Douglas earned his team-leading third win of the season in a quality start effort. (Photo Credit Craig Myers).

EASTON, Mass. (April 26, 2024) – The Stonehill College baseball team cruised to a dominant 23-4 decision against Northeast Conference opponent Coppin State Friday afternoon at Lou Gorman Field. With the win, the Skyhawks improve to 13-22 overall and 8-11 in conference play, while the Eagles drop to 12-21 overall and 11-11 against conference opponents.    

HIGHLIGHTS

• Freshman Ryan LeClair paved the way for the Skyhawks with a career day at the plate. LeClair went 3-for-3 with three walks, two runs scored, two stolen bases, and seven runs batted in.
• Senior Trey Ciulla-Hall belted his eighth homerun of the season and is now tied for the team lead with junior Taylor Gaspar.
• Junior Ryan Douglas (3-5) picked up his third win of the season in a quality start effort where he tallied four strikeouts and allowed one run over 6.0 innings of work.
• Redshirt freshman Jake Lanzer struck out a career-high four batters and earned his first career save after allowing no earned runs over the final 3.0 innings in relief. 
• Freshman Gabe Breckenridge led the way for Coppin State, going 2-for-2 with a pair of RBI and a triple.
• Junior Kai Holm also registered two hits on the day for the Eagles. 
• Redshirt senior Nico Felber (2-6) took the loss on the mound after allowing five runs on three hits and five walks over 3.0 innings of work.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Skyhawks gained early momentum with an inning-ending double-play in the top half of the first. Senior Blaine Lidsky set the tone for Stonehill with a double into left centerfield, eventually scoring on an infield groundball from junior Dylan Zemotel.

A sacrifice fly lifted out to deep centerfield by sophomore Sam Parks would plate Gaspar, while a fielding miscue by the Eagle's third baseman allowed Zemotel to race home and score, giving Stonehill an early three-run advantage. 

Coppin State managed to cut its deficit to 3-1 with an RBI single into centerfield by Holm. However, the game took a decisive turn as the Skyhawks scored 16 unanswered runs over the next four innings. 

 LeClair opened the floodgates with a two-run single through the left side of the infield in the bottom half of the third before a solo blast off the bat of Ciulla-Hall and a run-scoring base knock by Marshall in the bottom of the fourth made the score 7-1 in favor of the Skyhawks. A seven-run half inning in the fifth would double Stonehill's total scoring output, fueled by a two-run double off the left centerfield wall by redshirt junior Jack Thorbahn and three-run bases-clearing triple off the bat of LeClair. 

 Stonehill's offensive momentum continued into the sixth inning. Following a leadoff walk to sophomore Evan Dieter, Ciulla-Hall stepped into the batter's box and rocketed a triple out into right field. However, as the senior designated hitter was sliding into third base, an errant throw allowed him to jog home and score the Skyhawks' 16th run of the contest.  

Back-to-back RBI base knocks from freshmen classmates Will Christopher and LeClair, followed by Parks' second sacrifice fly of the contest, made the score 19-1 heading into the latter third of the conference series opener. 

The Skyhawks would cap off their scoring output with four runs in the bottom of the eighth. Despite plating three unearned runs with two outs in the top of the ninth, the Stonehill advantage proved too much for Coppin State, as the Skyhawks walked away victorious by a final score of 23-4.

Ciulla-Hall is now tied with Gaspar for the team-lead in homeruns at eight on the season. (Photo Credit Mary Gettens).

INSIDE THE BOX & NOTES

• The Skyhawks' 23-run output marked the first time the program has cracked the 20-run mark since March 8, 2008, when they posted a 22-2 win over Ashland University. 
• Gaspar and Ciulla-Hall extended their on-base streaks to 18 and 21 games, respectively. 
• Douglas now leads the team with his mark of three wins on the season, while Lanzer is now one of five Stonehill pitchers to record a save on the season.
• The Skyhawks stole a season-high seven bases on the day, marking the most in a single-game since Stonehill registered eight stolen bases against Saint Anselm College back on May 2, 2021.
• Parks, Zemotel, and LeClair each tallied two stolen bases, while Gaspar recorded his fifth of the season.

UP NEXT

Stonehill (13-22, 8-11 NEC) takes on Coppin State in game two of its NEC three-game series on Saturday. First pitch between the Skyhawks and Eagles from Lou Gorman Field is set for 1 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.