Seventh Inning Heroics Provide Softball With Senior Day Northeast-10 Sweep Of Saint Michael's By 4-3, 2-1 Finals

April 29, 2006

STONEHILL SOFTBALL

Saturday, April 29, 2006

Gartland Field, Easton, Mass.

GAME #1 FINAL: STONEHILL 4, SAINT MICHAEL'S 3

123 456 7 R H E

Saint Michael's (14-21, 8-13 Northeast-10) 000 010 2 - 3 6 0

Stonehill (18-18-1, 11-13-1 Northeast-10) 000 110 2 - 4 8 0

BATTERIES

STM: Meggan Roberge and Elizabeth Pigeon

STO: Katie Mottau and Courtney Young

WP: Mottau (7-7) LP: Roberge (6-12)

Home Runs: STO - Caitlin Flanagan (4), Courtney Young (6)

GAME #2 FINAL: STONEHILL 2, SAINT MICHAEL'S 1

123 456 7 R H E

Saint Michael's (14-22, 8-14 Northeast-10) 010 000 0 - 1 8 4

Stonehill (19-18-1, 12-13-1 Northeast-10) 000 000 2 - 2 5 2

BATTERIES

STM: Megan O'Connor and Kerri O'Connell

STO: Danielle Mason and Caitlin Flanagan

WP: Mason (12-6) LP: O'Connor (8-10)

EASTON, Mass.-- A pair of seventh innings comebacks lifted Stonehill to a sweep of a Northeast-10 Conference softball doubleheader from Saint Michael's on Saturday afternoon, as the Skyhawks used back-to-back solo homers in the final frame for a 4-3 opening game win and took advantage of a throwing error for a 2-1 nightcap triumph in games played at Gartland Field.

Trailing 3-2 with two outs in their final at-bat in the opener, the host Skyhawks (19-18-1, 12-13-1 Northeast-10) received a solo homer off the bat of sophomore Caitlin Flanagan (Cornwall, N.Y.) to even matters, as she hit a 3-1 pitch over the left field fence for her fourth round tripper of the spring. Freshman Courtney Young (Danvers, Mass.) followed with a walk-off homer on a 2-1 pitch over the same spot, as her sixth round tripper of the season lifted Stonehill to the wild win. The Skyhawks had taken a 1-0 fourth inning lead on an RBI single by senior Brook Capello (Hanover, Mass.), but the visiting Purple Knights (14-22, 8-14 Northeast-10) evened matters in the fifth when sophomore Lindsey Howland (South Portland, Maine) doubled, and freshman pinch-runner Krysten Farrell (Wilbraham, Mass.) scored on an RBI single off the bat of sophomore Katy Newland (East Burke, Vt.). The hosts regained a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the inning on Flanagan's RBI bunt single, but Saint Michael's rallied to take a 3-2 lead in the top of the seventh, as junior Casey Brooks (Colchester, Vt.) drew a bases loaded walk to tie the score and Newland's RBI fielder's choice gave the visitors the lead, setting up Stonehill's home run heroics in the bottom of the frame.

Flanagan rapped out two of the Skyhawks' eight hits in the opener, as freshman Katie Mottau (Woonsocket, R.I.) went the distance in allowing six hits and fanning three to even her mark at 7-7 on the mound for Stonehill. Howland and sophomore Maggie Russell (Wellesley, Mass.) each had two hits in the opener for Saint Michael's, as junior Meggan Roberge (Sheldon Springs, Vt.) allowed eight hits and fanned eight in suffering the setback for the Purple Knights, falling to 6-12.

Saint Michael's grabbed a 1-0 second inning lead in the nightcap on senior Elizabeth Pigeon's (St. Albans, Vt.) RBI single, and that run looked like it would hold up until Stonehill took advantage of a pair of seventh inning errors and a pinch-hit single by sophomore Lauren Polselli (Portsmouth, R.I.) to load the bases with one out. After a strikeout, freshman Meghan Sheehy's (East Islip, N.Y.) two-out grounder was thrown away, allowing Capello and fellow senior Christine Grenache (Leominster, Mass.) to score the tying and winning runs for the Skyhawks.

Five different players collected hits in the second game win for Stonehill, as sophomore Danielle Mason (Salisbury, Mass.) allowed one run and struck out three in going the distance for the Skyhawks to improve to 12-6 on the season. Brooks and Pigeon each rapped out two hits in the nightcap setback for Saint Michael's, as freshman Megan O'Connor (Georgetown, Mass.) allowed five hits and pair of unearned runs while fanning 13 to fall to 8-10 for the Purple Knights.

Stonehill, still alive for a Northeast-10 playoff spot, closes out regular season play on Monday afternoon by heading to Albany, N.Y. to take on Saint Rose in a league twinbill that begins at 5:00 p.m. Saint Michael's travels to Smithfield, R.I. on Sunday afternoon to take on Bryant in a Northeast-10 doubleheader that begins at Noon.