EASTON, Mass. (May 15, 2025) – The Stonehill College baseball team secured its first-ever berth in the Northeast Conference (NEC) Postseason Tournament with a dramatic 16-14 comeback victory over Long Island University on Thursday afternoon. The win improves the Skyhawks' record to 20-28 overall and 18-10 in NEC play, while the Sharks drop to 30-21 overall and 22-6 in conference competition.
 
HIGHLIGHTS

• Junior Aidan Cohall continued his outstanding stretch at the plate, going 3-for-4 with a pair of homeruns and five runs batted in.
• Graduate student Jack Thorbahn and sophomore Grayson Sparr launched their respective 15th and ninth homeruns of the season.
• Sophomore Ryan LeClair and senior Sam Parks extended their on-base streaks to 24 and 16 games, respectively.
• Senior classmates Dylan Zemotel and Taylor Gaspar added respective multi-hit outings for the Skyhawks.  
• Junior reliever Adam Martin earned his second win on the mound after holding off the LIU bats over the final 3.0 innings of the series opener for Stonehill.  
• Senior Joe Durso led the Sharks the dish, going 4-for-4 with a double and five RBI, while graduate student Jacob Pipercic added three hits, including a pair of round-trippers.  
• Senior Garrett Yawn  started on the mound and struck out a game-high four batters for the Sharks.  

HOW IT HAPPENED
After a quick three-up, three-down top of the first inning from sophomore pitcher Justin Tullish, Stonehill wasted no time getting on the board. Just three batters into the bottom half, Cohall launched a no-doubt solo homerun over the right-center field wall, giving the Skyhawks an early 1-0 advantage.
 
The second inning went quietly for both sides, but LIU evened the score in the top of the third when senior Benjamin Fierenzi ripped an RBI double over the head of center fielder Parks, driving in Piperic to make it 1-1. The Sharks took control in the fourth, plating five runs highlighted by a bases-clearing double from Durso and a two-run homerun by Piperic, putting LIU ahead 6-1.
 
Stonehill began to chip away at the deficit in the bottom of the fourth as Thorbahn lined a solo homer over the right-field wall. However, LIU responded with two more runs in the fifth, capitalizing on defensive miscues after a two-out infield single by Durso. Although the Skyhawks added a run via an RBI single by Parks that scored Zemotel, LIU once again extended its lead to a game-high seven runs (10-3) with a tally in the top of the sixth.
 
The momentum shifted dramatically in the bottom of the sixth as the Stonehill offense came alive. Cohall and Sparr hit back-to-back home runs on the first two pitches of the inning. A two-run sacrifice fly from Zemotel, an RBI single by LeClair, a run-scoring double by Parks, and another RBI single from Cohall completed a seven-run outburst that knotted the game at 10-10 heading into the seventh.
 
The Skyhawks continued their offensive surge over the next two innings. Five bases-loaded walks—two each from Cohall and McGee and one from LeClair—combined with an RBI single by LeClair, pushed Stonehill ahead 16-10 by the end of the eighth.
 
LIU attempted a late rally in the ninth, narrowing the margin to just two runs after a three-run homer from Piperic and an RBI single from Durso. But reliever Martin held steady, recording the final outs and sealing a thrilling 16-14 comeback victory.
 
UP NEXT
Stonehill (20-28, 18-10 NEC) wraps up its regular season tomorrow with a series closing doubleheader against LIU. First pitch of game one from Lou Gorman Field between the Skyhawks and Sharks is set for 12 PM.
 
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