Parks finished game one reaching base six times after a hit in the third, four walks, and a dropped third strike. (Photo Credit Crystal Ayn Hagberg).

NEW BRITAIN, Conn. (March 29, 2024) – The Stonehill College baseball team swept its series-opening doubleheader against Northeast Conference opponent Central Connecticut State University today in New Britain, Connecticut. The Skyhawks took game one 11-2 before securing the sweep in game two with a final score of 15-10 over the Blue Devils.

GAME ONE: Stonehill 11 (5-13, 1-6 NEC), CCSU 2 (6-10, 5-5 NEC)

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Skyhawks jumped out to an early 2-0 lead after the opening frame when senior catcher Blaine Lidsky laced a two-run single over the mound and through the middle of the infield. On the run-scoring single, both the left fielder Conor Kiely and redshirt sophomore Sam Parks came around to score. 

Stonehill extended its lead to 3-0 in the bottom of the second inning after senior Trey Ciulla-Hall lifted a sacrifice fly into left field, allowing freshman Ryan LeClair to tag up from third to score the Skyhawks third run of the contest. 

Back-to-back RBI singles from senior Jeff Nicol and graduate student Colby Brouillette in the top of the third would cut the CCSU deficit to just one run, with the score at 3-2 in favor of the Skyhawks. However, Stonehill's bats would open the floodgates in the bottom half, plating four runs in the frame and taking a 7-2 lead into the fourth. 

Sophomore Evan Dieter and Parks fueled the Skyhawks' four-run inning. Dieter drove home his second run of the season with an opposite-field single into right field, while Parks drilled a line drive single into center field, plating a pair and bringing the Stonehill advantage to five runs. 

Junior Taylor Gaspar tacked a run on the board for Stonehill in the sixth inning after plating redshirt junior Jack Thorbahn with a sacrifice fly into centerfield. In the bottom of the eighth inning, the Skyhawks would cap off their scoring with three runs off back-to-back balks by the Blue Devils reliever and run-scoring hits from LeClair and Kiely.

First-year reliever Zach Brockner shut out CCSU in two innings of relief, where he struck out four batters and sealed the Skyhawks' game-one victory on the mound, 11-2. 

INSIDE THE BOX & NOTES

• Junior Ryan Douglas (1-4) picked up his first win and second quality start of the season after allowing just two earned runs over 6.0 innings with three strikeouts.
• LeClair highlighted the Skyhawks offensively going 2-for-3 at the plate with two walks, two runs scored, and an RBI.
• Lidsky and senior shortstop Jack Marshall also finished with two hits in game one.
• Parks reached base six times after getting a hit in the third, walking four times, and reaching first on a dropped third strike.
• Brockner struck out four batters in his two scoreless inning of relief and now ranks fourth on the squad with 14 strikeouts on the season.
• Brouillette paved the way for the Blue Devils going 3-for-3 in game one with an RBI.
• Junior Jake Neuman (2-3) got the start and took the loss on the mound for CCSU after allowing seven runs over 2.2 innings with four strikeouts.

GAME TWO: Stonehill 15 (6-13, 2-6 NEC), CCSU 10 (6-11, 5-6 NEC)

HOW IT HAPPENED

CCSU came out of the gates strong in game two, scoring a pair of runs in the top of the first to take an early 2-0 lead. However, Stonehill would respond immediately in the bottom half as Thorbahn laced an RBI single into right field to score Kiely, who led off the inning with a double into right. 

Gaspar paved the way offensively for the Skyhawks in game two, going 5-for-5 with three doubles and four RBI. (Photo Credit Crystal Ayn Hagberg).

In the bottom of the second inning, the Skyhawks tied the score at two after back-to-back doubles off the bats of Marshall and Gaspar got the inning started. Parks followed by giving Stonehill its first lead of game two with an RBI single into right field. 

Gaspar extended the Skyhawks' lead to 7-2 in the bottom of the fifth inning after sending a two-run ground-rule double into centerfield. A two-run homerun off the bat of senior Joe Rios in the top of the sixth brought the game to within three runs, which was the closest the game would get throughout the remainder. 

Both sides traded runs back and forth throughout the final three innings of action. In the bottom of the sixth, Lidsky cleared the bases with a three-run triple out into right-center field before Rios launched his second two-run round-tripper in as many innings. 

Two run-scoring hits off the bats of Kiely and Parks gave the Skyhawks a commanding six-run lead heading into the eighth inning. However, a pair of fielding miscues in the eighth allowed two Blue Devils to come around and score, bringing the game to 12-8 in favor of the Skyhawks.

Stonehill added three more runs in the bottom half of the eighth after a solo blast by Lidsky, an RBI double from Gaspar, and a sacrifice fly by Kiely. In the top of the ninth, a two-run blast by freshman Chris Barkasy would prove not enough for CCSU, as the Skyhawks would walk away victorious in game two of the series-opening doubleheader by a final score of 15-10. 

Gray earned his first career win on the mound in game two. (Photo Credit Crystal Ayn Hagberg).

INSIDE THE BOX & NOTES

• Freshman Braydon Gray (1-1) picked up his first career win after holding the Blue Devils to four runs over 5.2 innings on the hill.
• Senior Joe Castrichini earned his third save of the season after pitching the final 3.1 innings for the Skyhawks.
• Gaspar and Lidsky combined to drive home eight of the Skyhawks' 15 runs off five extra-base hits.
• Lidsky launched his first homerun of the season, while Gaspar finished game two going 5-for-5 with three doubles and four RBI.
• Each batter in the Stonehill starting lineup recorded at least one hit.
• Rios led the Blue Devils offensively going 2-for-5 with a pair of homeruns and four RBI.
• Senior Anthony Mozzicato (1-4) took the loss after allowing five runs on eight hits over 3.0 innings for CCSU.

UP NEXT

Stonehill (6-13, 2-6 NEC) rounds out its three-game set against CCSU on Saturday. First pitch between the Skyhawks and Blue Devils from New Britain, Conn., is set for 1 p.m.  

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