Skyhawks fall to Urbana, 8-2, and West Virginia Wesleyan, 10-8

Sophomore Alison Sumski went 3-for-9 with one RBI in two games today.

CLERMONT, Fla. (March 11, 2014) – The Stonehill College softball team dropped a pair of contests today as play resumed at the Dot Richardson Spring Games in non-conference action at the National Training Center. Stonehill fell to Urbana University, 8-2, in the opener before losing by a 10-8 final to #16 West Virginia Wesleyan College.

Urbana scored two runs in the fourth, fifth, and sixth innings to pull away from Stonehill in the opener today. Freshman Danielle Farnlacher (Whitehall, Ohio/Whitehall Yearling) led the Blue Knights with a 4-for-4 effort at the plate, including three RBI and two runs. Senior Ashley Skinner (Beavercreek, Ohio/Beavercreek) went 2-for-4 with four RBI, and freshman Courtney Stewart (Zanesfield, Ohio/Benjamin Logan) was 2-for-4 with three runs.

Senior Haley Kolmerten (West Lafayette, Ohio/Ridgewood) earned the win for Urbana, as she pitched a complete game, allowing two runs on eight hits with six strikeouts. Kolmerten also excelled offensively, going 2-for-3 at the plate with one run and one RBI.

Freshman Michelle Carbone (Deer Park, N.Y./St. Anthony's) had two hits for Stonehill, while sophomores Megan Staudle (New Windsor, N.Y./Cornwall Central) and Megan Ruonavaara (Rocky Hill, Conn./Rocky Hill) recorded one hit and one RBI each.

Ruonavaara started the game in the circle for Stonehill, and she took the loss after allowing eight runs on 12 hits over 5.1 innings. Sophomore Sarah Ropiak (Acton, Mass./Acton-Boxborough) replaced Ruonavaara in the sixth and recorded one strikeout.

Urbana picked up two runs in the first inning, as Stewart led the game off with a triple and Farnlacher followed with a double. Farnlacher advanced to third on a fly out, and then scored Urbana's second run on a sacrifice fly.

Stonehill answered in the top of the fourth inning on Ruonavaara's RBI single, but Urbana came right back in the bottom half of the inning with Farnlacher's two-run single. The Blue Knights added two more runs in the fifth and the sixth to go up 8-1, before Stonehill got one run back in the top of the seventh on Staudle's RBI single.

Senior Lindsay McKillop went 2-for-2 in Stonehill's 10-8 loss to West Virginia Wesleyan.

In the second game of the day, Stonehill and West Virginia Wesleyan combined for 18 runs on 27 hits. The Bobcats scored in every inning except the second and sixth, while Stonehill scored in four of seven frames.

Staudle led the Skyhawks with a 3-for-4 performance at the plate, recording one RBI and one run. Senior Lindsay McKillop (East Meadow, N.Y./East Meadow), sophomore Alison Sumski (Amherst, N.H./Souhegan), and freshman Cassandra Squeri (New Providence, N.J./New Providence) added two hits apiece for Stonehill.

Ropiak took the loss after entering in the fifth inning and giving up two runs on four hits, although Carbone allowed eight runs on 11 hits through the first 4.1 innings.

Senior Alex Furr (Hurricane, W.V./Hurricane) had a monster day offensively for West Virginia Wesleyan, as she went 4-for-5 with two RBI and three runs scored. Freshman Olivia Gore (Berryville, Va./Clarke County) was 3-for-4 with one RBI and one run, and junior Tyler Welch (Haymarket, Va./Battlefield) added two hits and two RBI. Each of the first five hitters in the Bobcats' batting order had at least one hit and one RBI.

Freshman Kristina Nelson (Las Vegas, Nev./Las Vegas) earned the win for West Virginia Wesleyan after pitching the last two innings and allowing one run on two hits.

After falling behind 1-0 in the first inning, Stonehill responded with a pair of runs in the second to take a 2-1 lead. Sophomore Emily Padilla (Wappinger Falls, N.Y./Roy C. Ketcham) scored from third on a passed ball, and Sumski followed with an RBI single.

The teams traded runs in the third inning, before West Virginia Wesleyan took a 4-3 lead in the fourth on RBI singles by Welch and Furr. The Bobcats added four runs the following inning to go up 8-3, but Stonehill would score five unanswered runs in the fifth and sixth frames to tie the contest.

After Ropiak picked up two quick outs in the top of the seventh, West Virginia Wesleyan took a 9-8 lead on Furr's RBI triple following a double by sophomore Ashley Hurey (Pittsburgh, Pa./West Allegheny). Senior Carleigh Hall (Riverton, Kan./Riverton) gave the Bobcats an insurance run with her RBI double, and Stonehill was unable to muster any more offense in its half of the seventh.

Stonehill (3-3, 0-0 NE-10) will be back in action tomorrow morning with a pair of contests against East Coast Conference opponents. The Skyhawks are scheduled to take on Mercy College at 9 a.m., before facing Saint Thomas Aquinas College at 11 a.m. Urbana (3-4, 0-0 MEC) will be off tomorrow before playing the University of Bridgeport and Lourdes University on Thursday, while West Virginia Wesleyan (9-3, 0-0 MEC) is set to take on Shippensburg University and Wayne State College tomorrow.

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