Skyhawks Swept By Bulldogs
North Smithfield, R.I. - Bryant used an explosive offense in one game and dominating pitching in the other to sweep a doubleheader away from visiting Stonehill, 5-0 and 8-7 Wednesday afternoon at the Bryant Softball Complex.
With the wins the Bulldogs remain undefeated in Northeast-10 action at 12-0, while the Skyhawks, who had won their first seven Conference contests, fall to 7-2 in league play.
In game one, Bryant got stellar pitching from reigning Northeast-10 pitcher of the week Janine Enos, who went the distance, allowing just five hits and striking out eight for her ninth win of the season.
The game was scoreless until the bottom of the third when Bryant scored four runs. With one out and a runner on second, Jennifer Serrano blasted her first home run of the year, giving the hosts a 2-0 advantage. Two more runs came across, highlighted by an RBI triple by Kate Thomas.
The Skyhawks never got a rally going, mostly because of Enos who retired 12 of the final batters she faced.
Bryant tacked on another run in the fifth when Thomas tripled again and later scored on a single by Anne Dobmeier.
Danielle Mason (Salisbury, Mass.) took the loss for Stonehill, going four innings and giving up six hits and five runs, four of them earned.
Game two saw the Bulldogs race out to a 4-1 lead after the first inning, but the Skyhawks rallied to take the lead in the third. RBI singles from Kristen Clark (Brockton, Mass.) and Jaime Ippolito (Chelsea, Mass.) trimmed the Bryant lead and a two-run single from Caitlin Flanagan (Cornwall, N.Y.) gave Stonehill a 5-4 advantage.
The lead would be short-lived, however, as the Bulldogs answered with a run in the bottom of the frame to even the score. They then took the lead in the fourth on a two-run single from Jessica Valentina.
Stonehill responded, getting two of their own, including a RBI single from Courtney Young (Danvers, Mass.) to knot the game at 7-7 in the top of the sixth.
Ippolito retired the Bulldogs in order in the sixth before giving up back-to-back doubles to Dobmeier and Stephanie Mirando, sending the Bulldogs to their 15th win of the season. For Mirando the hit was her second double of the game, as she had a three-run double in the first inning.
Ippolito, (3-1) who takes the loss for the Skyhawks, was productive at the plate, going 3-for-3 with two RBI in game two. Stephanie Folan (Glen Cove, N.Y.) was 2-for-4 with three runs scored.