Senior Courtney Marchand tallied a single, a double, and three RBI for Stonehill in the game one triumph (PHOTO BY Richard Orr) |
EASTON, Mass. (April 25, 2013) – The Stonehill College softball team swept the Franklin Pierce University Ravens in a Northeast-10 Conference double-header, 12-8 and 6-1, Thursday afternoon at Fr. William Gartland C.S.C. Field in Easton, Mass.
Stonehill 12, Franklin Pierce 8
Marchand and Staudle each record three RBI to lead Stonehill to victory in game one.
Freshman outfielder Megan Staudle (New Windsor, N.Y./Cornwall Central) went 2-for-2 with a single, a home run, three RBI and two runs scored to lead the way for Stonehill in game one. Senior Courtney Marchand (Raymond, N.H./Timberlane) also posted three RBI for the Skyhawks in the win.
The Ravens were led by freshman Melissa Morgan (Clifton Park, N.Y./Shenendehowa) who went 2-for-4 with two home runs and two RBI. Freshman Sam Conners (Jackson, N.J./Jackson Liberty) also belted a home run and drove in two RBI for the Ravens.
Freshman Lauren Esposito (Middlefield, Conn./Coginchaug) pitched five innings of relief and earned the victory for the Skyhawks. Esposito gave up three runs (zero earned) on four hits and one walk, while striking out one.
Senior Rachel Allen (Hull, Mass./Hull) was charged with the loss for Franklin Pierce. Allen pitched two innings, giving up eight earned runs on eight hits and two walks. Graduate student Jessica Wiley (Cape Vincent, N.Y./Thousand Islands) also pitched two innings and was charged with four earned runs on four hits and one walk, while striking out one.
The Ravens jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the first inning. With two outs and the bases empty, Morgan launched her first home run of the game and her third of the season to put Franklin Pierce up one.
The Skyhawks responded with five runs in the bottom of the first to take a 5-1 advantage. With the bases loaded and one out, senior Kelsey Wilcox (Canterbury, Conn./Griswold) grounded out to first base to drive in the first run for the Skyhawks. Megan Ruonavaara (Rocky Hill, Conn./Rocky Hill) followed with a two-run single to give Stonehill a two-run lead. Three batters later, after Stonehill reloaded the bases, Marchand hit a two-run single up the middle to make it 5-1 Skyhawks.
The Ravens fought back with three runs in the top of the second to cut Stonehill's lead to one. With a runner on second, Conners hit a two-run homer to left center field, making it 5-3. Four batters later with runners on the corners, Courtney Caputo (Stony Brook, N.Y./Ward Melville) successfully squeezed home the runner on third to make it 5-4.
Freshman Alison Sumski collected four RBI on the afternoon, including a three-run double in the game two victory (PHOTO BY Richard Orr) |
Stonehill added two runs in the bottom of the second to extend its lead to 7-4. Staudle led off the inning with a home run to left center field and senior Nicole Eisenmann (East Bridgewater, Mass./East Bridgewater) followed with a homer to the same spot to put Stonehill back up by three.
Franklin Pierce got three runs in the top of the third to knot the score at seven. Morgan led off the inning with her second home run of the game, a shot to center field. Three batters later, with a runner on second, Conners reached on a throwing error by the third baseman, scoring the runner on second. Later in the inning, Jessica Furtado (Taunton, Mass./Taunton) drove in a run when she sacrifice bunted to the third baseman, tying the score 7-7.
Stonehill regained the lead with two runs in the bottom of the third. After Jocelynne Morrell (West Haven, Conn./West Haven) singled and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt, Marchand plated her with a RBI-double to left center field. Two batters later Staudle scored Marchand when she singled through the left side, making it 9-7 Skyhawks.
The Skyhawks added to their lead in the bottom of the fourth, when they scored three runs. With the bases loaded and one out, Casey Remick (Norton, Mass./Norton) singled to the shortstop, scoring the 10th run of the game for Stonehill. Later in the inning, Alison Sumski (Amherst, N.H./Souhegan) hit a RBI-single through the left side to make it 11-7. Staudle added her third RBI of the game when she was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, giving Stonehill a five-run lead.
The Ravens got one run in the seventh, but Esposito held firm after that, getting the final batter to ground out to the shortstop to clinch the win for Stonehill.
Stonehill 6, Franklin Pierce 1
McKillop and Sumski tally three RBI apiece to help Stonehill complete the sweep.
Junior Lindsay McKillop (East Meadow, N.Y./East Meadow) and Sumski recorded three RBI apiece to pilot the Stonehill offense in game two. McKillop went 2-for-3 with a double a home run and three RBI, while Sumski went 2-for-4 with a single, a double, and three RBI.
Conners once again led the Ravens, registering the only RBI in game two for the team. The freshman went 1-for-3 with a solo home run to lead Franklin Pierce.
Junior Lindsay McKillop earned the victory in the circle and knocked in three RBI at the plate in game two |
McKillop was also the pitcher of record for Stonehill, pitching a complete game to earn the victory. McKillop held the Ravens to just one earned run on three hits to earn her second win of the season.
Freshman Tricia Hansen (Mansfield, Mass./Mansfield) pitched four innings and earned the loss for Franklin Pierce. Hansen gave up six runs (five earned) on 10 huts, but struck out four in the loss. Freshman Mandi Adee (Kinderhook, N.Y./Ichabod Crane) pitched two scoreless innings in relief of Hansen. Adee yielded just one walk and one hit in the outing.
The Skyhawks got one run in the top of the first to take a quick 1-0 lead. With a runner on second and two outs, McKillop doubled to left center field to put Stonehill ahead by one.
Stonehill added three runs in the fourth to extend its lead to 4-0. With the bases loaded and two outs, Sumski stepped to the plate a roped a three-run double to right center field to give Stonehill a four-run lead.
The Ravens got one back in the top of the fifth to make it 4-1. The leadoff batter, Conners, launched her second home run of the day, a solo shot to left field, to cut Stonehill's lead to three.
The Skyhawks responded with two runs in the bottom of the fifth. After Eisenmann singled up the middle, McKillop belted her seventh home run of the season to left field to put Stonehill up 6-1.
McKillop pitched stellar for the Skyhawks, retiring the final nine batters she faced after the Conners home run to clinch the victory.
Stonehill (23-22-1, 15-10-1 NE-10) closes out its season with a three-game series at Saint Anselm College starting with a 12:00 pm double-header Saturday afternoon. Franklin Pierce (8-28, 5-21 NE-10) returns to action Saturday afternoon at 12:00 pm for a Northeast-10 Conference double-header with Merrimack College.
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.
