Iannibelli combined with Gray to toss 3.1 innings of scoreless relief. (Photo Credit Crystal Ayn Hagberg).

NORTH ANOVER, Mass. (May 18, 2024) – The Stonehill College baseball team dropped its 2024 season finale to Northeast Conference (NEC) Merrimack College, 6-4, Saturday afternoon in North Andover, Massachusetts. The Skyhawks end the year with an overall record of 18-29 and 13-17 in conference play, while the Warriors improved to 30-24 overall and 22-11 against conference opponents. 

HIGHLIGHTS

• Graduate student Conor Kiely, senior Blaine Lidsky, and freshman Ryan LeClair each tallied two hits on the day for Stonehill.
• Redshirt junior Jack Thorbahn belted his 11th homerun of the season, marking his fourth homerun during the three-game set against Merrimack.
• Sophomore Jack Iannibelli and freshman Braydon Gray combined to toss 3.1 innings of scoreless relief for the Skyhawks.
• Senior Christian Gemelli and sophomore Matthew Chatelle paved the way for the Warriors offense, each launching a homerun and driving home a pair of runs.
• Gemelli also finished the day with a game-high three hits and two stolen bases for Merrimack.
• Sophomore Flynn Howard (2-0) picked up his second win of the season on the bump after striking out three batters in 2.0 scoreless innings of relief.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Stonehill wasted little time getting the scoring started in the series finale, as the Skyhawks scored the game's opening run in the top half of the first inning. Redshirt sophomore Sam Parks led off the frame, drawing a free pass before being brought home to score later in the inning off an RBI single by Lidsky.

Merrimack would immediately respond with three runs in the bottom half to take its first lead. Gemelli kicked off the bottom of the first with a lead-off solo blast over the left centerfield fence, marking his 14th homerun of the season. Three batters later, a fielding miscue allowed graduate student Alex Haba to race home and score before Chatelle lifted a sacrifice fly out to right field, plating sophomore Frankie Ferrentino and improving the Warriors advantage to 3-1.

In the fourth and fifth innings, Merrimack would increase its advantage to five runs ahead of Stonehill. Chatelle and Gemelli fueled the Warrior's offense in the fourth, as Chatelle belted his 11th round-tripper of the season to lead off the inning, while Gemelli later scored sophomore Christian Scanlon with an RBI single into left field. A pair of walks and a hit by pitch would load the bases for the Warriors in the sixth before a passed ball thrown home would allow Haba to race home, capping off the scoring for Merrimack at 6-1.

Stonehill would remain resilient in the top of the sixth inning, cutting the deficit to two. Thorbahn started things off with a bang, sending his fourth home run of the series and 11th of the season over the right field wall to lead off the inning. Following a pair of base knocks from junior Taylor Gaspar and senior Jack Marshall, junior Dylan Zemotel would step up to the plate and lace an RBI single into shallow right, plating Gaspar and cutting the gap to 6-3. LeClair immediately followed Zemotel's run, scoring base hit with an RBI single of his own, bringing home Marshall and lowering the deficit to two heading into the latter third of the series finale.

However, following the Skyhawks' three-run top of the sixth, both bullpens would stymie the opposition, holding both sides scoreless over the final three innings of play, as Merrimack held on to earn a narrow 6-4 victory over Stonehill. 

INSIDE THE BOX & NOTES

Thorbahn recorded his fourth homerun of the series and 11th of the season in the top of the sixth inning. (Photo Credit Crystal Ayn Hagberg).

• Senior Trey Ciulla-Hall and Gaspar each improved their on-base streaks to 30 and 33 games, respectively, while Parks has reached base now in 22 consecutive games.
• Ciulla-Hall went 1-for-4 on the day with a walk and finished the 2024 season leading the Skyhawks in doubles (10), triples (3), homeruns (15), RBI (54), and slugging percentage (.668).
• Marshall ends the season on a team-best 13-game hitting streak.
• Graduate student Billy Duff (0-2) made his second start of the season, while redshirt freshman Jake Lanzer, and senior Tim Cotter also made relief appearances for the Skyhawks.
• Stonehill ends the season with four more wins than 2023, improving to 18-29 in its second campaign at the NCAA Division I level.

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