Senior Nicole Eisenmann has led the Skyhawks with 14 home runs and 45 RBI this season (PHOTO BY Richard Orr)

EASTON, Mass. (April 29, 2013) – The fourth-seeded Stonehill College softball team will travel to face off against the third-seeded Saint Anselm College Hawks in the first round of the Northeast-10 Conference playoffs Tuesday afternoon at 3:00 pm in Manchester, N.H.

Stonehill finished the regular season with a 24-24-1 record after dropping two-of-three to Saint Anselm over the weekend. Stonehill took game one 7-1 before dropping close games in game two (3-2) and game three (3-2).

Stonehill has posted one of its greatest offensive seasons in recent history. The team ranks in the top-five in most statistical categories in the Northeast-10 Conference. Stonehill is first in home runs (52), second in runs (258) and RBI (226), third in hits (404) and doubles (66), and fourth in batting average (.294) and walks (118).

Senior designated player/first baseman/pitcher Nicole Eisenmann (East Bridgewater, Mass./East Bridgewater) has had a lot to do with Stonehill's success at the plate this season. Eisenmann has hit .364 (55-for-151) with 10 doubles, one triple, 14 home runs, and 45 RBI. The 14 home runs and 45 RBI are the most in a single season by any Skyhawks' player in school history. The senior's 119 RBI in her career also ranks tops in school history by any player.

The Skyhawks have also seen great production from freshman Megan Staudle (New Windsor, N.Y./Cornwall Central) and junior Lindsay McKillop (East Meadow, N.Y./East Meadow). Staudle is hitting.357 with seven doubles, eight home runs, 27 RBI, and 36 runs scored. She ranks first on the team in hits (56) and runs (36), second in batting average (.357), and third in RBI (27) in just her first season with the Skyhawks. McKillop boasts a .308 average with nine doubles, seven home runs, and 31 RBI. The junior first baseman/pitcher is second on the team and fourth in the division in RBI.

Freshman Megan Ruonavaara (Rocky Hill, Conn./Rocky Hill) has paced the Stonehill pitching staff during the season. Ruonavaara is 14-11 with a 3.17 ERA and 102 strikeouts in 159 innings this season. Ruonvaara's 14 wins ties her for the school record for wins in a season. After starting the season 2-7, the freshman strung together nine consecutive winning decisions, in a span where Stonehill went 13-4.

McKillop and Freshman Lauren Esposito (Middlefield, Conn./Coginchaug) have also pitched well for Stonehill on the season. McKillop has come on strong towards the end of the season, yielding just six runs in her last three games. The junior posted a complete game, giving up one run on three hits, to earn the win in Stonehill's 6-1 game two victory over Franklin Pierce last week. Esposito has made an impact for Stonehill in recent weeks. The freshman has yielded just one earned run in her last 12.2 innings. She picked up the win for Stonehill in 5.0 innings of relief during Stonehill's 12-8 game one win over Franklin Pierce last week.

The Skyhawks will find a challenge in Saint Anselm, having lost two of the three matchups between the teams this season. The Hawks are led by junior shortstop Nicole Boucher (Woonsocket, R.I./Woonsocket), who is hitting .374 (46-for-123) with five doubles, five triples, nine home runs, and 29 RBI. Freshman infielder Julie LeClair (Taunton, Mass./Coyle-Cassidy Memorial) also paces Saint Anselm with a .333 average, five doubles, three triples, four home runs, and 27 RBI.

Saint Anselm also boasts one of the best pitching staffs in the league in sophomores Tayla Trask (Lincoln, Maine/Mattanawcook) and Paige Cormier (Rochester, N.H./Spaulding). The Trask boasts a 9-13 record with a 2.74 earned run average and 135 strikeouts in 140.2 innings. Trask pitched a hitless, scoreless inning on Sunday against Stonehill to earn one of two saves she has on the season. On the season, Cormier is 12-7 with a 2.34 ERA and 59 strikeouts in 134.2 innings. Cormier pitched a complete game, giving up two unearned runs on six hits to earn the victory over Stonehill on Saturday afternoon.

2013 Northeast-10 Softball Championship Seeds

Junior Lindsay McKillop has pitched very well for Stonehill as of late, posting a complete game victory over Franklin Pierce last week (PHOTO BY Richard Orr)

Northeast Division
1. Southern New Hampshire 
2. UMass Lowell 
3. Saint Anselm 
4. Stonehill

Southwest Division
1. Adelphi 
2. New Haven
3. Southern Connecticut
4. Le Moyne

2013 Northeast-10 Softball Championship Schedule

Tuesday, April 30 – First Round
Game 1: SW #4 Le Moyne at SW #3 Southern Connecticut – 3:00 p.m.
Game 2: NE #4 Stonehill at NE #3 Saint Anselm – 3:00 p.m.

Thursday, May 2 – Second Round
At Southern New Hampshire
Game 3: Game 1 winner vs. NE #2 UMass Lowell – 4:00 p.m.
Game 4: Game 2 winner vs. SW #2 New Haven – 7:00 p.m.

Friday, May 3 – Semifinals
At Southern New Hampshire
Game 5: Game 3 winner vs. SW #1 Adelphi – 4:00 p.m.
Game 6: Game 4 winner at NE #1 Southern New Hampshire – 7:00 p.m.

Saturday, May 4 - Championship Final
At Southern New Hampshire
Game 7: Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner – 1:00 p.m.

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