Krantz sets single-season strikeout record in game two

Senior Samantha Krantz set the single- season record for strikeouts in game two for Stonehill. She also holds the career record in strikeouts with 263.

EASTON, Mass. (April 19, 2012) – The Stonehill College softball team dropped a pair of Northeast-10 Conference (NE-10) games to the University of New Haven, 5-2 and 4-2, on Thursday evening at Fr. William Gartland, CSC, Field.

Senior Samantha Krantz (Hampton Bays, N.Y./Hampton Bays) set the single-season strikeout record in the top of the fifth inning with her ninth strikeout of the game, 108^th total this year, surpassing Deb Payne's mark of 107 during the 1990 season. Krantz finished with a game-high 12 punchouts, two shy of her career-high.

New Haven 5, Stonehill 2

Junior Alana Wesche (Oxford, Conn./Naugatuck) improved to 15-9 overall on the season with a complete-game effort, yielding 13 hits, two runs (one earned), one walk and three strikeouts.

Sophomore Lindsay McKillop (East Meadow, N.Y./East Meadow) suffered the loss on four-and-one-thirds innings pitched, ten hits, five runs (four earned), one walk and one strikeout. Senior Kellie Reardon (Burlington, Mass./Arlington Catholic) pitched two-and-two-thirds scoreless innings in relief with one strikeout, no hits and zero walks.

Lindsey Couturier (Dighton, Mass./Dighton Rehoboth Regional) gave the Chargers a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning launching a two-run homer to left centerfield, her fifth of the season.

Stonehill answered in the bottom half of the second with a RBI single from sophomore second baseman Christina Swider (Hebron, Conn./RHAM) plating classmate Brianna Gunter (Amherst, N.H./Souhegan) to cut into the deficit at 2-1.

In the top of the third inning, sophomore catcher Brooke Fisher (Erial, N.J./Camden Catholic) gave New Haven a 3-1 advantage on a RBI single to left field.

The Chargers added two runs in the fifth inning as Fisher singled home another run and senior Brenna Weidman (Holliston, Mass./Holliston/Utica College) scored on a fielding error. Weidman pinch-ran for Couturier, who singled and advanced to second on a Jess Spivey (Holland, Pa./Council Rock) walk before being replaced.

McKillop led off the bottom half of the frame with a solo homer to left field – her team-leading fourth round-tripper of the season – to make it 5-2, but Stonehill's rally fell short with the tying run on deck.

New Haven 4, Stonehill 2

Sophomore Kelsey Malloy (Clarksburg, Mass./Drury) pushed her record to 8-9 tossing a complete-game for the Chargers in game two. Malloy gave up two runs (both earned) on seven hits, two walks and six strikeouts.

Krantz was handed the loss over five-and-two-thirds innings of work, allowing four hits, four runs (all earned), no walks and a game-high 12 strikeouts.

Stonehill took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the fifth inning as senior shortstop Chelsea Stryker (Baldwin, N.Y./Kellenberg Memorial) singled home Casey Remick (Norton, Mass./Norton) while McKillop knocked in Courtney Marchand (Raymond, N.H./Timberlane Regional) with a single of her own.

Krantz, who lost a chance at a perfect game in the fifth inning by hitting Spivey with a pitch, lost her no-hit bid in the sixth inning after striking out the first batters she faced. With two outs, senior left fielder Shannon Angehr (Levittown, N.Y./Division Avenue) homered to centerfield, junior second baseman Lucy Francisco (Lawrence, Mass./Lawrence) followed with a solo shot to left centerfield, Couturier hit a bloop single down the right field line and Fisher capped the scoring with a two-run blast to right centerfield for a 4-2 lead.

Reardon closed out the final one-and-one-thirds innings holding the Chargers hitless while fanning one batter and walking none.

Stryker, who had two hits in game one, went 1-for-4 with one run batted in for the Skyhawks in game two to push her current hitting streak to eight-straight games.

Stonehill (22-14, 15-13 NE-10) hosts Southern Connecticut State University on Sunday, April 22 for a NE-10 doubleheader matchup beginning at 12:30 p.m. New Haven (25-19, 15-13 NE-10) travels to Bentley University on Friday, April 20 for a NE-10 twinbill with game one scheduled for 3:00 p.m.