Senior Lindsay McKillop led Stonehill offensively today with a 4-for-6 effort at the plate. |
Skyhawks outscored 10-1 in doubleheader sweep
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. (April 21, 2014) – Stonehill College struggled offensively, scoring just one run in a pair of losses to Merrimack College today in Northeast-10 Conference Northeast Division softball action at the Warrior Softball Diamond.
Stonehill dug itself into an early hole in the opener and was unable to generate enough offense to mount a comeback. Seniors Jessica Fugazzotto (Newton, Mass./Newton North) and Allison Berthiaume (Berkley, Mass./Somerset) each recorded three hits and one run for the Warriors, while classmate Jaclyn Giovannini (Plano, Texas/Plano East) went 1-for-3 with a home run and three RBI.
Freshman Haley Currie (Burlington, Mass./Burlington) earned the win for Merrimack after going the distance and allowing just four hits while striking out two and walking one.
Senior Lindsay McKillop (East Meadow, N.Y./East Meadow) accounted for half of Stonehill's hits, as she went 2-for-3, while classmate Jocelynne Morrell (West Haven, Conn./West Haven) and freshman Michelle Carbone (Deer Park, N.Y./St. Anthony's) each added a hit as well.
Sophomore Megan Ruonavaara (Rocky Hill, Conn./Rocky Hill) took the loss after going two innings and allowing seven runs (six earned) on seven hits, and freshman Cassandra Squeri (New Providence, N.J./New Providence) pitched the last four frames, allowing six hits but no runs.
Merrimack wasted no time in building a lead, as the Warriors scored three times in the first inning on an RBI double by sophomore Brittany Razo (Anaheim, Calif./Canyon) and a two-run error later in the frame.
Merrimack then took a commanding 7-0 lead with four more runs the following inning, highlighted by a three-run shot off the bat of Giovannini. The Warriors would not score again in the contest, but Stonehill was unable to get a runner past first base until the seventh inning.
Merrimack 3, Stonehill 1
Sophomore Alexis Perry (Westford, Vt./Essex) led the Warriors to victory in game two and the doubleheader sweep, as she posted a complete game while allowing just one run on seven hits. Perry also recorded a hit at the plate, while Razo went 2-for-3 and senior Kelsey Francher (Weare, N.H./John Stark Regional) was 3-for-3 with one RBI.
McKillop again led Stonehill offensively with a 2-for-3 effort, while sophomore Cayleigh McCarthy (Norfolk, Mass./King Phillip) was 1-for-2 with a walk and one RBI.
Carbone took the loss after going six innings and allowing three runs (two earned) on eight hits while striking out three and walking two.
After two scoreless frames, Francher gave the Warriors a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third with an RBI single, scoring Razo. Stonehill tied the game at one in the top of the sixth, as McCarthy delivered a two-out RBI single, but Merrimack came back with two runs in the bottom half of the inning on a costly error that proved to be the difference in the game.
Stonehill (18-20, 13-10 NE-10) will look get back on track tomorrow afternoon, as the Skyhawks are set to host Merrimack (17-18, 10-7 NE-10) in a doubleheader beginning at 3 p.m. Stonehill will then head to Southern Connecticut State University for a doubleheader on Wednesday, before wrapping up its regular season with home twinbills against Saint Anselm College on Friday night and Saturday afternoon.
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