Junior Megan Ruonavaara tossed a complete-game shutout in game two and also went 3-for-5 at the plate during Stonehill's doubleheader sweep of Saint Michael's today.

Juniors Megan Ruonavaara and Sarah Ropiak each toss complete game shutouts

EASTON, Mass. (April 12, 2015) – Juniors Megan Ruonavaara (Rocky Hill, Connecticut/Rocky Hill) and Sarah Ropiak (Acton, Massachusetts/Acton-Boxborough) each threw complete game shutouts to lead Stonehill College to a doubleheader sweep of Saint Michael's College this afternoon in Northeast-10 Conference Northeast Division softball action at Gartland Field. Stonehill slugged its way to an 8-0, five-inning win in the opener before edging the Purple Knights 1-0 in game two.

Ropiak, who earned victories in each of the Skyhawks' two wins over Merrimack on Friday, struck out four and gave up four hits in game one to improve to 7-3 this season. Ruonavaara got the start in game two and held Saint Michael's to three hits over seven innings while striking out five and walking one en route to her third win of the spring.

Ruonavaara also made an impact at the plate, going 3-for-5 over the doubleheader with a double, one RBI and two runs scored. Junior Lauren Esposito (Middlefield, Connecticut/Coginchaug) went 3-for-5 with three RBI, while sophomore Jacklyn Oleksak (Massapequa, New York/Plainedge) chipped in with two hits and two runs and classmate Michelle Carbone (Deer Park, New York/St. Anthony's) hit a grand slam in the opener.

Saint Michael's was led by sophomore Christina Brazeau (Warwick, Rhode Island/Saint Mary Academy-Bay View), who went 2-for-4 at the plate, while junior Danielle DelGreco (Lexington, Massachusetts/Lexington) walked and singled and four other Purple Knights had one hit each.

Freshman Danielle Brown (Vergennes, Vermont/Vergennes Union) started both games in the circle for Saint Michael's and gave up seven runs on 13 hits over eight innings while striking out five and walking two.

Stonehill 8, Saint Michael's 0 (Final – 5 Innings)

Stonehill used Ropiak's third shutout of the season and a six-run second inning to take game one. The junior got the big inning started with a one-out walk, before moving up to third as Oleksak singled and took second base on the throw. Ruonavaara followed with a single down the left field line, scoring Ropiak, and the Skyhawks took a 2-0 lead on the next play as Esposito plated Oleksak with an infield single.

Brown retired the next batter for the second out of the inning, but junior Megan Staudle (New Windsor, New York/Cornwall Central) walked to load the bases, leading to Carbone's grand slam over the left field fence.

Junior Lauren Esposito drove in three runs in Stonehill's 8-0 game one win over Saint Michael's.

The Skyhawks would extend their lead to eight the following inning on Esposito's two-run single, and Ropiak kept Saint Michael's off the board through the fifth, bringing the game to an end.

Stonehill 1, Saint Michael's 0

The Skyhawks managed just one run in game two despite recording more hits (nine) than they did in game one, but it would prove to be enough as Ruonavaara posted her first shutout of the season.

Saint Michael's threatened in the top of the first, advancing a runner to third on a single and a pair of groundouts, but Ruonavaara struck out senior Sarah Murray (Wallingford, Connecticut/Sheehan) to end the inning.

Stonehill then strung together three consecutive singles in the bottom half of the inning to plate the game's only run. Staudle singled through the left side of the infield with one out, before moving up to second base on Carbone's single through the right side. Sophomore Cassandra Squeri (New Providence, New Jersey/New Providence) came up next and delivered her only hit of the day, an RBI single up the middle.

Ruonavaara gave up singles in the third and fifth innings, but the Purple Knights did not advance a runner into scoring position again until the sixth, when junior Judi Barcavage (Cold Spring, New York/Haldane) reached second base on a Stonehill error. Ruonavaara retired the final batter of the inning on a pop out, and cruised through the seventh as the Skyhawks completed the doubleheader sweep.

Stonehill (11-8, 5-2 NE-10), which went 5-0 during its five-game weekend homestand, will look to keep rolling tomorrow at Bentley University. Saint Michael's (0-13, 0-3 NE-10) will be back in action on Tuesday at Franklin Pierce University.

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