EASTON, Mass. (April 9, 2024) – The Stonehill College Softball team dropped a pair of Northeast Conference contests against Merrimack College at Fr. Gartland Field Tuesday afternoon highlighted by a 10-inning game to begin the day.

GAME 1 - Merrimack 3 (13-22, 7-4 NEC), Stonehill 1 (7-23, 2-12)

HOW IT HAPPENED

Starting in the circle for the Skyhawks was freshman Harper Sullivan (Glendale, Ariz.) who threw four scoreless innings, allowing just one base hit, through the first four innings of action. A solo home run over the left field wall by Gabby Kaduson in the top of the fifth gave Merrimack a 1-0 lead as Merrimack starter Cecilia Imbimbo also threw four scoreless innings to open the game.

Stonehill tied it up 1-1 in the bottom half of the fifth inning as junior Emily Nardelli (North Attleboro, Mass.) sent a double into the left-center field gap before stealing third and scoring on an errant throw by the catcher that trickled into the outfield.

Sullivan moved to first base and freshman Alexa Hospodar (Old Bethpage, N.Y.) entered the circle in the sixth inning, guiding the Skyhawks to three straight scoreless innings. As extra innings remained scoreless, the two conference opponents entered the 10th inning knotted up 1-1, allowing an automatic runner to be placed on second base at the beginning of each half-inning.

The Warriors broke the tie in the top of the 10th inning as the automatic runner scored from third base on a bunt single followed by another insurance run crossing the plate on a fielder's choice to the shortstop.

Down 3-1 in the bottom of the 10th, Stonehill had runners on the corners with two outs but a punchout ended the comeback hopes for the Skyhawks, falling in the opening game of Tuesday's doubleheader.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Sullivan pitched 5.2 innings in her fifth starter of the season, giving up two hits and one earned run with three strikeouts. Hospodar pitched 4.1 innings, allowing two hits and two runs (one unearned) with one strikeout, falling to 3-6 on the year. This was Sullivan's longest outing of her career.
• Junior Shannon Conte (Amesbury, Mass.) recorded two hits out of the leadoff while drawing two walks, reaching base safely for the 11th time in the past 13 games. She leads the Skyhawks with 13 walks drawn.
• This was the second 10-inning game this season for Stonehill, winning the first time this happened on March 17 at LIU, 4-3.
• Nardelli is now 4-10 over the last three games with three doubles, a stolen base, and two RBI.

GAME 2 - Merrimack 9 (14-22, 8-4 NEC), Stonehill 1 (7-24, 2-13)

HOW IT HAPPENED

Merrimack got on the board in the second inning with an RBI double down the left-field line before adding to its lead in the top of the fourth with a solo home run to left field by Madison Cerpa.

The Skyhawks recorded their first hit of the game in the bottom of the fourth as redshirt sophomore May Dawes (Beacon Falls, Conn.) lined a double to the right-center field wall but with two outs already in the inning, Stonehill was unable to drive in the run.

The Warriors built a 5-0 lead in the top of the fifth as three singles and a hit by a pitch, all with two outs, resulted in three runs for Merrimack.

Stonehill plated one run in the bottom half of the inning but two runs in both the sixth and seventh for the Warriors proved to be too much for the Skyhawks as Merrimack won the second game, 9-1.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Dawes has recorded a hit in all three of her most recent appearances, going 3-4 with a double and a walk over the three games.
• Conte drew two more walks, reaching base safely for the 12th time in the past 14 games. She leads the Skyhawks with 15 walks drawn and ranks tied for fourth in the NEC as one of the most patient hitters in the league.

UP NEXT

• Stonehill softball is back in action tomorrow afternoon for a non-conference doubleheader against Rhode Island at Fr. Gartland Field as the Skyhawks celebrate Team IMPACT Day with their Team IMPACT player, Maggie Mendonca, throwing out the first pitch before the first game begins at 2 p.m.

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