Senior Neal Horan (4-2, 2.18 ERA) will get the start tomorrow as Stonehill looks to advance to the final day of the NE-10 Tournament. |
Winner advances to Saturday's action, while loser will play elimination game at 3:30 p.m.
WEST HAVEN, Conn. (May 7, 2015) – Stonehill College and Franklin Pierce University will square off tomorrow afternoon at 12:30 p.m. on day two of the Northeast-10 Conference Baseball Tournament's Championship weekend at Frank Vieira Field on the campus of host school the University of New Haven.
The winner of tomorrow's game advances to Saturday's action, and will have two opportunities to capture the conference championship. The loser will face the winner of the No. 3 New Haven/No. 4 Adelphi University contest in an elimination game at 3:30 p.m.
Admission for all tournament games is $6 for adults, $4 for children and senior citizens and $1 for students with a valid ID from a participating school. Live stats and live video streaming will both be available via www.newhavenchargers.com.
Stonehill (32-11-1, 16-7 NE-10), the No. 3 seed from the Northeast Division and third-ranked team in the NCAA East Region, defeated Southern New Hampshire University 4-3 in the first round on Tuesday in Manchester before posting a 2-1 victory against Adelphi University earlier today. Northeast Division top seed Franklin Pierce (44-2, 24-1 NE-10), ranked No. 1 in the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper NCAA Division II Poll and No. 3 in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) DII Poll, rolled to an 11-4 win over Merrimack College in the first round before rallying for a 6-2 triumph against host New Haven this afternoon.
Competing in its 16th NE-10 Tournament all-time, Stonehill is looking to advance to the final day for the sixth time. The Skyhawks are seeking their fourth NE-10 title in program history, and first since 2010. Franklin Pierce is making its 15th all-time appearance in the conference tournament this spring. The Ravens have reached the finals on eight occasions and captured four titles, including three straight from 2007-09.
Senior Eric Schneider is hitting .412 with three RBI and four runs over Stonehill's last five games. |
When these two teams met earlier this season, Franklin Pierce completed a three-game sweep in Rindge, New Hampshire from April 2-4. The Ravens also took two of three from Stonehill during the 2014 regular season, but the Skyhawks bounced Franklin Pierce from the NE-10 Tournament with an 11-4 victory in the first round.
Stonehill enters play tomorrow winners of four straight and 16 of its last 18 dating back to April 12th. The Skyhawks, who boasted one of the top offenses in the NE-10 during the regular season, have relied heavily on pitching over the last two games. Senior Armand Rugel (Middletown, Rhode Island/Middletown) struck out eight and gave up just one run on two hits over 7.2 innings against the Penmen on Tuesday, while freshman Michael Young (Mashpee, Massachusetts/Pope John Paul II) followed that up with eight shutout frames in today's win. Senior right-hander Neal Horan (Mashpee, Massachusetts/BC High), the probable starter tomorrow against Franklin Pierce, will look to continue Stonehill's run of dominant pitching efforts. In nine regular season starts this spring, Horan went 4-2 with a 2.18 earned run average and 52 strikeouts in 53.2 innings.
Senior shortstop Dan Fratus (Plymouth, Massachusetts/Plymouth North) has led the offense in the NE-10 Tournament, blasting a solo homer on Tuesday and adding a first-inning RBI single today. Over the last five games, senior catcher Eric Schneider (Camarillo, California/Saint Bonaventure) is hitting a team-best .412 (7-for-17) with a triple, three RBI and four runs. Fratus has doubled twice, driven in three runs and scored five, while sophomore outfielder Ben Monte (New Haven, Connecticut/Guilford) has chipped in with three singles and three RBI.
Franklin Pierce comes into tomorrow's action in the midst of a program record 25-game winning streak. The Ravens landed 12 players on the NE-10's All-Conference teams, including the Player of the Year in sophomore third baseman Jay Jabs (Schwenksville, Pennsylvania/Perkiomen Valley) and Pitcher of the Year in senior right-hander Brendan O'Rourke (Shrewsbury, Massachusetts/Santa Fe College). Senior catcher Matt Walsh (Plymouth, Massachusetts/Plymouth North), a three-time All-NE-10 first team selection, led the comeback effort for the Ravens today with his sixth-inning grand slam.
Northeast-10 Conference Baseball Championship Weekend Schedule
hosted by University of New Haven
Frank Viera Field; West Haven, Conn.
Thursday, May 7
Game 5: #3 NE Stonehill 2, #4 SW Adelphi 1
Game 6: #1 NE Franklin Pierce 6, #3 SW New Haven 2
Friday, May 8
Game 7: #4 SW Adelphi vs. #3 SW New Haven - 10 a.m.
Game 8: #3 NE Stonehill vs. #1 NE Franklin Pierce - 12:30 p.m.
Game 9: Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 loser - 3:30 p.m.
Saturday, May 9
Game 10: Game 9 winner vs. Game 8 winner - 11 a.m.
Game 11: If necessary