EASTON, Mass. (April 27, 2025) – The Stonehill College softball team split a Northeast Conference doubleheader at Fr. Gartland Field against FDU on Sunday, falling in the first game, 9-1, before roaring back from down six runs to win 10-9 in the second game.
 
GAME 1 – Final/6 FDU 9 (24-22, 13-6 NEC), Stonehill 1 (12-33, 3-13 NEC)
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
FDU opened the game with a four-run first inning that was highlighted by a two-run home run that sailed over the left field fence, putting the Knights on top, 4-0.
 
The Knights added another run in the second inning during a rundown between first and second base that allowed the runner on third to come in to score, making the score 5-0.
 
Redshirt junior May Dawes (Beacon Falls, Conn.) got the Skyhawks on the board in the bottom of the fourth when she drove in senior Isabella Therrien (Auburn, Mass.), who scored on the infield single from second base.
 
FDU responded in the top of the fifth, leading off the inning with a double, followed by an RBI single up the middle before capping off the inning with a two-run homer over the center field fence to build an 8-1 advantage.
 
The ninth and final run of the game came in the sixth for the Knights, followed by a 1-2-3 inning in the bottom half of the inning as FDU secured the win, 9-1, in six innings.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Dawes had one of two hits in the game for the Skyhawks while driving in her 16th RBI of the season.
• Senior Chloe Kelly (East Bridgewater, Mass.) had the other base hit for Stonehill, while Therrien reached base on a walk, and senior Shannon Conte (Amesbury, Mass.) was hit by a pitch.

 
GAME 2 – Stonehill 10 (13-33, 4-13 NEC), FDU 9 (24-23, 13-7 NEC)
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
For the second game in a row, FDU scored four runs in the top of the first, with two runs coming in to score after the Knights opened the game with four singles, followed by another two runs coming in to score on a bases-loaded hit by a pitch and a bases-loaded walk.
 
Junior Jessica Brill (Natick, Mass.) singled through the left side of the infield with freshman Grace Conaway (St. Paul Park, Minn.) scoring from second base after drawing a walk earlier in the inning to make the score 4-1.
 
Dawes led off the bottom of the second with a walk, and freshman Jenny Olson (Salem, N.H.) pinch ran for her, eventually scoring on an RBI single to right field from sophomore Piper Hofmann (Windermere, Fla.).
 
After giving up two runs, FDU countered with two runs of their own in the top of the fourth, with two Knights coming home on a double into the right-center field gap as they increased their lead back up to four, 6-2.
 
Kelly led off the bottom half of the inning with a single, and sophomore Harper Sullivan (Glendale, Ariz.) came through for the Skyhawks with two outs, rocketing an infield single to third base to drive in the third Stonehill run of the game.
 
The Knights took their largest lead of the game in the fifth inning when a double into the gap drove in two more runs, followed by another run coming in on an RBI single that made the score 9-3.
 
After failing to score with the bases loaded in the fifth inning, the Skyhawk offense would not be denied in the sixth, as Stonehill's offense erupted for seven runs. Hofmann led off the inning with a single, and the rest of the lineup followed suit as the Skyhawks rattled off four straight singles en route to the first two runs of the inning.
 
The Skyhawks scored two more runs on a bases-loaded walk and an RBI single to left field from freshmen Melanie Snyder (Howard Beach, N.Y.) and Taylor Schoonmaker (Averill Park, N.Y.) with Stonehill making the score 9-7 before the Knights recorded an out in the inning.
 
A wild pitch with the bases loaded made the score 9-8, and back-to-back bunts from Kelly and Hofmann gave the Skyhawks their first lead of the game, 10-9, with both players driving in runs from third base.
 
Sullivan took a 10-9 lead into the seventh inning for the Skyhawks, walking her first batter of the inning before forcing three straight groundouts to finish out the senior day win for Stonehill.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Sullivan shined on both sides of the ball in the Skyhawk win as she went 4-5 at the plate with four singles, two runs batted in, and one run scored. She also pitched the final 2.2 innings, allowing just one hit and one walk with two strikeouts to improve to 5-3 in the circle this season.
• This was Sullivan's first four-hit game of the season, and eighth game with 2+ hits while driving in her team-high 25th RBI on the year.
• Hofmann, Snyder, and Kelly each recorded two base hits, while both Hofmann and Snyder also swiped one stolen base.
• Grossi and Schoonmaker made the most of their plate appearances as Grossi went 1-1 with a single, a walk, and a run scored. Schoonmaker also went 1-1 with an RBI and a run scored.
• Brill, Conaway, Dawes, and senior Caroline Green (Brockton, Mass.) were held hitless in the win, but all four Skyhawks drew walks as every Stonehill batter reached base in the win.
• Senior Emily Nardelli (North Attleboro, Mass.) went 0-1 at the plate, but reached base on an infield error before coming in to score the eighth run of the game for the Skyhawks.

UP NEXT

• Stonehill softball will take on FDU for one more Northeast Conference game at Fr. Gartland Field tomorrow at 11 a.m. in the Skyhawks' home finale.

 
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