Skyhawks fall victim to a pair of strong pitching performances
Senior Lindsay McKillop went 2-for-3 in Stonehill's 6-0 loss to New Haven today. |
WEST HAVEN, Conn. (March 23, 2014) – The Stonehill College softball team opened Northeast-10 play today with a pair of losses to the University of New Haven at the UNH Softball Field. Stonehill fell in the opener, 3-1, before dropping the second contest, 6-0.
New Haven was led by a pair of strong pitching performances from sophomores Victoria Cabral (New Britain, Conn./Miss Porter's School) and Nicole King (Front Royal, Va./Warren County), and four-hit efforts from senior Brandy Dianno (Philadelphia, Pa./Nazareth Academy) and sophomore Jen Palase (Staten Island, N.Y./Tottenville).
Cabral earned the win in the first game after going all seven innings and allowing just one run on four hits while striking out six and walking three. King matched Cabral's effort in the second contest, as she went the distance as well, allowing just three hits and no runs to go with five strikeouts.
Offensively, Dianno and Palase paced the Chargers with 4-for-6 showings at the plate. Dianno recorded a double, two RBI and three runs, while Palase had a triple and two runs.
Stonehill led 1-0 after four innings, but New Haven scored twice in the fifth and once in the sixth to deal the Skyhawks their fourth straight loss. Dianno and Palase led the way for New Haven with 2-for-3 efforts at the plate, while freshman Julie Devlin (Baldwin, N.Y./Northwood School) went 2-for-4 with a run and senior Brooke Fisher (Erial, N.J./Camden Catholic) and Cabral both went 1-for-2 with one RBI.
Freshman Cassandra Squeri (New Providence, N.J./New Providence) was the bright spot in Stonehill's offense, as she went 2-for-2 with a home run, while sophomores Megan Staudle (New Windsor, N.Y./Cornwall Central) and Cayleigh McCarthy (Norfolk, Mass./King Phillip) each went 1-for-3.
Freshman Michelle Carbone (Deer Park, N.Y./St. Anthony's) took the loss after giving up two runs (one earned) on seven hits in four innings of work. Squeri came on in relief and gave up one run on two hits over the final two innings.
After three scoreless innings, Stonehill struck first in the top of the fourth as Squeri led off the frame with a solo home run to left field to stake the Skyhawks to a 1-0 lead.
New Haven answered in the fifth inning, as the first three Chargers reached on an error followed by a pair of singles. With the bases loaded, junior Jess Spivey (Holland, Pa./Council Rock) drove in the game-tying run with a ground out that advanced both runners, and New Haven took the lead on the following play as Fisher delivered a sacrifice fly.
The Chargers scored again in the sixth on an RBI single by Cabral, and Stonehill went down in order in the seventh inning.
New Haven earned its second win of the day on the strength of a complete game shutout by King, and a five-run second inning. Dianno went 2-for-3 with two RBI and two runs, and Palase added a 2-for-3 effort with a triple and a run.
Squeri |
Senior Lindsay McKillop (East Meadow, N.Y./East Meadow) and freshman Lianna Jordan (Staten Island, N.Y./St. Joseph by the Sea) accounted for all three of Stonehill's hits in the game, as McKillop went 2-for-3 and Jordan was 1-for-2. Sophomore Megan Ruonavaara (Rocky Hill, Conn./Rocky Hill) took the loss for the Skyhawks after giving up six runs (all unearned) on seven hits in six innings of work.
New Haven took an early lead, as Dianno doubled with one out in the first inning and came around to score on a passed ball. The Chargers did the majority of their damage in a five-run second inning, however.
After Fisher struck out looking to lead off the frame, freshman Gabby DeLeo (Philadelphia, Pa./St. Hubert Catholic) reached second base on an error and then stole third. Palase followed with a single and then stole second to put two runners in scoring position with one out. The next batter struck out swinging before senior Meghan Chamoff (Roslyn Heights, N.Y./Herricks) delivered a two-run triple to left field, giving New Haven a 3-0 lead. After a walk and another steal, Dianno knocked in two more runs with a single up the middle. Senior Lindsey Couturier (Dighton, Mass./Dighton-Rehoboth Regional) capped off the big inning with an RBI single up the middle to increase New Haven's lead to 6-0.
Stonehill nearly got one run back the next inning, as Staudle was hit by a pitch, stole second, and attempted to score on a single by McKillop, but she was thrown out at home to end the inning.
King held the Skyhawks in check for the rest of the contest, allowing singles in the fifth and seventh, but Stonehill was unable to push any runs across the plate.
Stonehill (5-11, 0-2 NE-10) will look to get back on track on Tuesday, as the Skyhawks are scheduled to take on Bentley University in their home opener at 3 p.m. New Haven (11-3, 3-1 NE-10) will be back in action on Tuesday as well, as the Chargers are set to host Southern Connecticut State University for a doubleheader.
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