Merrimack Outhits and Takes Two from Softball in Opening Conference Doubleheader

Whaley batted 2-for-3 with a RBI

EASTON, Mass. (March 30, 2017) – The Stonehill College softball team dropped its opening Northeast-10 Conference doubleheader against Merrimack College Thursday afternoon at Fr. Gartland Field with scores of 11-0 in five innings, in game one, and 8-2, in game two.

Game 1: Merrimack 11 – Stonehill 0 (5 innings)
Lianna Jordan (Staten Island, New York/St. Joseph By the Sea), Cassandra Squeri (New Providence, New Jersey/New Providence) and Elizabeth Cronin (Holliston, Massachusetts/Holliston) were the only Skyhawks to tally a hit in game one, while the Warriors combined for nine hits and 11 runs across.

Squeri batted 3-for-5 with a run scored and an RBI on the day

Merrimack drove in two runs in the top of the first off of a single to center field from Caitlin McBride to score Samantha Waskowitz and Tiffany Mangiameli for a 2-0 lead.

Neither team was able to score in the second or third inning, but the Warriors continued pressing in the fourth inning, as five more runs crossed home, 7-0. Haley Currie connected on a pitch for a two-run single to center field and McBride drove the ball over the left field fence for a three-run blast for her first homerun of the season.

The Warriors were not done in the top of the fifth, as Waskowski singled up the middle and drove in Mariah Tenney and Morgan Phipps. With only one out, McBride was up to bat and Mangiameli scored on a wild pitch and Waskowitz followed by scoring on a throwing error by the catcher, run ruling the Skyhawks in five innings, 11-0.

Game 2: Merrimack 8 – Stonehill 2
Taylor Whaley (South Portland, Maine/Catherine McAuley)
and Squeri were the only two Skyhawks to bat 2-for-3 in game two, as they each drove in a run.

Kaleigh Finigan drove in three runs for the Warriors, while Tamarra Crowe tallied two RBI and Mangiameli, Waskowitz and Tenney recorded one a piece.

Merrimack scored early once again in game two but was held to two hits and only one run across, 1-0. Stonehill followed in the bottom of the first with a run of its own as Squeri singled to left field driving Taylor Lester (East Northport, New York/St. Anthony's) in from third to tie the game at one.

Pitcher Jennifer Mayette (Scotia, New York/Scotia-Glenville) held the Warriors to no hits in the top of the third, but Merrimack found its groove again as it scored three runs in the top of the fourth extending its lead to four, 5-1. Finigan launched a two-run homerun over the center field fence scoring Johnson and Mangiameli singled down the left field line driving Tenney home.

Stonehill loaded the bases in the bottom of the fourth inning, but only saw Squeri cross home off of Whaley's single up the middle, to cut the deficit to three, 5-2.

Merrimack scored twice in the top of the sixth and once in the top of the seventh off of four total hits before shutting down the Skyhawks in the bottom of the seventh inning to take game two, 8-2.

Softball (1-16, 0-2 NE10) hosts Franklin Pierce University in a doubleheader on Sunday, April 2 with a first pitch at noon on Fr. Gartland Field.

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