Skyhawks fall in game one, 5-1, take game two, 7-4, in nine innings

Bryan Galligan earned the no-decision in game two for the Skyhawks.

BROOKEVILLE, N.Y. (March 4, 2012) – Stonehill College, ranked seventh overall in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) East Regional Poll, split a twinbill against LIU-C.W. Post on Sunday afternoon in non-conference action falling in game one, 5-1, but rebounding in game two for a 7-4 victory in nine innings (originally scheduled for seven).

C.W. Post 5, Stonehill 1 (nine innings)

Stonehill let an early 1-0 lead slip away giving up three runs in the second frame (all unearned) eventually dropping game one to the Pioneers.

Sophomore left-hander Mike Eckerle (Hewlett, N.Y./Hewlett) earned the win for C.W. Post on five innings pitched, four hits, one run (unearned), six walks and seven strikeouts. Freshman left-handed pitcher Joey Arena (Yorktown, N.Y./Lakeland) notched the save closing out the final four innings yielding zero hits, no runs, one walk and four punchouts.

Senior left-handed starter Michael White (Lisbon, N.H./Lisbon Regional) suffered the loss on four innings of work, five hits, five runs (two earned), no walks and two strikeouts. The Skyhawks bullpen kept the Pioneers scoreless for the remainder of the contest as Jim Duff (Garden City, N.Y./Garden City) struck out one batter in two innings while senior Matt Olsen (Winchester, Mass./Winchester) and freshman Ryan Rougeot (Cheshire, Conn./Cheshire) fanned one batter apiece, both on one inning pitched.

Stonehill got on the board in the top of the first inning as junior shortstop Michael Zeiner (Simsbury, Conn./Simsbury) scored on the backend of Michael Magnussen's (Carver, Mass./Coyle & Cassidy) steal of second base.

C.W. Post took a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the second inning as the Pioneers took advantage of three errors by the Skyhawks. The hosts also added two runs in the bottom of the fourth on a two-run double to left-center field off the bat of senior right fielder Matt Simone (West Islip, N.Y./Iona).

Arena then held Stonehill hitless for the remainder of the game while not allowing a baserunner to advance into scoring position for his first save of the season.

Stonehill 7, C.W. Post 4 (nine innings, scheduled for seven)

Stonehill scored seven runs on just four hits earning a come-from-behind victory over C.W. Post in game two of the doubleheader.

Skyhawks freshman reliever and Northeast-10 Conference (NE-10) Rookie of the Week Armand Rugel (Middletown, R.I./Middletown) earned the win on one-and-two-thirds innings pitched, no hits, no runs, one walk and two punchouts. Senior right-hander Bryan Galligan (Brockton, Mass./Brockton) was handed the no-decision tossing five-and-one-thirds innings, nine hits, four runs (four earned), two walks and three strikeouts. Sophomore Zach Soulier (Milford, Conn./Jonathan Law) gave up two hits in two scoreless innings of work.

For the Pioneers, junior right-hander Bo Budkevics (Deer Park, N.Y./Deer Park) was dealt the loss in relief on three-and-two-thirds innings pitched, two hits, four runs (none earned), two walks and six strikeouts. Senior James Stone (Massapequa, N.Y./Fordham) landed the no-decision pitching five-and-one-thirds innings, two hits, three runs (one earned), one walk and seven punchouts.

C.W. Post grabbed a quick 2-0 lead over the first two innings as Anthony Corona (Carmel, N.Y./J.F.K. Catholic) and Simone drove home a run with a single to center field in the first and second innings, respectively.

In the bottom of the fourth, sophomore Vincent Iacono (Nesconset, N.Y./St. John the Baptist) made it a 3-0 gap with a RBI double to right field.

Stonehill answered in the top of the sixth with four runs on two hits aided by two errors. Senior Steven Popp (Unionville, Conn./Farmington) finally put the Skyhawks on the scoreboard with a single to left center field plating White to cut into the deficit, 3-1, before back-to-back fielding errors allowed Stonehill to take a 4-3 lead headed into the bottom of the sixth.

Junior Gabriel Santos (Jamaica, N.Y./Jamaica) evened the score at 4-4 in the next half inning with a single down the left field line scoring classmate Kevin Chenicek (Levittown, N.Y./Division Ave.) from second base. Chenicek led off the frame with a single and advanced to second base on a sac bunt before tying the game on Santos' RBI single.

Both teams were held in-check for the next two innings until Zeiner broke the game open for Stonehill with a bases clearing three-run double down the right field line for a 7-4 advantage.

Rugel finished off the bottom of the ninth by retiring the side in order on a fly out to centerfield, a pop-up to shortstop and a groundout to improve his record to 2-0 on the season.

Stonehill (6-2, 0-0 NE-10, 0-0 Northeast Division) returns to action on Friday, March 9 against Assumption College in non-conference action for a doubleheader tilt in Leesburg, Fla. at Pat Thomas Stadium with game one scheduled for 4 p.m. C.W. Post (4-3, 0-0 ECC) hosts Dominican College on Friday at 3 p.m.

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