Junior Lindsay McKillop paced Stonehill's offense, goiing 2-for-4 with a single, a home run and two RBI (PHOTO BY Richard Orr) |
Ruonavaara pitches complete game shutout to lead Stonehill past Saint Anselm
EASTON, Mass. (April 30, 2013) – The Stonehill College softball team defeated the Saint Anselm Hawks, 4-0 in the first round of the Northeast-10 Conference Playoffs on the campus of Saint Anselm College in Manchester, N.H.
Freshman pitcher Megan Ruonavaara (Rocky Hill, Conn./Rocky Hill) pitched a complete game and shut out the Hawks to earn the victory. Ruonavaara held the Hawks to just five hits and one walk, while striking out to batters in the victory.
Sophomore Paige Cormier (Rochester, N.H./Spaulding) was saddled with the loss for the Hawks. Cormier got the start, pitching 4.1 innings and giving up three earned runs on seven hits and two walks. Sophomore Tayla Trask (Lincoln, Maine/Mattanawcook Academy) relieved Cormier and pitched the final 2.1 innings for Saint Anselm. Trask yielded an unearned run on two hits and one walk, while striking out one.
Junior first baseman Lindsay McKillop (East Meadow, N.Y./East Meadow) paced Stonehill's offense, going 2-for-4 with a single, a home run, two RBI, and a run scored. Senior Nicole Eisenmann (East Bridgewater, Mass./East Bridgewater) also had two hits and a RBI for the Skyhawks in the victory.
The Skyhawks got things started in the top of the first inning. Freshman Alison Sumski (Amherst, N.H./Souhegan) forced a leadoff walk and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Megan Staudle (New Windsor, N.Y./Cornwall Central). McKillop knocked in Sumski when she singled to left center field to make it 1-0 Skyhawks.
Stonehill added to its lead with one run in the third inning. After Stonehill loaded the bases with one out, Ruonavaara drove in the second run of the game when she grounded out to the second baseman.
McKillop added to the lead in the top of the fifth inning. After Saint A's got the first batter to fly out to left field, McKillop belted her eighth home run of the season, a solo shot to left center field to make it 3-0 Stonehill.
After Stonehill extended its lead to 4-0 on an Eisenmann RBI-single in the sixth, Ruonavaara retired six of the final seven batters she faced to clinch the victory.
With the win, the Skyhawks advance to face the second-seeded University of New Haven Chargers Thursday evening at 7:00 pm at the Southern New Hampshire University Softball Field in Manchester, N.H.
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