Folan Raps Out Five Hits And Drives In Four Runs, Marrero Belts Three Run Homer As Softball Drops Wild 14-13 Extra Inning Northeast-10 Decision At American International In Opener, Skyhawks Battle To 8-8 Nightcap Draw

April 30, 2007

STONEHILL SOFTBALL

Monday, April 30, 2007

Groff Field, Springfield, Mass.

GAME #1 FINAL: AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL 14, STONEHILL 13 (12 INNINGS)

123 456 789 10 11 12 R H E

Stonehill (13-24, 12-15 Northeast-10) 021 000 300 4 3 0 - 13 14 4

American Intl. (22-24, 14-12 NE-10) 003 210 000 4 3 1 - 14 19 6

BATTERIES

STO: Kait Mendall, Danielle Mason (7) and Courtney Young, Caitlin Flanagan (7)

AIC: Sara Puglisi, Megan Nickerson (7) and Brittany Provost, Katelyn Elie (11)

WP: Nickerson (7-1) LP: Mason (3-10)

Home Runs: AIC – Katelyn Elie, Ashley Deegan

GAME #2 FINAL: STONEHILL 8, AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL 8 (6 INNINGS, DARKNESS)

123 456 R H E

Stonehill (13-24-1, 12-15-1 Northeast-10) 300 401 - 8 11 2

American Intl. (22-24-1, 14-12-1 NE-10) 401 300 - 8 12 1

BATTERIES

STO: Danielle Mason, Katie Mottau (4), Jaime Ippolito (4) and Caitlin Flanagan

AIC: Sara Swepston and Katelyn Elie

Home Runs: STO – Yesenia Marrero; AIC - Kellie Brown

SPRINGFIELD, Mass.-- Junior Teresa Bonavita's (Agawam, Mass.) single in the bottom of the 12th inning plated the winning run and led American International to wild 14-13 victory over Stonehill in the opening game of a Northeast-10 Conference softball doubleheader Monday afternoon at Groff Field. The two teams played to an 8-8 tie in the nightcap in a game called after six innings due to darkness.

A see-saw afternoon all-around that saw the two teams combine for 43 runs, 56 hits and six innings of three or more runs by either side began with the visiting Skyhawks, who finish the season at 13-24-1 overall and 12-15-1 in Northeast-10 play, jump out to a 3-0 lead through three at-bats in the opener on a two-run double by sophomore Kate Brides (West Bridgewater, Mass.) and an RBI single by junior Jaime Ippolito (Chelsea, Mass.). The host Yellow Jackets (22-24-1, 14-12-1 Northeast-10) evened matters in the bottom of the third on an RBI single by junior Kayla Donnelly (Pittsfield, Mass.) and a two-run single off the bat of junior Tara DeMontier (Amesbury, Mass.), and American International took a 6-3 edge on a two-run homer by freshman Katelyn Elie (Worcester, Mass.) in the fourth and an RBI single by sophomore Kellie Brown (Gill, Mass.) in the fifth. Stonehill forced extra innings with three runs in the seventh on a two-run single by sophomore Courtney Young (Danvers, Mass.) and a game-tying RBI single by junior Caitlin Flanagan (Cornwall, N.Y.), and the two teams then went to the international tiebreaker for three wild extra innings.

Run scoring singles off the bats of Brides, Young and junior Stephanie Folan (Glen Cove, N.Y.), coupled with a throwing error, gave the Skyhawks a 10-6 edge in the top of the 10th, but the Yellow Jackets responded with a grand slam off the bat of sophomore Ashley Deegan (Madison, Conn.) to extend the contest. Stonehill plated three runs in the 11th inning on a two-run single by Folan and a sacrifice fly by freshman Kristen Clark (Brockton, Mass.), but American International evened matters once again in the bottom of the inning on a two-run double by sophomore Deanna Zanetti (Hampden, Mass.) and Elie's game-tying single, setting the stage for Bonavita's heroics.

Brown and Elie combined for six hits and five RBI in the opening game triumph for the Yellow Jackets, who also received three hits from DeMontier and two each from Bonavita, Zanetti, senior Brittany Provost (Delanson, N.Y.) and freshman Michelle Franey (Abington, Mass.). Junior Megan Nickerson (Greenfield, Mass.) picked up her seventh win in eight decisions in relief for American International, allowing seven hits and eight unearned runs in six innings of work.

Brides and Young each collected three hits and three RBI in the setback for Stonehill, which also received two hits and three RBI from Folan as well as two hits each from Flanagan and senior Kristen Demick (East Hampton, Conn.). Junior Danielle Mason (Salisbury, Mass.) suffered the loss on the mound for the Skyhawks, allowing five earned runs in 5 1/3 innings of relief.

Stonehill jumped out to a 3-0 first inning lead in the nightcap on Ippolito's RBI single that was followed by a two-run double off the bat of Flanagan, but Brown's grand slam in the bottom of the first gave American International a one-run cushion, and the Yellow Jackets took a 5-3 edge in the third on an RBI groundout by freshman Nicole Benoit (Brockton, Mass.). The Skyhawks plated four runs in the fourth to take a 7-5 lead on Folan's RBI single as well as a three-run homer off the bat of sophomore Yesenia Marrero (Brockton, Mass.), her fifth of the spring, but the Yellow Jackets answered back with three in their half of the frame when DeMontier rapped out a two-run double and later stole home. Junior Lauren Rappoli's (Wilmington, Mass.) RBI single in the sixth enabled Stonehill to forge the 8-8 draw, and the contest was called after American International's at-bat in the sixth due to darkness.

Folan rapped out three hits in the nightcap for Stonehill, which also received a pair of hits each from Marrero and Ippolito, who pitched 2 2/3 innings of scoreless one-hit relief as well for the Skyhawks. Provost, DeMontier and Zanetti each had two hits in the second contest for American International, as freshman Sara Swepston (Dallas, Pa.) went the distance on the mound for the Yellow Jackets, allowing six earned runs.

American International closes out its 2007 schedule on Tuesday afternoon by hosting Merrimack in a Northeast-10 outing at Groff Field beginning at 4:00 p.m.