FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 8, 2015
Rematch of Northeast Division Foes Set for Saturday
WEST HAVEN, Conn - Franklin Pierce and Stonehill, both from the Northeast Division, advanced to Championship Saturday after picking up victories on the third day of the Northeast-10 Championship and will face off for the NE-10 Title at 11 a.m.
The Ravens topped the Skyhawks, 4-1, in the second game of the day to clinch a spot in the championship. After Adelphi eliminated New Haven in the opening contest of the day, Stonehill cruised past the Panthers, 14-3, to set up a rematch with Franklin Pierce.
If Franklin Pierce tops Stonehill, then the Ravens will be crowned the 2015 Northeast-10 Champions. If the Skyhawks win, then they will force a second game against the Ravens that will take place shortly after the 11 a.m. matchup.
#4 SW Adelphi 7, #3 SW New Haven 2 | BOX
John Fogarty led the effort with a 3-of-3 day that included a RBI and a run scored. Meanwhile, Robert Vani drove in two runs on two hits while also scoring once. John Thompson got the win on the mound by throwing 6.1 innings with five strikeouts. Michael Ceparano and Mike Cranston combined for 2.2 inning of relief, striking out two.
Two runs to kick off the game helped the Brown and Gold create an early advantage. Leading off the game, Donato Signore doubled down the right field line and scored in the next at-bat as Kory Cassara drove him in with a single. Cassara scored two batters later on a Vani ground out to make it 2-0.
After four scoreless innings, Adelphi added to its lead with three runs in the top of the sixth. Another lead off extra base hit helped set the table for the Panthers as Nick Zito tripled to right field. Scoring on a Vani single, Zito increased the lead to 3-0 before Vani made it 4-0 on an Eric Hassell double. Hassell scored on a sacrifice fly from Fogarty two batters later after advancing to third on a ground out from Ray Triano.
With one swing of the bat in the bottom of the seventh, New Haven looked to chip into the Adelphi lead as Jack Zagaja singled in two runs to cut the deficit to 5-2. However, the Panthers pushed the margin back to five runs in the top of the eighth as Vincent Sharkey singled home John Cuttitta before Fogarty scored on a fielding error to give the Brown and Gold a 7-2 advantage.
#1 NE Franklin Pierce 4, #3 NE Stonehill 1 | BOX
As it has done so often in 2015, Franklin Pierce jumped to the lead in the first inning, with a pair of runs in the bottom half of the frame. Jay Jabs worked a six-pitch walk with one out and went first-to-third when John Razzino followed with a single through the right side. After Razzino stole second - his 44th theft of the season - a wild pitch scored Jabs and moved Razzino to third. The latter then scored from there on a sacrifice fly in foul territory down the right-field line by senior catcher Matt Walsh.
The Ravens extended the lead to 3-0 with an unearned run in the bottom of the second inning. Sophomore second baseman Kyle Hood took a four-pitch walk leading off, moved to second on an error and went to third on a single through the right side of the infield by junior shortstop Justin Brock. After Brock stole second, junior center fielder Maxx Sheehan dropped down a sacrifice bunt to drive home Hood.
Stonehill got its only run of the day - an unearned tally - in the top of the fourth to cut the gap to 3-1. With one out, junior left fielder Brian Campbell turned on a pitch to knock a double to right field. He moved to third on an error and then scored on an RBI groundout on the right side by senior shortstop Dan Fratus. Franklin Pierce reclaimed the three-run lead and created the 4-1 final with a run in the bottom of the fifth. Jabs went the other way to single through the left side of the infield leading off and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Razzino. Jabs then stole third and scored on a sacrifice fly to right field by Walsh.
After allowing the unearned run in the fourth, Miles Sheehan retired the side in order in the fifth and later stranded runners in scoring position in both the seventh and eighth innings. He capped his outing by sending the Skyhawks down in order, on just seven pitches, in the top of the ninth to finish off the victory. Sheehan (6-0) authored a four-hit complete game and piled up a season-high 11 strikeouts.
#2 NE Stonehill 14, #4 SW Adelphi 3 | BOX
After being held to just four hits in the loss to Franklin Pierce, the Stonehill offense broke out in a big way against Adelphi, piling up 14 runs on 16 hits to advance to the final day of the NE-10 Tournament. Senior catcher Eric Schneider led the offensive outburst, going 3-for-5 at the plate with two doubles, four RBI and two runs scored. Campbell was 3-for-3 with two RBI and three runs, while Hoyt and senior second baseman Christian Baglini combined for five hits and five runs out of the top two spots in the order.
The Panthers held a 2-1 edge heading into the bottom of the third, before Stonehill took the lead for good with six runs on six hits. Hoyt led off with a bunt single, advancing all the way to third with the help of an Adelphi throwing error. Baglini came up next and recorded an RBI single, while Campbell and Fratus each followed with singles as well. Schneider plated Stonehill's second and third runs of the frame with a single up the middle, and later in the inning sophomore Ben Monte cleared the bases on a three-run double.
The offense kept rolling in the fourth, as the Skyhawks broke the game open with five more runs to take a 12-2 lead. Baglini got it started with a leadoff walk, before taking second on a wild pitch and scoring on an RBI single by Campbell. The Skyhawks proceeded to load the bases, adding another run when freshman Joe Klingensmith drew a walk. With the bases still loaded, sophomore Steve Lee delivered Stonehill's second three-run double in as many innings.
Adelphi got one run back in the top of the fifth on a sacrifice fly by senior Rich Cambria, and the Skyhawks capped the scoring in the bottom half of the inning on a two-run double by Schneider. Cambria and sophomore John Fogarty paced the Adelphi offense with two hits apiece, while Cambria, classmate Nick Zito and freshman Kory Cassara drove in one run each. Stonehill junior left-hander Patrick Nicholson improved to 7-1 with the win after giving up three runs (two earned) on seven hits through five innings.
Information for this release provided by the Athletic Communications staffs at Adelphi, Franklin Pierce and Stonehill.
ABOUT THE NORTHEAST-10
The Northeast-10 Conference is an association of 15 NCAA Division II colleges and universities located in New England and New York that is committed to supporting balanced academic and athletic opportunities for more than 6,500 student-athletes.
Each year, 4,500 of those student-athletes compete in conference championships in 24 sports, making the NE-10 the largest DII conference in the country in terms of sport sponsorship. Leading the way in the classroom, on the field and within the community, the Northeast-10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.
