Junior Michelle Carbone went 4-for-8 with a homerun and two RBI today against the Hawks.

Sophomore Michelle Carbone leads Skyhawks with 4-for-8 effort, a homerun and two RBI

EASTON, Mass. (March 26, 2016) – The Stonehill College softball team split a pair of Northeast-10 Conference Northeast Division contests with Saint Anselm this afternoon at Gartland Field. Stonehill defeated Saint Anselm 7-2 in the opener for its fifth straight win, before dropping game two by a score of 6-5.

Senior Megan Ruonavaara (Rocky Hill, Connecticut/Rocky Hill) went the distance in today's opener, holding the Hawks to two runs on three hits to go with five punch-outs. With the win, Ruonavaara improves her record to 3-3 on the season.

Junior Michelle Carbone (Rocky Hill, Connecticut/Rocky Hill) led the way at the plate, going 4-for-8 with a homerun, two RBI, two stolen bases and a run. Senior Lauren Esposito (Middlefield, Connecticut/Coginchaug) singled twice, scored a pair of runs and hit a double, while classmate Alison Sumski (Amherst, New Hampshire/Souhegan) added two hits and senior Emily Padilla (Wappingers Falls, New York/Roy C. Ketcham) hit her first career home run.

Saint Anselm junior Sam Hennequin (Auburn, New Hampshire/Pinkerton) took the loss in the opener after giving up five earned runs in one inning of work. Freshman Arika Brochu (Augusta, Maine/Cony) logged a total of 10.1 innings of work between the two games, as she pitched five innings of relief in game one, allowing two unearned runs while striking out seven, and pitching 5.1 innings in the second game, allowing 5 runs (two earned).

Senior Pattie Turner (Warwick, Rhode Island/Toll Gate) paced the Saint Anselm offense with four hits and four RBI, while sophomore Shannon McLaughlin (Tewksbury, Massachusetts/Tewksbury Memorial) registered two hits and two RBI. Sophomore Amanda Bickford (Salem, New Hampshire/Salem) and freshman Jordan O'Connor (New Fairfield, Connecticut/New Fairfield) each chipped in with two hits apiece.

Stonehill 7, Saint Anselm 2

Ruonavaara found her groove early, putting the Hawks down in order from the second inning through to the fifth inning. The senior was working on a complete game shut-out headed to the bottom of the seventh inning, when Turner led off with a homerun and sophomore Megan Murrell (Scarborough, Maine/Scarborough) followed up two batters later with a solo homerun of her own. Ruonavaara would settle down and coax a groundout to finish the frame and end the game, giving the Skyhawks the first game of the doubleheader.

Saint Anselm 6, Stonehill 5

Senior Emily Padilla connected on her first career homerun today against the Hawks.

Senior Sarah Ropiak (Acton, Massachusetts/Acton-Boxborough) took the ball in game two for Stonehill, as both pitchers cruised early, pitching through the first four innings unscathed. Saint Anselm scored first, pushing three runs across in the top of the fifth inning. Stonehill responded in the bottom half of the inning, as junior Jacklyn Oleksak (Massapequa, New York/Plainedge) singled to lead off the inning and advanced to second on an error by the right fielder. Sophomore Olivia Peterson (Westford, Massachusetts/Westford Academy) came on to pinch run for Oleksak and her speed was felt immediately. Peterson took third on a fielder's choice and then went home on a passed ball. After Padilla lined out to the center fielder, Esposito doubled and junior Lianna Jordan (Staten Island, New York/St. Joseph By the Sea) singled to score Esposito, bringing the the score to 3-2.

Saint Anselm got both runs back in the sixth, using four singles and a walk to plate two runs. Stonehill wouldn't go away as the Skyhawks rallied to score three runs in the bottom of the sixth to tie the game at five. Senior Megan Staudle (New Windsor, New York/Cornwall Central) reached first on an error and Oleksak followed up with a single through the left side. Both runners advanced a base on a passed ball and freshman Taylor Whaley (South Portland, Maine/Catherine McAuley) drove both runners in on a clutch two RBI double to left field. Esposito then reached base when she hit a grounder to the shortstop and the throw to the first baseman was high and wide, scoring Whaley to tie the game.

Saint Anselm regained the lead in the back and forth affair, using a Turner homerun in the top of the seventh to gain a slim one run advantage. Carbone singled to lead off the bottom of the seventh for the Skyhawks and moved to second on a fielder's choice, but nothing became of it as the hitters went down in order after that, ending the game at 6-5 in favor of Saint Anselm.

Stonehill (9-10, 5-2 NE-10) return to Gartland Field on Monday as they play the rubber match of the three game series with Saint Anselm (5-12, 1-4 NE-10) at 2:00 p.m.

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