Douglas had a solid outing in game one to earn his second win of the season. (Photo Credit Craig Myers).

EASTON, Mass. (April 13, 2024) – The Stonehill College baseball team split its Northeast Conference series opening doubleheader to Wagner College Saturday afternoon. The Skyhawks took game one, 12-3, before coming up short to the Seahawks in game two by a final score of 6-5.

GAME ONE: Stonehill 12 (9-17, 5-8 NEC), Wagner 3 (14-18, 11-5 NEC)

HOW IT HAPPENED

After junior starter Ryan Douglas stranded two Seahawks on base in the top half of the first, the Skyhawks would respond and plate the game's first run in the bottom half of the opening frame. Graduate student Conor Kiely led the game for Stonehill with a single through the left side before advancing into scoring position off a sacrifice bunt by redshirt sophomore Sam Parks. Kiely eventually came home to score when an errant throw on a pickoff attempt went into centerfield past the outstretched glove of the Wagner shortstop. 

The Skyhawks extended their lead to four runs in the second inning. Junior Dylan Zemotel plated junior Taylor Gaspar with an RBI single into left field before a fielding miscue at third base allowed senior Trey Ciulla-Hall to reach base and two runs to come across and score. 

Freshman Christian Knight drove home Wagner's first run of the contest with a run-scoring groundout to shortstop in the top of the fourth inning, bringing the score to 4-1 in favor of Stonehill. Following the Seahawk's lone run in the fourth, the Skyhawks would tack onto their advantage with a run scored in both the fifth and sixth innings.

A sacrifice fly off the bat of junior Albert Serrano and Knight's second run-scoring hit of the afternoon kept Wagner within striking distance after the top of the eighth. However, Stonehill opened the floodgates in the bottom half, scoring six runs to take a commanding 12-3 lead into the final frame. 

Zemotel started things in the eighth with a lead-off single into left-center before Parks would work his way to first base after drawing a full-count walk. Ciulla-Hall lined a one-out groundball to the Seahawks shortstop, who sent an errant throw out of play into the Wagner dugout, allowing Zemotel to advance home from second base. After redshirt junior Jack Thorbahn was intentionally walked to load the bases, senior catcher Blaine Lidsky stepped into the batter's box and laced a two-run single down the left field line. Gaspar continued the Skyhawks' offensive onslaught with a two-run double down the left field line, while sophomore Evan Dieter capped off the Stonehill scoring with an RBI single off the second base bag. 

Senior relievers Joe Castrichini and Tim Cotter sealed the victory on the mound for the Skyhawks after allowing no runs and just one hit over the final two innings of play. 

INSIDE THE BOX & NOTES

• Douglas (2-4) earned his second win of the season in game one after allowing just three runs over a season-high 7.0 innings of work with three punch outs on the afternoon.
• Castrichini and Cotter each appeared in relief for the Skyhawks.
• Gaspar and Zemotel were tied for the game-high with three hits in game one.
• Ciulla-Hall registered his third stolen base of the season.
• Junior Frankie Wright (4-4) took the loss on the mound in game one for Wagner after allowing five runs, two of them earned, off seven hits and four walks.
• Freshman Diego Tavarez and Knight each recorded extra-base hits for the Seahawks.

GAME TWO: Wagner 6 (15-18, 12-5 NEC), Stonehill 5 (9-18, 5-9 NEC)

HOW IT HAPPENED

Wagner wasted little time jumping out to an early lead in game two. After a pair of singles by freshman Josiah Ross and senior Chris Conniff, along with a free pass drawn by junior Mateo Matthews, loaded the bases for the Seahawks, a Serrano hit by pitch would allow the game's opening run to come across to score. Tavarez followed, lifting a sacrifice fly out to deep left field to extend the Wagner lead to 2-0. 

Senior Lukas Torres extended the Seahawk's advantage on the scoreboard to three in the top of the third after sending an RBI single through the right side of the infield to score Serrano from second base. However, Stonehill would respond in the bottom half with a run of its own. Parks rifled a base knock into centerfield before advancing into scoring position via a passed ball thrown by Wagner's starter, junior Connor Hayden. With Ciulla-Hall at the dish and one out in the inning, the local third baseman would send an RBI single into center, scoring Parks and cutting the deficit to 3-1. 

Over the next three innings, both Hayden and freshman starter Braydon Gray would duel on the mound, allowing no runs to cross the plate and just three hits until the start of the seventh inning. In the top half of the seventh, Serrano belted a two-run shot over the right field wall, extending the Wagner lead to 5-1. However, Parks continued his solid game at the dish in the bottom half with an RBI single up the middle, bringing the score to 5-2 in favor of the Seahawks. 

Ross tacked a run on for Wagner in the top of the eight with a run-scoring double down the left-field line. In the bottom half of the eighth, similar to game one of the doubleheader, the Skyhawks would score, plating three runs in the frame and cutting the deficit to one heading into the ninth. 

Thorbahn started the bottom half of the eighth with an opposite-field single into left centerfield before senior Jack Marshall laced a double into left-center to get two runners in scoring position with one out in the eighth. A wild pitch thrown by freshman Keith Davis allowed Thorbahn to race home and score. Following the wild pitch, Gaspar sent a two-run moonshot out over the centerfield wall, bringing the score to 6-5 in favor of Wagner. 

Despite getting a pair of runners on base in the bottom of the ninth, the Skyhawks could not bring across the game-tying run, as they would fall to the Seahawks in game two by a final score of 6-5. 

Gaspar launched his team-leading sixth homerun of the season. (Photo Credit Craig Myers).

INSIDE THE BOX & NOTES

• Gray (2-2) took the loss in game two after allowing three runs on six hits and four walks over 6.0 innings of work.
• Sophomore Jimmy Gilleran and freshman Zach Brockner each made relief appearances for the Skyhawks in game two.
• Gaspar launched his team-leading sixth homerun of the season.
• Parks and Ciulla-Hall each drove home their 13th and 21st runs of the season, respectively.
• Hayden (4-3) picked up the win on the hill in game two for Wagner, after striking out three and allowing two runs over 6.2 innings.
• Graduate student Alec Burnett earned his fourth save of the season after striking out three batters over the final 1.2 innings of play.
• Serrano recorded his second homerun of the season for the Seahawks.

UP NEXT

Stonehill (9-18, 5-9 NEC) wraps up its NEC three-game set against Wagner College tomorrow afternoon. First pitch from Lou Gorman Field between the Skyhawks and Seahawks is set for 1 p.m.

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