Senior Kelsey Wilcox went 1-for-2 with a walk and a home run during Stonehill's 9-1 win over Franklin Pierce (PHOTO BY Richard Orr) |
EASTON, Mass. (April 21, 2013) – The Stonehill College softball team split a pair of games with the Franklin Pierce Ravens and the Saint Michael's Purple Knights in a Northeast-10 Conference double-header at Fr. William Gartland C.S.C. Field in Easton, Mass.
Stonehill 9, Franklin Pierce 1
Eisenmann and Wilcox belt homers as Stonehill takes down Franklin Pierce in game one.
Leading the way for Stonehill were seniors Nicole Eisenmann (East Bridgewater, Mass./East Bridgewater) and Kelsey Wilcox (Canterbury, Conn./Griswold). Each went 1-for-2 with a walk, a home run and two runs scored. Freshman Megan Ruonavaara (Rocky Hill, Conn./Rocky Hill) chipped in with a home run and three RBI of her own.
Junior Ashley Noke (Cumberland, R.I./Cumberland) paced the Ravens offense, going 2-for-3 with two singles and a run scored. Courtney Caputo (Stony Brook, N.Y./Ward Melville) registered the only RBI of the game for the Ravens.
Ruonavaara was also the pitcher of record for the Skyhawks, earning a complete game victory. Ruonavaara held the Ravens to one run on seven hits and two walks, while striking out four.
Freshman Mandi Adee (Kinderhook, N.Y./Ichabod Crane) was tagged with the loss for the Ravens. Adee yielded seven earned runs on eight hits and three walks, striking out one in the process. Graduate student Jessica Wiley (Cape Vincent, N.Y./Thousand Islands) pitched the fifth inning for the Ravens, giving up two runs in the outing.
The Skyhawks batted around in the first inning to take a 5-0 advantage. With runners on first and second and one out, Lindsay McKillop (East Meadow, N.Y./East Meadow) got the Skyhawks on the board when she hit an RBI-single to right field. After Wilcox walked to reload the bases, Ruonavaara roped a two-run single up the middle to make it 3-0. The next batter, Casey Remick (Norton, Mass./Norton) plated another run when she doubled to left center field. Two batters later the Skyhawks administered a successful double-steal resulting in the fifth run of the game.
The Ravens responded with one run in the top of the second. With the bases loaded and two outs, Caputo forced a walk to drive in the first run of the game for Franklin Pierce.
With the score still 5-1 in the fourth, the Skyhawks added two runs to make it 7-1. Senior Courtney Marchand (Raymond, N.H./Timberlane) led off the inning with a double to left center field. Two batters later, Megan Staudle (New Windsor, N.Y./Cornwall Central) drove her in when she grounded out to first base. Eisenmann followed with a solo home run to straightaway center to give Stonehill a six run lead.
The Skyhawks closed out the game with two runs in the fifth. Wilcox opened the inning with a line-drive home run to center field and Ruonavaara followed with a solo homer to center, to close out the Ravens.
Saint Michael's 7, Stonehill 3
Eisenmann's three-run shot not enough as Saint Michael's takes one from Stonehill.
Senior Nicole Eisenmann belted two home runs on the day for Stonehill |
Freshman Danielle DelGreco (Lexington, Mass./Lexington) notched three hits and five RBI to pace the Purple Knights offense. Greer Lemnah (Lyndon Center, Vt./Lyndon Institute) and Bethany Falls (Essex Junction, Vt./Essex) also recorded multiple hits for Saint Michael's in the victory.
Eisenmann once again led the Skyhawks offense. The senior belted her second home run of the day, a three-run shot to left center field to pilot Stonehill's offense. Staudle and Alison Sumski (Amherst, N.H./Souhegan) each recorded a hit and a run for Stonehill in the loss.
Freshman Jessica Niles (Chaumont, N.Y./General Brown) pitched a complete game to earn her first victory of the season for the Purple Knights. Niles yielded three earned runs on five hits and four walks.
Freshman Lauren Esposito (Middlefield, Conn./Coginchaug) pitched 4.0 innings and gave up four runs (three earned), taking the loss for Stonehill. Eisenmann relieved Esposito and pitched 2.1 innings, giving up three runs (one earned) on five hits.
The Purple Knights jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the second inning. With runners on second and third, Lindsay Houston (Concord, N.H./Concord) layed down a bunt and reached on an error by the pitcher, scoring both runners.
Saint Michael's added to its lead in the fourth with one more run. After Falls walked and advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt, DelGreco hit a RBI-single up the middle to make it 3-0 Purple Knights.
Saint Michael's continued the pressure, scoring two more runs in the fifth. DelGreco stepped to the plate with runners on second and third and two outs. She laced a two-run single to right field, scoring the fourth and fifth runs of the game for the Purple Knights.
Stonehill responded in the bottom of the fifth to cut the lead to 5-3. With two outs, Sumski forced a walk and Staudle singled to right field, bringing Eisenmann to the plate. The senior launched her 12th home run of the season to left center field to cut Saint Michael's lead to two.
But that was as close as the Skyhawks would get. DelGreco drove in two more runs in the seventh and Niles retired Stonehill in order to clinch the victory for the Purple Knights.
Stonehill (21-21, 13-9 NE-10) returns to action Wednesday afternoon when it hosts Merrimack College at 3:00 pm for a NE-10 double-header. Next up for Saint Michael's is a Tuesday afternoon matchup with Southern New Hampshire beginning at 3:30 pm.
For the latest on Stonehill Athletics, follow the Skyhawks via social media on Twitter and Facebook. Fans can also download the Stonehill Skyhawks mobile app on iTunes and the Android Market.
