacrifice fly in the bottom of the sixth.
Rugel retired the first six Eagles in order, before Fitzgerald led off the top of the third with a double. After advancing to third on a single by McKenna, Fitzgerald came in to score the first run of the game on a passed ball. Freshman outfielder Alex Wright (Butler, New Jersey/Butler) came up two batters later and singled, scoring McKenna from second base to give the Eagles a 2-0 lead. Post had an opportunity to add two more runs in the frame, as Rodriguez doubled with two outs to put a pair of runners in scoring position, but Rugel induced a pop out to end the threat.
Still trailing 2-0 in the bottom of the sixth, sophomore Ben Monte (New Haven, Connecticut/Guilford) started the game-winning rally with a leadoff triple. Junior Chris Hoyt (Walpole, Massachusetts/Xaverian Brothers) then reached on an error and advanced to second with a stolen base, putting two runners in scoring position. Baglini tied the game with a two-run single, and Campbell followed with another single, advancing Baglini to third. Fratus came up next and plated the go-ahead run with a sacrifice fly, capping Stonehill's three-run rally.
The Eagles were unable to put a runner on base in their final at-bat, as Rugel recorded his fourth perfect inning of the contest to secure Stonehill's 3-2 triumph.
Junior Brian Campbell led Stonehill at the plate today, going 3-for-6 with a double, two walks, two RBI, and three runs. |
Stonehill 11, Post 6
After totaling just three runs on four hits in the opener, Stonehill broke out for ten hits and 11 runs in game two to complete the doubleheader sweep. Hoyt went 2-for-4 with two RBI, while Campbell, Fratus, and Hocking also recorded two hits each.
Junior Patrick Nicholson (Middleboro, Massachusetts/Middleboro) took the ball for the Skyhawks but did not earn a decision after giving up six runs (four earned) on three hits in 3.2 frames of work. Senior Steve Pike (Stoughton, Massachusetts/Catholic Memorial) picked up the win with two scoreless frames of relief, allowing just one hit.
Stonehill jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first, as Fratus and Hocking recorded RBI hits, but Post answered with three runs of its own in the bottom half of the inning, highlighted by a two-run double off the bat of Rodriguez.
The Skyhawks would regain the lead in the second, putting four runs on the board to go up 6-3. Hoyt plated a pair with a one-out single, and after a run-scoring error, Campbell drove in two more runs with a double, ending the outing of Post starter Enzo Esposito (Hamilton, New Jersey/Millersville).
The two teams matched each other with one run in the third and two in the fourth, before Stonehill went up 10-6 in the fifth on an RBI single by Hocking. Fratus capped the scoring in the contest with a sacrifice fly in the seventh, as the Skyhawks won their third straight contest.
Stonehill (7-1, 0-0 NE-10) will head to Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale tomorrow for a doubleheader against conference rival American International University. The two contests are scheduled for noon and 3 p.m. Post (4-8, 0-0 CACC) will be off until next Saturday, when the Eagles are slated to open conference play at the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia.
For the latest on Stonehill Athletics, follow the Skyhawks via social media on Twitter and Facebook. Fans can also download the Stonehill Skyhawks mobile app on iTunes and the Android Market.