Sophomore lefty Jeremy Roberts earned his first win of 2015 after striking out seven and giving up just two unearned runs over six frames in Stonehill's 7-3 win against Wilmington this afternoon.

Sophomore lefty Jeremy Roberts strikes out seven over six frames to earn the victory

LAKE WORTH, Fla. (March 6, 2015) – The Stonehill College baseball team opened its 12-game spring break trip this afternoon with a 7-3 non-conference victory over Wilmington University as part of the Palm Beach Challenge at the Santaluces Complex in Lake Worth, Florida. 

Wilmington entered this afternoon's action ranked fourth in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association East Region Poll, while Stonehill is ranked seventh. The Wildcats are seeking their fifth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance in 2015. 

Making his first start of the season, sophomore lefthander Jeremy Roberts (Reading, Massachusetts/Malden Catholic) earned the win for the Skyhawks after striking out seven and allowing just two unearned runs over six innings of work. Senior Ryan Rougeot (Cheshire, Connecticut/Cheshire) went the final three frames, giving up one run on three hits, to pick up the save.

The first seven batters in Stonehill's lineup collected at least one hit, with four Skyhawks recording two hits. Senior catcher Eric Schneider (Camarillo, California/St. Bonaventure) led the way, going 2-for-4 with three RBI. Junior Chris Hoyt (Walpole, Massachusetts/Xaverian Brothers) went 2-for-5 with a run and one RBI out of the leadoff spot, while senior Dan Fratus (Plymouth, Massachusetts/Plymouth North) and junior Brian Campbell (Franklin, Massachusetts/Mount Saint Charles) totaled two hits and one RBI each.

Senior lefty Rob Gore (Broomall, Pennsylvania/Marple Newtown) took the loss for Wilmington, as he gave up five runs (four earned) on seven hits over 4.2 innings while striking out three and walking three.

Seniors Frank Samluk (Middletown, Delaware/St. Elizabeth's) and Sean Feeney (Sea Isle City, New Jersey/Ocean City) paced the Wildcats at the plate, going 2-fo-4 with one run apiece, while junior Mike Annone (Wilmington, Delaware/Concord) and senior Jon Castro (Wilmington, Delaware/St. Mark's) drove in one run each.

Senior Eric Schneider led the Skyhawks at the plate, going 2-for-4 with three RBI.

After a scoreless first inning, Stonehill put a pair of runs on the board in the top of the second. Sophomore Steve Lee (Braintree, Massachusetts/Braintree) led off with a triple to right center field, scoring on the next play as Schneider reached on an error. Schneider would come around to score later in the frame, as Hoyt delivered a two-out RBI single to left field to stake the Skyhawks to a 2-0 lead. Wilmington got a run back in the bottom half of the inning, however, on an RBI single by Annone.

Still leading by a single run after four complete frames, Stonehill gave itself some breathing room with three runs in the top of the fifth. Senior Christian Baglini (Milford, Connecticut/Notre Dame High) led off with a double down the left field line, before scoring three batters later on an RBI single by junior Brian Hocking (Duxbury, Massachusetts/BC High). After Lee flied out for the second out of the inning, Schneider plated two runs with a single to right center field, scoring Hocking and Fratus.

Wilmington added another run in the bottom of the fifth, before the Skyhawks answered with two in the top of the sixth. Hoyt got it started with a one-out single, advancing to second with a stolen base. After reaching third on a Wilmington error, Hoyt was singled home by Campbell as Stonehill took a 6-2 lead. Fratus came up next and doubled down the left field line, plating Campbell, to cap the scoring for the Skyhawks.

Rougeot worked through the seventh and eighth innings, keeping Wilmington off the board with the help of a pair of double plays, but the Wildcats were able to push one more run across in the bottom of the ninth on an RBI groundout by Castro.

Stonehill (5-1, 0-0 NE-10) will be back in action tomorrow with a pair of games against Post University, scheduled for 9 a.m. and noon. Wilmington (1-3, 0-0 CACC) is set to take on American International College for a doubleheader beginning at noon.

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