Senior Mitch Davis collected seven hits on the day, going 5-for-5 in Stonehill's win over C.W. Post this afternoon. (PHOTO BY Richard Orr)

NCAA II TOURNAMENT EAST REGIONAL
#4 Stonehill Splits on Day Three, but Season Comes to End

Skyhawks remain alive with 8-1 win over C.W. Post in first game of the day
Second-seeded Franklin Pierce eliminates Stonehill with 2-0 win in nightcap

WEST HAVEN, Conn. (May 15, 2010) – Fourth-seeded Stonehill College split a pair of games, but was eliminated on day three of the 2010 NCAA Division II Baseball Tournament East Regional, hosted by Southern Connecticut State University, at Yale Field today. Stonehill stayed alive with an 8-1 afternoon win over fifth-seeded LIU-C.W. Post, before being eliminated by second-seeded Franklin Pierce University, 2-0, in the final game of the day.

Franklin Pierce (39-15-1, 19-6-1 NE-10) advances to face top-seeded and host Southern Connecticut State (38-11-1, 21-5 NE-10) in tomorrow's regional championship round. The Ravens will need to defeat the Owls twice to capture the East Regional title and advance to the NCAA Division II Baseball Championships in Cary, N.C., May 22-29, at the USA Baseball National Training Complex. Southern reached the final round with an 11-5 triumph over the Ravens in the first game of the day.

Stonehill sees their season come to a close with a 31-18 record overall, 17-9 in Northeast-10 play, following a tremendous late season run that saw the Skyhawks capture their third NE-10 Championship to clinch their second NCAA Tournament bid. Stonehill closed out the season winners of 13 of its last 15 games, including a 12-game winning streak that ran through a 4-0 clip in the NE-10 Tournament before ending in game two of the regional.                      

#4 Stonehill 8, #5 LIU-C.W. Post 1

Stonehill used a four-run third inning to fuel an 8-1 win over fifth-seeded LIU-C.W. Post (32-17-1, 22-8 ECC), to remain alive, scoring single runs in the fifth, sixth, seventh and ninth innings to break the game open in the Skyhawks first contest of the day.

Sophomore Rich McHugh was 2-for-3 with a double and three RBI for the Skyhawks in game one. (PHOTO BY CSI: Photo)

Senior Mitch Davis (Bow, N.H./Bow) hit 5-for-5 with a double, triple and two runs scored to pace Stonehill's 12-hit attack. Sophomore Rich McHugh (Pembroke, Mass./Thayer Academy) batted 2-for-3 with a double, two runs scored and three RBI, while junior Angelo Bruno (Norwalk, Conn./Norwalk) went 2-for-5 with a stolen base and three RBI. Senior Rob Von Stein (Trumbull, Conn./Trumbull) chipped in by hitting 2-for-4 with an RBI and run scored.

Sophomore lefthander Eric Haughn (Pembroke, Mass./Pembroke) picked up the win (4-2) on the mound for Stonehill, allowing an earned run on four hits with four strikeouts and two walks over 5.2 innings.

Freshman Zack Graczyk (Carmel, N.Y.) paced C.W. Post as he hit 2-for-4 with a double and run scored. Senior Mike Callaghan (East Meadow, N.Y.) finished 1-for-3 with an RBI.

Senior lefthander Brian Saldana (Deer Park, N.Y.) took the loss (5-2) for the Pioneers in a complete game effort, surrendering eight runs, six earned, on 12 hits with seven strikeouts and a walk.

C.W. Post struck first with its lone run of the contest in the bottom of the first as Graczyk led off with a double and later scored on a sacrifice fly to left by Callaghan.

Stonehill took the lead for good with a four-run third, loading the bases with a pair of singles and a hit by pitch. McHugh started the rally with a two-run double down the leftfield line and Bruno followed with a two-run single to right.

            Stonehill added a run in the fifth as Davis led off with a triple and scored on a sac fly to right by McHugh. The Skyhawks scored another in the sixth when senior Shane Franz (Cazenovia, N.Y./Cazenovia) reached on an error and scored on a single to right by Von Stein, and then scored once in the seventh as McHugh reached with an infield single and later came home on a single to right by Bruno. Stonehill capped the scoring in the ninth when junior Brenden Shepard (Boxford, Mass./Masconomet) led off with a single to left and later scored when the C.W. Post centerfielder misplayed a double by Davis.

#2 Franklin Pierce 2, #4 Stonehill 0

Franklin Pierce senior righthander Heath Wasylow (Rehoboth, Mass.) fired a four-hit shutout to send the Ravens into Sunday's championship round and bring Stonehill's season and remarkable late season run to an end. It was the second time in as many days the Ravens blanked Stonehill, handing the Skyhawks both of their losses on the weekend.

Sophomore Michael White had two of the Skyhawks four hits in game two along with Davis. (PHOTO BY Richard Orr)

Wasylow (3-3) scattered the four hits and a walk over his complete game effort, striking out a career-best 14 batters on the night.

Senior Cody Kauffman (Blue Bell, Pa.) reached base five times, going 2-for-2 with three walks and an RBI for Franklin Pierce. Classmate Phil Hendricks (Pittsfield, Mass.) batted 2-for-4, while sophomore Isaac Wenrich (Westlawn, Pa.) hit 2-for-5 with a run scored.

Mitch Davis and sophomore Michael White (Lisbon, Conn./Lisbon Regional) both hit 2-for-4 for Stonehill, to account for its four hits on the night.

Sophomore lefthander Matt Olsen (Winchester, Mass./Winchester) took the loss (2-3), allowing the two earned runs on five hits with three strikeouts and four walks in seven-plus innings of work.

Franklin Pierce broke the stalemate in the fourth as Wenrich singled to center with one out and later scored on a sacrifice fly to right by freshman Nick LaCroix (Grafton, Mass.). The Ravens doubled their lead in the seventh as junior Derek Ingui (Sterling, Mass.) reached on a one-out bunt single and scored on a two-out single to left by Kauffman.

Stonehill's best scoring chance came in the sixth when the Skyhawks had runners at the corners with one out after a leadoff walk by Rob Von Stein and an infield single from Davis, but Wasylow induced a double play to escape the jam.