Lidsky matched his single-game career-high mark of six RBI on the day. (Photo Credit Mary Gettens).

EASTON, Mass. (April 28, 2024) – The Stonehill College baseball team secured its Northeast Conference three-game series sweep with a decisive 16-8 victory over Coppin State Sunday afternoon at Lou Gorman Field. With the win, the Skyhawks improve to 15-22 overall and 10-11 in conference play, while the Eagles drop to 12-23 overall and 11-13 against conference opponents.        

HIGHLIGHTS

• Senior Blaine Lidsky finished a triple shy of the cycle in going 3-for-4 with a double, a homerun, two runs scored, and six run's batted in.
• Senior Trey Ciulla-Hall reached base in all five at-bats after drawing five walks on the day.
• Redshirt sophomore Sam Parks registered two RBI after going 2-for-3 on the day with a walk and three stolen bases.
• Sophomore Jack Iannibelli (1-0) picked up his first win of the season after pitching 4.2 scoreless innings of relief for the Skyhawks.  
• Junior Anthony Divittorio led the Eagles with two hits and two RBI on the day.
• Junior Kai Holm and freshman Braylon Watson each tallied two RBI for Coppin State.
• Freshman Brandon Stephens (0-1) took the loss after allowing five runs off a hit and four walks in 1.0 innings of work.

HOW IT HAPPENED

After a quick top half of the first inning pitched by senior Jordan Marot, Stonehill and Coppin State would go back and forth, combining for 15 runs over the next inning and a half of action in the NEC series finale. 

A groundball to the Eagles second baseman by redshirt junior Jack Thorbahn allowed graduate student Conor Kiely to race home and score the game's opening run. Lidsky immediately followed Thorbahn's run-scoring groundball with an RBI double down the leftfield line, plating Ciulla-Hall and giving the Skyhawks an early 2-0 lead.

However, in the top half of the second, two errors, two walks, a wild pitch, and a pair of run-scoring hits would fuel a five-run inning for the Coppin State. A bases-loaded walk to junior Victor Alongi cut the gap in half before a dribbling groundball down the first base line off the bat of Watson forced an errant throw home, resulting in a pair of runs to cross the plate. Divittorio and Holm capped off the Eagles scoring in the second inning with an RBI single through the right side and sacrifice fly lifted out to leftfield, giving Coppin State its largest lead of the series at 5-2.

Stonehill would immediately respond in the bottom of the second inning with an eight-run outburst, a game-changing moment. Thorbahn battled and drew a bases-loaded walk before Lidsky continued his already strong start at the plate, lacing a two-run single into centerfield, leveling the game at five aside.

Junior Taylor Gaspar would regain the Skyhawks lead with a two-run single up the middle, plating Thorbahn and Lidsky. Senior Jack Marshall lifted a single over an outstretched glove of the Eagle's second baseman to score Gaspar and increase the Stonehill advantage to three. Parks capped off the Skyhawks' offensive onslaught in the second inning, dropping a two-run bloop single into no man's land in shallow leftfield, giving Stonehill a commanding 10-5 lead.

The Skyhawks extended their advantage with two runs in the fourth and three more in the sixth inning. A sacrifice fly off the bat of Kiely scored junior Dylan Zemotel, who led off the inning by being hit by a pitch before Thorbahn sent a slow rolling groundball to first, allowing freshman Ryan LeClair to fly home from third and score the Skyhawks' 13th run of the contest.

After Parks led off the bottom half of the sixth with a free pass, the sophomore centerfielder would wheel around the bases, eventually making his way over to third, just 90 feet away from home. A wild pitch thrown to Ciulla-Hall would allow Parks to waltz home, increasing the Stonehill advantage to 14-5. Lidsky capped off his stellar day at the dish and rounded out the Skyhawks scoring belting a two-run no-doubt homerun over the left centerfield fence.

Despite the Eagles scoring three runs over the seventh and eighth innings, the Stonehill lead proved insurmountable for the third straight game, as the Skyhawks walked away victorious in the series finale by a final score of 16-8.

INSIDE THE BOX & NOTES

Iannibelli earned his first win of the season after 4.2 scoreless innings of relief. (Photo Credit Jarod Minassian).

• Stonehill's 50 runs over the three-game series against Coppin State are the most in a three-game span since the Skyhawks scored 50 runs against both Wheeling Jesuit and Lewis College back between March 1 and 2, 2008.
• Gaspar and Ciulla-Hall extended their on-base streaks to 20 and 23 games, respectively. 
• Parks and Zemotel also improved his on-base streaks to 12 straight, while Lidsky's six RBI matched his single-game career-high mark.
• Stonehill stole 13 bases as a team against Coppin State. Parks and Ciulla-Hall each tallied three, while Kiely and Gaspar registered two stolen bases on the day.
• Sophomore Rob Moynihan struck out a pair in 1.0 inning of relief, while senior Joe Castrichini and junior Max Brulport each also appeared on the mound for the Skyhawks.

UP NEXT

Stonehill (15-22, 10-11 NEC) returns to action for midweek NEC action against Maryland Eastern Shore. First pitch of Tuesday's series opener between the Skyhawks and Hawks is set for 3:30 p.m., at Lou Gorman Field.

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