Ciulla-Hall extended his hitting streak to six games and his on-base streak to 17 straight. (Photo Credit Crystal Ayn Hagberg).

BROOKVILLE, N.Y. (April 20, 2024) – The Stonehill College baseball team came up short in game two of its three-game set against Northeast Conference foe Long Island University, 12-10, Saturday afternoon. With the loss, the Skyhawks drop to 10-21 overall and 6-11 in conference play, while the Sharks improve to 17-17 overall and 15-5 against conference opponents.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Senior Trey Ciulla-Hall paved the way for the Skyhawks at the dish, going 3-for-5 on the day with two runs scored and a run batted in. 
• Junior Taylor Gaspar drove home three runs on the day and recorded his team-leading eighth double of the season.  
• Freshman Braydon Gray (2-3) got the start on the mound for the Skyhawks and struck out three batters over 4.1 innings of work.
• Junior Benjamin Fierenzi finished the day with a game-high four hits for LIU.
• Redshirt senior Jake Mastillo scored four runs and drove home three for the Sharks after going 3-for-4 on the day with a double and a homerun.  
• Redshirt junior Dominic Pieto (5-1) picked up his fifth win of the season after striking out four in 5.0 innings on the hill for LIU.  

HOW IT HAPPENED

Stonehill wasted little time getting the scoring started as the Skyhawks would take a 1-0 lead over LIU in the opening frame. Postgrad left fielder Conor Kiely kicked off the inning with a single into left before advancing into scoring position with his second stolen base of the season. Ciulla-Hall followed Kiely's stolen base with an RBI single into left, giving Stonehill an early one-run lead. 

In the bottom half of the first, the Sharks would respond and take their first lead of the contest. A delayed steal attempt by Fierenzi allowed graduate student Seth Surrett to race home and score after leading off the game for LIU with a double into right. After Mastillo reached base via a double into left field and senior Carlton Harper drew a free pass, redshirt freshman Noah Sorenson stepped into the box and laced a two-run single into center field, bringing the score to 3-1 in favor of the Sharks.  

Redshirt sophomore Sam Parks responded for the Skyhawks in the second inning with an RBI single into center field, plating sophomore Evan Dieter and cutting the deficit to 3-2. However, a three-run homerun off the bat of Mastillo in the bottom of the third would increase the Shark's advantage to 6-2. 

Continuing the theme of trading runs back and forth, the Skyhawks would bring the game to within one run in the top of the fifth inning. After a sacrifice fly off the bat of Parks in the fourth, back-to-back run-scoring base knocks from Lidsky and Gaspar in the fifth would cut the Stonehill gap to one. A two-run double from sophomore Jack Ryan in the bottom half would extend the LIU advantage to three heading into the latter third of the conference matchup. Kiely brought the game back within two in the top half of the sixth with an opposite-field RBI single into right. However, four combined runs throughout the sixth and seventh innings would give the Sharks a commanding 12-6 lead heading into the eighth and ninth frames. 

Despite plating four runs in the top of the ninth inning off a two-run double from Gaspar, a sacrifice fly from senior Jack Marshall, and an RBI single through the right side of the infield by Dieter, the Sharks lead proved too much for the Skyhawks to overcome, eventually falling by a final score of 12-10.

Gaspar finished with a team-high three RBI on the day. (Photo Credit Crystal Ayn Hagberg).

INSIDE THE BOX & NOTES

• Gaspar and Ciulla-Hall extended their on-base streaks to 14 and 17 games, respectively.
• Ciulla-Hall, Lidsky, and Gaspar improved their hitting streaks to six straight games, while Zemotel improved his hitting streak to four games straight.
• Senior Jordan Marot, sophomore Pierce Friedman, and sophomore Max Brulport each appeared in relief for Stonehill.

UP NEXT

Stonehill (10-21, 6-11 NEC) wraps up its three-game set at LIU on Sunday. First pitch between the Skyhawks and Sharks is set for 1 p.m. in Brookville, N.Y.

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