Carbone earns two victories in first two collegiate appearances
Senior Lindsay McKillop led Stonehill's offense today with two hits and one RBI. |
CLERMONT, Fla. (March 8, 2014) – The Stonehill College softball team opened up its 2014 campaign today with a pair of victories over Dominican College in non-conference action at Hancock Park. Stonehill defeated Dominican 2-1 in the opener, before coming from behind to take the second contest, 6-5. The games were the first of 12 that Stonehill will play over the next week as part of the Dot Richardson Spring Games.
Senior Lindsay McKillop (East Meadow, N.Y./East Meadow) went 2-for-5 on the day with an RBI, while classmate Brianna Gunter (Amherst, N.H./Souhegan) also knocked in a run and went 2-for-7. Sophomore Emily Padilla (Wappinger Falls, N.Y./Roy C. Ketcham) had a 2-for-5 effort at the plate, and classmate Alison Sumski (Amherst, N.H./Souhegan) went 2-for-8 with two RBI and two runs.
Sophomore Megan Ruonavaara (Rocky Hill, Conn./Rocky Hill) pitched the opener for Stonehill, giving up one run on eight hits in 5.2 innings. Classmate Sarah Ropiak (Acton, Mass./Acton-Boxborough) started the second game, and went four innings while giving up four runs on eight hits. Making her first two collegiate appearances in relief, freshman Michelle Carbone (Deer Park, N.Y./St. Anthony's) earned two wins after going 4.1 innings and giving one run on five hits.
Dominican was led offensively by sophomore Kimberly Ragazzo (Lawrenceville, N.J./Lawrenceville) and freshman Shannon Truppi (Little Ferry, N.J./Immaculate Conception). Ragazzo went 4-for-6 with one RBI, while Truppi went 5-for-7 and also knocked in a run. Sophomores Brianna Arends (Raritan, N.J./Bridgewater Raritan) and Anne Shiebler (Wrentham, Mass./King Philip Regional) and junior Jacqueline Gonzalez (San Antonio, Texas/William Howard Taft) each recorded two hits and one RBI.
Freshman Emily Larsen (Midlothian, Ill./Oak Forest) took the loss for the Chargers in the first game, despite pitching all seven innings and giving up just two runs on five hits. Sophomore Elizabeth Hogan (San Jose, Calif./Leigh) pitched the second game, going 5.1 innings and giving up four runs on six hits.
Sophomore Megan Ruonavaara started the season opener for Stonehill, going 5.2 innings and giving up just one run. |
Dominican answered in the bottom of the third inning, when sophomore Shannon Haukap (Edmonds, Wash./Meadowdale) singled and advanced to second on a wild pitch, before eventually scoring on a ground out by freshman Elontay Collins (San Diego, Calif./Serra).
Sophomore Cayleigh McCarthy (Norfolk, Mass./King Phillip) started Stonehill's game-winning rally with a one-out walk in the top of the seventh inning, before being pinch run for by sophomore Lauren Esposito (Middlefield, Conn./Coginchaug). Esposito came around to score the go-ahead run on a throwing error by the Dominican shortstop.
Carbone replaced Ruonavaara with two outs in the sixth, holding off the Chargers the rest of the way to pick up her first career victory.
After a scoreless first inning, Stonehill tallied four runs in the bottom of the second. Ropiak led off with a single, and McCarthy and Esposito followed with two more singles to load the bases with one out. Sumski knocked in a run on a fielder's choice, and Staudle capped off the offensive outburst later in the frame with a two-run double.
Dominican responded with two runs in the third on RBI singles by Arends and Ragazzo, and added a run each in the fourth and fifth innings to tie the contest. The Chargers then grabbed their first lead of the contest in the seventh inning on Gonzalez's RBI single.
Down 5-4 in the bottom of the seventh, Morrell led off with a single for Stonehill. Freshman Taylor Lester (East Northport, N.Y./St. Anthony's) then followed with a pinch-hit single, and McKillop reached on a fielder's choice. With one out and two runners on base, Gunter came through with the game-winning hit, a single to left field.
Stonehill (2-0, 0-0 Northeast-10) will be back in action tomorrow with two contests at the National Training Center in Clermont, Fla. Stonehill is slated to take on the University of Bridgeport at 3 p.m. before playing Shippensburg University at 5 p.m. Dominican (2-8,0-0 CACC) is off until March 22nd, when the Chargers open their CACC slate with a doubleheader against Wilmington University.
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