Junior Alison Sumski went 3-for-7 at the plate with a double, a home run, and two RBI as Stonehill split two games with Molloy today. |
Junior Alison Sumski leads Skyhawks at the plate, going 3-for-7 with a double, one home run and two RBI
CLERMONT, Fla. (March 15, 2015) – The Stonehill College softball team capped its 12-game, season opening spring break trip with a doubleheader split against Molloy College today in non-conference action at the National Training Center in Clermont, Florida. Stonehill won the opener, 5-1, before dropping a 3-1 decision in game two.
Junior Alison Sumski (Amherst, New Hampshire/Souhegan) and sophomore Cassandra Squeri (New Providence, New Jersey/New Providence) led the Skyhawks at the plate, going 3-for-7 over the two games with a double and two RBI each while combining to score three runs. Junior Megan Staudle (New Windsor, New York/Cornwall Central) went 2-for-5 with a triple and a run, while classmate Megan Ruonavaara (Rocky Hill, Connecticut/Rocky Hill) and sophomore Michelle Carbone (Deer Park, New York/St. Anthony's) chipped in with one double and one run each.
Ruonavaara and junior Sarah Ropiak (Acton, Massachusetts/Acton-Boxborough) each posted complete game efforts in the circle, as Ruonavaara struck out four and gave up one run to earn the win in the opener, while Ropiak took the loss in game two despite allowing just three runs on four hits.
Molloy was led offensively by freshman Brianna Dalton (Northampton, Pennsylvania/Northampton Area), who went 2-for-6 with a double and one RBI. Classmates Alexandra Russo (Coram, New York/Longwood) and Olivia Banulski (Bristol, Connecticut/Bristol Central) also posted 2-for-6 efforts at the plate, while seniors Brenda Lee (Corona, California/Santiago) and Victoria Gunnels (North Bellmore, New York/Mepham) added one hit and one RBI each.
Sophomore Chelsea Hawks (Wading River, New York/Shoreham-Wading River) earned the win for the Lions with a dominant performance in game two, as she went the distance and gave up just one unearned run on three hits.
Stonehill 5, Molloy 1
Stonehill opened its final day in Florida with a comeback victory over Molloy, scoring all five of its runs in the final three innings after trailing 1-0 through four frames. Staudle, Squeri, and Sumski all recorded two hits to lead the Skyhawks late surge, while Banulski picked up a pair of hits for the Lions.
Junior Megan Ruonavaara earned the win in the opener after going the distance and giving up one run while striking out four. |
Molloy scored its lone run of the contest in the first inning on an RBI single by Gunnels, and starting pitcher Tracey Balinskas (Edison, New Jersey/Edison) held the Skyhawks without a run in their first four at-bats, piling up six strikeouts in the process.
Stonehill was finally able to get to Balinskas in the top of the fifth, tying the game on a pinch-hit RBI single by Ropiak. The Skyhawks then pulled ahead the following inning, as Squeri drove in Ruonavaara with a double to right center field, before tacking on three insurance runs in the seventh on RBI hits by Carbone, Squeri, and Sumski.
Molloy 3, Stonehill 1
After recording ten hits in the opener, Hawks held Stonehill to just three hits in game two as Molloy salvaged a split.
The Lions took a 1-0 lead in the first inning for the second straight game, scoring on an RBI single by Dalton. Hawks retired the first seven Skyhawks in order, before junior Emily Padilla (Wappingers Falls, New Jersey/Roy C. Ketcham) recorded Stonehill's first hit with a one-out single in the third inning.
Molloy added two more runs in the fifth to go up 2-0, before the Skyhawks finally broke through in the bottom of the seventh on Sumski's first home run of the season.
Stonehill (6-6, 0-0 NE-10) is scheduled to open both its home and conference slates on Wednesday against Merrimack College, before hitting the road on Sunday for two games at American International College. Molloy (3-7, 0-0 ECC) will remain in Florida for six more contests before returning home to open conference play next Wednesday against Dowling College.
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