Senior Billy Karalis went 3-for-9 with a double, a home run, and two RBI today to lead Stonehill to a sweep of Saint Michael's. |
Duff and Soulier combine to give up just one run in 17 innings
EASTON, Mass. (April 19, 2014) – Led by strong pitching performances from junior Jim Duff (Garden City, N.Y./Garden City) and senior Zack Soulier (Milford, Conn./Jonathan Law), Stonehill College won both ends of today's doubleheader against Saint Michael's College in Northeast-10 Conference Northeast Division baseball action at Lou Gorman Field.
Duff started the opener and improved to 7-1 this season after posting a complete game shutout, while allowing just five hits and striking out five with no walks. Soulier took the ball in game two and went eight innings, giving up one run on four hits to go with one strikeout and no walks. Junior Armand Rugel (Middletown, R.I./Middletown) relieved Soulier in the ninth and collected his team-leading seventh save of the season after working a perfect inning.
Senior Billy Karalis (Pawtucket, R.I./Bishop Feehan) paced Stonehill offensively, as he went 3-for-9 with a double, a home run, two RBI and three runs. Junior Eric Schneider (Camarillo, Calif./St. Bonaventure) went 3-for-8 with a double, two RBI, and two runs, while sophomore Brian Hocking (Duxbury, Mass./BC High) was 3-for-5 with a triple.
Junior Michael Dougherty (Albany, N.Y./Christian Brothers Academy) led Saint Michael's at the plate, as he went 2-for-8 and knocked in the Purple Knights' lone run of the afternoon, while classmate Don McGuirl (Warwick, R.I./Saint Sebastian's) added a pair of hits as well.
Duff posted his second complete game effort of the season, and first shutout, in Stonehill's game one victory over Saint Michael's. The first four Skyhawks in the batting order each recorded a hit, while Schneider went 3-for-4 with a double and two RBI and freshman Steve Lee (Braintree, Mass./Braintree) was 2-for-4 with one RBI.
Senior Nick Myers (Canton, Conn./The Master's School) took the loss for Saint Michael's after lasting just 3.1 innings and allowing five runs on five hits to go with five walks and three strikeouts.
Stonehill scored once in the first on an RBI single by sophomore Brian Campbell (Franklin, Mass./Mount Saint Charles), before putting four runs on the board in the third to go up 5-0.
Sophomore Chris Hoyt (Walpole, Mass./Xaverian Brothers) led off the third with an infield single, and proceeded to steal second and third base. Campbell then walked and stole second, and Hoyt came around to score on a wild pitch. Three batters later, Schneider plated a pair of runs on a double to right center, and Lee wrapped up the big inning with an RBI single on the next play.
Stonehill added single runs in the fifth and eighth to take a 7-0 lead, and Duff kept the Purple Knights' bats quiet throughout the contest.
Senior Zack Soulier improved to 6-2 after going eight innings and allowing just one run four hits in Stonehill's 3-1 game two victory. |
Stonehill utilized yet another impressive pitching performance to take game two and earn the doubleheader sweep. Soulier held Saint Michael's to four hits in eight innings as he improved his record to 6-2 in 2014. Karalis led the Skyhawks at the plate, as he went 2-for-4 with a home run, while Hocking was 2-for-3 with a triple.
Sophomore Curt Echo (Shelburne, Vt./Champlain Valley Union) dropped to 1-3 with the loss despite a solid effort in which he gave up three runs on seven hits over eight innings of work.
For the second consecutive game, Stonehill took a first-inning lead, as Karalis jumped on the first pitch he saw, blasting it over the right field fence for his team-leading fifth homer of the season. The Skyhawks would add another run later in the inning on a wild pitch, and they led 2-0 after one.
Saint Michael's answered with a run in the top of the third on an RBI single by Dougherty, but Stonehill got the run right back in the bottom half of the inning on a sacrifice fly by Campbell.
After going down in order in the sixth and seventh, the Purple Knights had their best opportunity to tie the game in the top of the eighth. With one out and a runner on first, Dougherty singled to center field. After the next batter sacrificed both runners into scoring position, McGuirl flied out to end the frame. Rugel took over for Soulier in the ninth and earned the save after retiring the Purple Knights in order.
Stonehill (21-15, 10-7 NE-10) will be off tomorrow before hosting Saint Michael's (3-19, 2-13 NE-10) for the third and final game of the series on Monday afternoon. The Purple Knights will take on Assumption College at 1 p.m. at Lou Gorman Field before playing the Skyhawks.
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