Billy Karalis recorded three RBIs for Stonehill (PHOTO BY Bert Lane)

Seven-run eighth pushes Stonehill to victory

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (February 24, 2013) – The Stonehill Skyhawks baseball team finished off their spring training trip to Myrtle Beach when they defeated the Mercyhurst Lakers 9-2 at the Ripken Experience Northeast Challenge.

Freshman Mike Krupczak (Springfield, Mass./Cathedral) picked up the second win of his collegiate career in the victory. Krupczak went seven innings, giving up two earned runs on five hits and four walks and collecting six strikeouts.

Patrick Nicholson (Middleboro, Mass./Middleboro) pitched two scoreless innings in his college pitching debut. Nicholson gave up one hit and two walks during a scoreless eighth and ninth, he also recorded his first career strikeout.

Jon Klein (Cheektowaga, N.Y./Cheektowaga Central) was charged with the loss for Mercyhurst. Klein gave up three earned runs on three hits and one walk. The Laker starter recorded seven strikeouts in the loss. Cam Knott (Willoughby, Ohio/Willoughby South) also gave up four runs in relief for the Lakers.

Mercyhurst struck first early in the game. Following a Joe Pantano (Fredonia, N.Y./St. Francis) walk, Ryan Siegel (Sarver, Pa./Freeport Area) notched an RBI double to bring home Pantano. Kyle Hagerich (Amherst, Ohio, Amherst Steele) tripled home Siegel to give the Lakers a 2-0 lead.

James DeAlto knocked in a run with a bases loaded walk (PHOTO BY Bert Lane)

The Skyhawks were held scoreless until the seventh inning when Chris Callahan (Southington, Conn./Holy Cross High) tied the score with a bases loaded single. After Christian Baglini (Walpole, Mass./Xaverian Brothers) reached on an error to reload the bases, James DeAlto (Briarcliff Manor, N.Y./Briarcliffe) walked in a run to give Stonehill a 3-2 edge.

Later in the inning Billy Karalis (Pawtucket, R.I./Bishop Feehan) padded the Skyhawks lead when he notched a two-RBI double to make it 5-2. Dan Fratus (Plymouth, Mass./Plymouth North) made it 6-2 when he knocked in DeAlto with a sacrifice fly. Michael Zeiner (Simsbury, Conn./Simsbury) finished off the seventh inning scoring when he hit an RBI single to bring home Karalis.

Stonehill added to their lead in the top of the ninth when Karalis recorded another RBI single. Anthony Pagano (Cranston, R.I./Cranston West.) brought home the final run of the game for the Skyhawks, scoring Baglini on an RBI single.

Stonehill (4-1) travels to Florida on Saturday when it faces off with Felician College. Next up for Mercyhurst is a matchup with Chestnut Hill College Wednesday afternoon.

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