Zemotel launched his fourth homerun of the season to cut the deficit to two in the fifth. (Photo Credit Mary Gettens).

EASTON, Mass. (April 16, 2024) – The Stonehill College baseball team fell to non-conference opponent Harvard University in a high scoring affair, 17-14, Tuesday afternoon at Lou Gorman Field. With the loss, the Skyhawks drop to 10-19 overall, while the Crimson improve to 9-20 on the season.  

HIGHLIGHTS

• Senior Blaine Lidsky paved the way at the plate for the Skyhawks, going 3-for-5 on the day with a pair of runs batted in.
• Senior Trey Ciulla-Hall, redshirt junior Jack Thorbahn, and junior Dylan Zemotel each launched homeruns for the Skyhawks.
• Redshirt sophomore Sam Parks tallied his team-leading fifth stolen base of the season.
• Senior Tim Cotter had a solid 4.0 innings of relief for Stonehill, allowing just two runs on two hits while striking out a collegiate career-high four batters. 
• Senior Jake Berger led the way for the Crimson offensively, going 4-for-5 with a double, four RBI, and four runs scored.
• Senior Peter Messervy launched his first homerun of the season and finished the day going 2-for-5 with five RBI.
• Junior Cole Cleary (1-2) picked up his first win of the season on the mound after pitching the final 2.1 innings and striking out a pair.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Harvard wasted little time opening the scoring of the non-conference matchup, striking early in the first inning. The Crimson jumped out to an early 3-0 lead after the top half of the first inning after an RBI base knock from Berger followed by timely hitting with runners on base by senior Chris Snopek and Messervy. Stonehill would answer right away in the bottom of the opening frame with a run-scoring fielder's choice off the bat of Lidsky, allowing postgrad left fielder Conor Kiely to come across and score.  

The game's momentum swung back and forth as Harvard extended its lead in the second and third innings. However, Ciulla-Hall's powerful homerun in the bottom of the third brought Stonehill back within striking distance, narrowing the gap to 5-2. 

The Crimson continued its momentum in the fourth inning, tacking four runs on the board off three RBI singles from Berger, Messervy, and freshman Dominic Brancel, respectively. Continuing the trading of runs, Parks would respond once again for the Skyhawks in the bottom half, lifting a sacrifice fly out to deep centerfield and plating Zemotel, who made his way over to third base after a single and error by the Harvard left fielder. 

With Cotter on the hill for Stonehill to start the fifth, the senior reliever would halt the Crimson run-scoring prowess, holding them scoreless over the fifth and sixth innings to allow his offense to begin the comeback. In the bottom of the fifth, an RBI single off the bat of freshman catcher Aidan Sengenberger, immediately followed by a three-run shot by Zemotel would cut the Skyhawk's seven-run deficit to just two heading into the sixth. 

After a scoreless sixth inning on either side, Harvard would regain its momentum with a line-drive RBI single up the middle off the barrel of freshman Tyler Shulman. Despite giving up a run in the top half, five runs in the bottom would secure Stonehill its first lead of the game at 12-10, following a three-run round-tripper by Thorbahn and a two-run double down the left field line by junior Taylor Gaspar.

Following an RBI double from Harvard's sophomore Matt Lane in the top half of the eighth, Stonehill would respond in the bottom half with three runs off RBI base knocks from Thorbahn and Lidsky, gaining a sense of breathing room for their bullpen. Despite taking a three-run lead into the top of the ninth, Harvard's offense plated six runs and took the non-conference matchup over Stonehill by a final score of 17-14. 

INSIDE THE BOX & NOTES

Cotter struck out a career-high four batters over 4.0 innings of relief. (Photo Credit Ryan Adams).

• Ciulla-Hall, Thorbahn, and Zemotel recorded their fourth, fifth, and sixth homeruns of the season, respectively.
• Gaspar and Ciulla-Hall extended their on-base streaks to 12 and 15 games, respectively.
• Sengenberger finished with a career-high two hits, while Lidsky has now back-to-back games with three hits for Stonehill.
• Graduate student Billy Duff made his first start of the season after picking up his first save of the season during Sunday's series finale against Wagner.
• Junior Max Brulport, sophomore Jimmy Gilleran, sophomore Jack Iannibelli and senior Jordan Marot (1-1) each appeared in relief for the Skyhawks.

UP NEXT

Stonehill (10-19, 6-9 NEC) returns to action this weekend, traveling to Westbury, New York to take on Northeast Conference opponent LIU. First pitch of Friday's series opener between the Skyhawks and Sharks is set for 3 p.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.