Senior Lindsay McKillop had one hit in each of Stonehill's two victories today.

Skyhawks post 13th win in their last 16 contests

COLCHESTER, Vt. (April 14, 2014) – Stonehill College improved its record in April to 13-3 with a pair of wins today against Saint Michael's College in Northeast-10 Conference Northeast Division softball action at Doc Jacobs Field. Stonehill won the opener, 4-1, before taking game two by a 3-0 score in eight innings.

Freshman Cassandra Squeri (New Providence, N.J./New Providence) took a no-hitter into the seventh inning of game two before giving up a leadoff single. Squeri eventually earned the win after going all eight innings and giving up just that one hit while striking out two and walking one. She also went 2-for-6 with one RBI at the plate on the day and scored the go-ahead run in game two after leading off the eighth with a double.

Freshman Michelle Carbone (Deer Park, N.Y./St. Anthony's) paced Stonehill offensively, as she went 5-for-8 with a home run and three RBI. Sophomore Megan Ruonavaara (Rocky Hill, Conn./Rocky Hill) had two hits and one RBI in game one, while senior Lindsay McKillop (East Meadow, N.Y./East Meadow) had one hit in each game and freshman Taylor Lester (East Northport, N.Y./St. Anthony's) went 1-for-3 in game two.  

Ruonavaara also earned the win in the opener, as she went the distance and gave up just one unearned run on six hits while striking out five and issuing two walks.

Saint Michael's was led by senior Greer Lemnah (Lyndon Center, Vt./Lyndon Institute) and sophomore Judi Barcavage (Cold Spring, N.Y./Haldane), who recorded two hits each in game one, while senior Bethany Falls (Essex Junction, Vt./Essex) had the lone hit for the Purple Knights in game two.

Ruonavaara led Stonehill to a game one victory with her fifth win of the season in the circle and a pair of hits at the plate. Carbone went 3-for-4 with one RBI, and sophomore Alison Sumski (Amherst, N.H./Souhegan) was 1-for-3 with a walk and a run.

Senior Laura McCormack (Natick, Mass./Natick) took the loss for Saint Michael's after going all seven innings and giving up four runs on ten hits with no strikeouts and three walks.

Stonehill took an early lead with a pair of runs in the first inning. Sumski led off with a walk, and after a pair of outs McKillop walked and Sumski advanced to third on a wild pitch. Ruonavaara and Carbone then delivered consecutive two-out, RBI singles before a ground out ended the inning.

Saint Michael's answered by cutting Stonehill's lead in half with a run in the home half of the first. Lemnah led off the frame with a single to left field, and advanced to second as the next batter grounded out. Falls then reached on a fielding error by Sumski, allowing Lemnah to get to third base. After Falls stole second and the next batter struck out, Barcavage singled to right field, scoring Lemnah, but Falls was thrown out at the plate to end the inning.

Stonehill regained its two-run lead in the third, as Squeri plated Ruonavaara with an RBI single to right center field, and then went up 4-1 in the fourth with the aid of a couple throwing errors. Ruonavaara would keep Saint Michael's off the board the rest of the way, as Stonehill won its fourth straight game.

Stonehill 3, Saint Michael's 0

Squeri

Squeri improved to 5-0 with her victory in game two after posting the most dominant effort for a Skyhawk pitcher this season. She also went 1-for-3 at the plate and scored the decisive run in the eighth inning. Carbone provided some insurance in the eighth with a two-run shot, and she went 2-for-4 in the contest.

Senior Lea Gipson (Bridport, Vt./Middlebury Union) dropped to 1-6 with the loss after going all eight innings for Saint Michael's and giving up three runs (two earned) on five hits while striking out two and walking three.          

Squeri and Gipson kept the game scoreless through the first seven frames, but both teams had a chance to put runs on the board. The Purple Knights had a runner on third in the fifth inning after a walk and a pair of stolen bases, but freshman Jessica Barnett (Essex Junction, Vt./Essex) grounded out to end the threat.

Stonehill then got runners to second and third in the top of the sixth, before sophomore Megan Staudle (New Windsor, N.Y./Cornwall Central) flied out, stranding both runners in scoring position.

After Falls finally broke up Squeri's no-hit bid in the seventh, the Skyhawks put three runs on the board in the top of the eighth. Squeri led off with a double, and came around to score on the next play as sophomore Emily Padilla (Wappingers Falls, N.Y./Roy C. Ketcham) reached on a throwing error. Two batters later, Carbone gave Stonehill a 3-0 lead with a two-run shot to left field. Saint Michael's used three pinch-hitters in the bottom of the eighth, and Squeri retired them in order to end the contest.

Stonehill (18-14, 13-5 NE-10) will be off tomorrow before returning to action on Wednesday with an NE-10 Northeast Division doubleheader at Merrimack College. The Skyhawks will then hit the road for two games at Franklin Pierce University on Thursday, before playing two more at Franklin Pierce on Saturday. Saint Michael's (1-20, 1-12 NE-10) will remain at home tomorrow to host Saint Anselm College at 4 p.m.

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