White earns his second win of the season on the mound

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (March 24, 2018) – The Stonehill College baseball team split with American International College on Saturday, March 24 at Bedard Field with scores of 1-3 and the Skyhawks first shutout of the season, 10-0, in Northeast-10 Conference play.  

Rocco went 3-for-8 in the doubleheader scoring three runs and marking his seventh- and eighth-straight game with a hit

Game 1: Stonehill 1 – American International 3

For the Skyhawks, Matthew Rocco (Newington, Connecticut/Newington), Harrison Sabo (Wilton, Connecticut/Wilton), Alex Hurley (Rumford, Rhode Island/Worcester Academy), and Patrick Downey (Cheshire, Connecticut/Xavier) each registered on hit in the loss, while Sabo tallied the lone RBI for Stonehill.

American International was able to register the only hit in the first two innings, as the Yellow Jackets would take a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third. Matt Costanza reached on a fielder's choice and immediately stole second to get in scoring position for Matt Krause. Krause ended up reaching first on a throwing error and Costanza scored for the first run of the game. The Skyhawks were able to get out of the inning with a fly out and a ground out stranding two runners on base.

Both teams were scoreless in the fourth and fifth innings, as the Yellow Jackets added another run to the board in the bottom of the sixth for a 2-0 advantage. Anthony Clark reached base on a throwing error and made it to second for Andrew Ciacciarelli. Ciacciarelli singled to center field and advanced to second on the throw, while Clark was caught in a run down trying to score from third. With a ground out and a strike out, the Skyhawks held off any more runs.

At the top of the eighth inning, Rocco singled to right field and John Orzechowski (Monroe, Connecticut/Masuk) moved him over with a sacrifice bunt for one out, as two outs came quick with a strike out swinging. Sabo came up to the plate and drove the ball to right field for the first Skyhawk RBI of the game, cutting the deficit to one, 2-1.

American International would not let up and extended the lead back to two, 3-1, with a two-out single from Josh Aviles, bringing home Ciacciarelli from third.

Game 2: Stonehill 10 – American International 0

In game two, Hurley went 4-for-5, a game high, with two runs scored and one RBI and a double, while William Kelleher (Mansfield, Massachusetts/Mansfield) followed close behind batting 3-for-4 with two runs scored and a double. Rocco and Sabo each chipped in two hits, as Downey and Thomas Quinn (Wilbraham, Massachusetts/Wilbraham Monson) notched a game-high three RBI each. Sophomore pitcher Michael White (Stamford, Connecticut/Stamford/Canterbury School) pitched 5.0 innings, striking out six, giving up three hits and two walks in the 18 batters faced, recording his first shutout victory and third-career win, 3-5. Pitchers Justin Lynch (Shelton, Connecticut/Shelton), Jared Brooks (Scarborough, Maine/Cheverus), Chris Murphy (Swampscott, Massachusetts/St. John's Prep), and Joe Klingensmith (Topsfield, Massachusetts/Masconomet) also chipped in for the win, as each tallied at last one strikeout in the 11 total throughout the game. As a squad, they also recorded a total of five hits, compared to the Skyhawks 16 total hits from the offense

Downey went 2-for-7 with one run scored, a double, a triple, and a career-high three RBI

Stonehill tallied the first hit of the game in the top of the first as Hurley singled. The Skyhawks were then able to string together four hits in the top of the third inning to take an early 1-0 lead. With one out, Rocco singled to left and Tyler Carey (Raynham, Massachusetts/Bridgewater-Raynham) followed with his own single but was thrown out at second trying to advance, as Rocco was safe at third. Sabo was able to drive in Rocco easily from third with a hit through the left side, 1-0.

The Skyhawks fell silent for an inning, as the Yellow Jackets stranded their second runner on base in the bottom of the fourth. Stonehill's offense took advantage in the top of the fifth inning driving in seven runs from five hits and leaving two on base. With no outs, Stonehill strung together five hits including a bases-clearing double from Downey for his second double of the season and sixth career. After American International recorded the first out with a fly out in foul territory, Quinn Isiah Nunez (Brooklyn, New York/Berkshire School) and Kelleher all advanced on a passed ball, where Kelleher scored for a 7-0 lead. Rocco came up to bat for the second time in the inning and walked, which was followed by a fielder's choice RBI from Rob Duarte (Raynham, Massachusetts/Bridgewater-Raynham Regional) to score Nunez from third for the seventh run of the inning, 8-0.

White shut down the Yellow Jackets in his final inning on the mound, as no one was able to get a hit off of the sophomore.

Stonehill picked up two more runs in the top of the sixth inning with two outs. After Kelleher and Hurley advanced on a passed ball, Quinn singled up the middle for a two-run single putting the Skyhawks up 10-0.

In the bottom of the ninth, the Yellow Jackets put up a slight fight, as Sam Eagan singled to right field for a leadoff hit. Pierre Martinez followed with a single of his own, and Matthew Finn walked to load the bases. Klingensmith was able to strike out the next two and get the final Yellow Jacket to ground out stranding three runners on base to tally Stonehill's first shutout of the season.

Stonehill (8-7, 1-1 NE10) is scheduled to host NE10 Northeast Division foe Bentley University on Wednesday, March 28 at Lou Gorman Field with a 3:30 p.m. first pitch.

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