EASTON, Mass. (April 28, 2023)- The Stonehill College baseball team fell to Merrimack College in a Northeast Conference doubleheader, 8-4 in game one and 8-3 in game two.

Game One

Standout Performances

• Trey Ciulla-Hall: three-run home run
• Ryan Douglas: career-high six strikeouts in 8.1 IP

Key Moments

• Merrimack struck early in the first after a Frankie Ferrentino solo shot but despite the early home run, Douglas kept the Warriors offense at bay. The sophomore starter retired the next 10 batters which included two strikeouts. 
• During the Warriors' scoreless stretch, Stonehill had multiple scoring opportunities including a moment in the fourth when the Skyhawks had runners on first and second with two outs. Taylor Gaspar hit a deep single to right and with Mike Swanholm rounding third, he was thrown out at the plate after a very close play which kept Merrimack's one-run lead intact. 
• The Warriors would go on to add another run in the fifth for a 2-0 lead but for the next three innings, each side would go scoreless until the bottom of the eighth. Stonehill trimmed the deficit to one (2-1) when Gaspar ripped an RBI double to right that allowed Swanholm to score.
• However, in the ninth, Merrimack utilized a six-run inning for its largest lead (8-1) highlighted by a Michael Golankieicz two-run RBI double. In the bottom half of the ninth, Ciulla-Hall cut the Warriors lead in half (8-4) with his team-leading sixth homer of the season. Despite the late home run, Merrimack retired the next Stonehill batter for the game-one win.

Game Two

Standout Performances

• Conor Kiely:RBI
• Taylor Gaspar: RBI
• Matthew Vivona: RBI

Key Moments

• Game two saw Stonehill this time jump out to the early lead courtesy of a two-run second. Gaspar got the scoring started when he drove an RBI double to left that brought home Blaine Lidsky after he singled to lead off the second. Later in the frame, Vivona drove in Gaspar when he had an RBI single to left.
• Merrimack cut the Stonehill lead to one (2-1) in the top of the fourth but in the bottom half of the inning, the Purple and White pushed its lead back to two (3-1) when Kiely had a sacrifice fly to deep center that let Jack Marshall tag up and score. 
• However, in the fifth, the Warriors utilized a four-run inning to go ahead 7-3 highlighted by a two-run RBI double from Ben Nelson.
• The squad had a chance in the seventh to cut into Merrimack's lead after Douglas singled to right which advance Ciulla-Hall to third with two outs. Although Stonehill had runners in the corners, Merrimack retired the next batter to keep its lead at four. The Warriors would go on to add another run in the ninth and end up securing the doubleheader sweep.

Up Next

Stonehill and Merrimack wrap up the three-game set tomorrow morning at 11 a.m.

For the latest on Stonehill Athletics, follow the Skyhawks via social media on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Fans can also download the Stonehill Skyhawks "Front Row" mobile app, powered by PrestoSports, on iTunes and the Android Market.