SYRACUSE, N.Y. (April 29, 2024) – The Stonehill College Softball team tallied one win and one loss Monday afternoon at the Le Moyne Softball Complex in a Northeast Conference doubleheader against the Dolphins.
GAME 1 - Stonehill 4 (12-32, 3-16 NEC), Le Moyne 2 (15-34, 6-13 NEC)
HOW IT HAPPENED
Le Moyne opened the scoring in the bottom of the first in the inaugural division I meeting between the Skyhawks and Dolphins with an RBI double into the left centerfield gap to give Le Moyne a 1-0 lead.
Stonehill tied the game in the top of the third when a double steal from freshman Piper Hofmann (Windermere, Fla.) and sophomore Natalie Bottiglieri (Massapequa, N.Y.) led to an errant throw from the Dolphins catcher, eventually resulting in a rundown between third and home for Hofmann but an obstruction call was made, allowing Hofmann to score.
Junior Chloe Kelly (East Bridgewater, Mass.) broke the tie in the top of the fourth inning, driving in senior Maeve Proulx (Westford, Mass.) from second base with a single to left field.
Hofmann singled to put Kelly in scoring position followed by Bottiglieri staying hot and lining a single to left field to add another run for the Skyhawks as they led 3-1.
Another insurance run came in the sixth inning for Stonehill as sophomore Jessica Brill (Natick, Mass.) singled to center to score Hofmann from second base.
The Dolphins tried to start a two-out rally in the bottom half of the sixth, hitting a single and drawing a walk before an RBI single cut their deficit to two runs but freshman Alexa Hospodar (Old Bethpage, N.Y.) got out of the jam, before setting Le Moyne down 1-2-3 in the seventh to finish off a complete-game win, 4-2.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Hospodar tallied 7 IP, 2 ER, 1 K, and improved to 5-7 on the season and leads the Skyhawks with a 4.68 ERA this year.
- Bottiglieri had a 3-4 showing at the plate with an RBI and a stolen base to improve to 1-14 over her last four games.
- Brill went 2-3 with an RBI, a walk drawn, and a stolen base while Hofmann also reached base three times, going 2-2 with a walk and two runs scored.
GAME 2 - Le Moyne 9 (16-34, 7-13 NEC), Stonehill 8 (12-33, 3-17 NEC)
HOW IT HAPPENED
Le Moyne scored the first run for the second game in a row, taking a 1-0 lead in the second inning on a fielder's choice.
Stonehill responded in the top of the third with an eight-run outburst on the back of seven singles as six different Skyhawks recorded RBIs with redshirt sophomore May Dawes (Beacon Falls, Conn.) and junior Emily Nardelli (North Attleboro, Mass.) each driving in two runs.
The Dolphins didn't waver despite being down 8-1, tallying six hits and driving in six runs of their own highlighted by a bases-loaded double to right field from Elaina Kassap that cleared the bases.
With Le Moyne trailing 8-7 in the fourth, Arianna Exarchakis gave herself some run support as she blasted a two-run home run to give the Dolphins a 9-8 lead, also setting her up for the win in the circle.
Both offenses cooled off after the fourth as Stonehill and Le Moyne went scoreless for the remainder of the game as the Dolphins secured a 9-8 win.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Exarchakis tallied the win and improved to 5-12 on the season while freshman Alex Sciaretto (Bristol, Conn.) dropped to 1-6 on the year.
- Five different Skyhawks tallied at least two base hits with Dawes and Nardelli leading the team with two RBIs each.
- Sullivan went 2-3 at the plate with an RBI, improving her team-leading batting average to .356 this season.
- Sullivan also threw 2.2 innings in relief, holding the Dolphins hitless and scoreless through the end of the game.
- Bottiglieri went 2-5 with a run scored, an RBI, and a stolen base to cap off a 5-9 day as she is hitting .538 (14-26) over the last seven games.
- Bottiglieri has recorded a hit in each of the last seven games and has an RBI in the last six games. She has stolen a base in four straight games while scoring in six of the last seven games.
UP NEXT
- Stonehill softball completes its mid-week three-game series at Le Moyne tomorrow afternoon for one more Northeast Conference matchup against the Dolphins at noon.
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