Senior Nicole Eisenmann collected two hits and a walk for Stonehill in the loss (PHOTO BY Richard Orr) |
Couturier's fifth-inning RBI-single lifts New Haven over Stonehill
MANCHESTER, N.H. (May 2, 2013) – The Stonehill College softball team fell to the University of New Haven Chargers, 2-1 in the Northeast-10 Conference Tournament Second Round at Penmen Field on the campus of Southern New Hampshire University in Manchester, N.H.
Senior Christina Gelardi (Derby, Conn./Derby) went 2-for-3 with two singles and two runs to lead the way for the Chargers. Junior Lindsay Couturier (Dighton, Mass./Dighton-Rehoboth Regional) also paced the Chargers, going 1-for-3 with two-RBI.
Freshman Megan Staudle (New Windsor, N.Y./Cornwall Central) posted two hits and scored the lone run of the game to pilot the Skyhawks' offense. Senior Nicole Eisenmann (East Bridgewater, Mass./East Bridgewater) capped off her prolific Stonehill career with a 2-for-3 showing with an intentional walk.
Senior Micah Stonesifer (Archer City, Texas/Archer City) tossed a complete game to earn the victory for the Chargers. Stonesifer yielded an unearned run on seven hits and two walks. The senior struck out eight batters in the win.
Senior Courtney Marchand threw a runner out at home to save a run in the fourth inning |
Freshman pitcher Megan Ruonavaara (Rocky Hill, Conn./Rocky Hill) went the distance for Stonehill in the loss. Ruonavaara gave up two runs (one earned) on seven hits and two walks, while striking out three.
The Skyhawks struck first with a run in the opening frame. With Staudle on second, Eisenmann on first and two outs, Ruonavaara reached on an error by the second baseman to score the first run of the game.
The Chargers rebounded with a run in the bottom of the first to knot the score at 1-1. After Gelardi singled to left, stole second, and advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt, she scored on an error by the second baseman to tie the score.
New Haven threatened to break the tie in the bottom of the fourth, but some great defense by senior Courtney Marchand (Raymond, N.H./Timberlane) ended the threat. With a runner on second and two outs, junior Brooke Fisher (Erial, N.J./Camden Catholic) singled to center field. Marchand gathered the ball and threw a laser to home plate to get the runner before she scored.
The Chargers got one in the bottom of the fifth to go ahead 2-1. After Gelardi singled and advanced to third on an error by the catcher, Couturier hit a RBI-single through the left side to score Gelardi and put the Chargers up one.
Stonehill launched a comeback bid in the top of the seventh inning. Freshman Alison Sumski (Amherst, N.H./Souhegan) reached on an infield single with one out in the inning and advanced to second on a passed ball. The next batter, Staudle, roped a single into left field, but Sumski was thrown out at third base to make it two-outs in the inning. After intentionally walking Eisenmann, Stonesifer got the next batter to ground out to the third baseman to end the game.
The Skyhawks finish the season with a 25-25-1 record. New Haven advances to the NE-10 Tournament Semifinal to face the Southern New Hampshire University Penmen at 7:00 pm tomorrow evening at Penmen Field in Manchester, N.H.
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