Haughn notches first win of the season for Stonehill
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| Michael White compiled three hits in Stonehill's 7-3 win over Pace. |
WINTER PARK, Fla. (March 12, 2012) – Stonehill College, ranked seventh overall in the latest National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) East Regional Poll, earned a 7-3 victory over Pace University in non-conference action at Alfond Stadium this afternoon.
Senior left-handed pitcher Eric Haughn (Pembroke, Mass./Pembroke) posted his first win of the season on five-and-one-thirds innings of work, yielding five hits, one run (earned), four walks and four strikeouts. Freshman Armand Rugel (Middletown, R.I./Middletown) pitched two-and-two-thirds innings allowing one hit, one run (earned), one walk and two punchouts. Senior Michael Von Stein (Trumbull, Conn./Trumbull) closed out the ninth giving up zero hits, one run (unearned) while walking one batter and fanning another.
For the Setters, Jonathan Silva (Staten Island, N.Y./Tottenville) was handed the loss on four-and-two-thirds innings, five hits, three runs (all earned), three walks and a game-high six punchouts.
Scoreless through the first three full innings, Stonehill cracked the scoreboard in the bottom half of the fourth on a Dan Fratus (Plymouth, Mass./Plymouth North) run producing triple that scored Michael White (Lisbon, N.H./Lisbon Regional) for a 1-0 lead. White led off the frame with a single and advanced to second base on a sacrifice bunt by senior designated hitter Steven Popp (Unionville, Conn./Farmington).
White pushed the Skyhawks advantage to 2-0 in the bottom of the fifth with a RBI single while Fratus increased the gap to 3-0 with a bases loaded walk, his second run batted in of the contest.
Pace responded in the top half of sixth as designated hitter James Pjura (Shelton, Conn./Shelton) homered to lead off the inning.
Stonehill answered in the next half inning with three runs aided by a pair of fielding errors. Junior shortstop Michael Zeiner (Simsbury, Conn./Simsbury) picked up a fielder's choice RBI plating freshman Dan Pidgeon (Darien, Conn./Darien) from third base.
In the bottom of the seventh, the Skyhawks pushed their lead to 7-1 as sophomore right fielder Billy Karalis (Pawtucket, R.I./Bishop Feehan) smacked a double to right centerfield, advanced to third on a groundout to short and came around to score on a wild pitch.
Pace cut into the deficit with one run in the top of the eighth inning on a RBI single from senior Patrick Chaputian (Sea Cliff, N.Y./North Shore) and a fielding error in the ninth to make it 7-3.
White went 3-for-5 with one run scored, one run batted in and one stolen base. Fratus was 1-for-2 with two RBI's and Zeiner went 1-for-4 at the plate with one run scored and two runs driven in.
For Pace, Pjura went 1-for-2 with two runs scored and one home run while Chaputian collected the only other multi-hit performance for the Setters going 2-for-4 with one run batted in.
Stonehill (7-4, 0-0 NE-10, 0-0 Northeast Division) plays tomorrow against LIU-C.W. Post in a makeup game, from a March 11 rainout, in Winter Park, Fla. at Rollins College at 5:30 p.m. Pace (4-4, 0-0 NE-10, 0-0 Southwest Division) will take on C.W. Post tomorrow at the same facility at 2 p.m.
- www.stonehillskyhawks.com -
