Skyhawks outscored 16-6 in two losses

Sophomore Megan Staudle went 4-for-5 with a solo home run today.

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (April 23, 2014) – Stonehill College was out-hit 26-17 in a pair of losses to Southern Connecticut State University this afternoon in Northeast-10 Conference softball action at Pelz Field. Stonehill lost the opener, 10-2 in five innings, before falling 6-4 in game two.

Sophomores Alison Sumski (Amherst, N.H./Souhegan) and Megan Staudle (New Windsor, N.Y./Cornwall Central) led Stonehill's offense with four hits apiece, while senior Jocelynne Morrell (West Haven, Conn./West Haven) was 2-for-6 with a home run and three RBI.

Senior Julie Muscarella (Suffield, Conn./Suffield) had a huge day at the plate for the Owls, as she went 4-for-7 with two doubles, three runs, and four RBI, while freshman Giuliana D'Arcangelo (Brookfield, Conn./Brookfield) was 4-for-6 with three RBI and three runs. Sophomore Leanna Feerick (Maybrook, N.Y./Valley Central) led all players with five hits in the doubleheader, and she also added two RBI and one run.

Stonehill took a 2-0 lead after two and a half innings, but the Owls scored ten unanswered runs to end the game after five frames. Six of Southern Connecticut's nine starters recorded at least two hits, while Feerick, junior Sarah Koerner (Coventry, R.I./Coventry), and freshman Danielle Piazza (Hopewell Junction, N.Y./Arlington) had three hits each.

Sophomore Audrey Dolloff (Raynham, Mass./Bridgewater-Raynham) earned the win for the Owls after pitching all five innings and giving up two runs on eight hits while striking out five.

Sumski and Staudle had two hits each to lead the Skyhawks, while senior Lindsay McKillop (East Meadow, N.Y./East Meadow) and sophomore Cayleigh McCarthy (Norfolk, Mass./King Phillip) knocked in one run apiece.

After a scoreless first, Stonehill took a 1-0 lead in the second when McCarthy singled to left field, scoring classmate Megan Ruonavaara (Rocky Hill, Conn./Rocky Hill). The Skyhawks then doubled their lead the following inning, as McKillop delivered an RBI single to center field, scoring Sumski.

Southern Connecticut roared back with nine runs over the next two innings to take a 9-2 lead after four. Muscarella and Piazza each recorded RBI doubles in the third, while the Owls' six-run fourth was highlighted by a two-run double off the bat of junior Nicole Buch (Darien, Conn./Darien) and a two-run single by Muscarella.

Piazza drove in Southern Connecticut's tenth run in the fifth inning, ending the contest due to the Owls' eight-run advantage.

Southern Connecticut 6, Stonehill 4  

Sophomore Alison Sumski recorded four hits and two runs as Stonehill dropped a pair of games at Southern Connecticut.

Stonehill dropped game two of today's doubleheader despite again taking an early lead. Sumski and Staudle paced the Skyhawk offense for the second consecutive contest with a pair of hits each, while Morrell went 1-for-3 with a three-run homer.

Feerick, Muscarella, and senior Kaley Marden (Fremont, Calif./Washington) posted matching 2-for-3 efforts with one RBI and one run apiece for Southern Connecticut, and D'Arcangelo went 2-for-4 with a run and two RBI.    

Morrell staked the Skyhawks to a 3-0 lead in the third, as she belted a three-run shot, but the Owls scored the next four runs to go up 4-3. Trailing by a run in the sixth, Stonehill tied the contest on Staudle's third homer of the year.

Southern Connecticut came right back with a pair of runs in the bottom half of the sixth, however, on RBI singles by D'Arcangelo and Marden, as the Owls completed the sweep.

Stonehill (19-23, 13-13 NE-10) will be back in action with doubleheaders on Friday and Saturday against Saint Anselm College at Gartland Field. Saturday will also serve as senior day for Stonehill. The Skyhawks, who currently sit in fourth place in the NE-10 Northeast Division standings with a 10-8 record, will be looking to secure a spot in the NE-10 Tournament that begins next Tuesday. Southern Connecticut (16-18, 9-12 NE-10) will wrap up its regular season with a three-game series against American International College this Friday and Saturday at Pelz Field.

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