EASTON, Mass. – The Saint Anselm College baseball team built six different leads across two games on Sunday, including its largest advantage of 11-5 in game two, but the Hawks were walked-off in both ends of the Northeast-10 Conference doubleheader against Stonehill College.
Saint Anselm owned the lead on three separate occasions in the seven-inning opener, but three runs by Stonehill in the bottom of the seventh stunned the Hawks, 10-9. Ahead by six runs in the top of the fourth inning in game two, Saint Anselm conceded seven consecutive runs down the stretch to lose by a 12-11 score in 10 innings, dropping all four games in the weekend series against Stonehill.
The Hawks fall to 10-16 overall on the season and to 5-14 against NE10 opponents. Stonehill came into the weekend with a below-.500 record, but sees itself skyrocket up the Northeast Division standings. The Skyhawks improve to 15-12 overall and move to 10-10 against league foes.
The Hawks powered up for four home runs on the day and saw two hit by Kyle Maurice (Exeter, N.H.) – he became the first NE10 student-athlete to reach 10 home runs on the season. Maurice also becomes just the fifth student-athlete in team history reach double-digit home runs in a single season.
In 2021, Saint Anselm batters have combined to slug 39 home runs on the season, the second-most in team history. The Hawks are just six home runs shy of the all-time team record (45, 2001).
Saint Anselm batted .347 on the day, picking up 25 hits, but Stonehill batted exactly .400 with 30 hits in 75 at-bats. While Saint Anselm was without a stolen base, Stonehill swiped 12 bases on the afternoon.
On the mound, both teams ended the day with earned-run averages over 10.50. The Hawks limited their walks, giving up just nine free passes in just over 16 innings, but Saint Anselm fired off four wild pitches, hit six Stonehill batters and balked once.
GAME ONE – Stonehill 10, Saint Anselm 9
The Hawks built up a 5-0 lead through the first two-and-a-half innings, using a three-run shot by sophomore Mike Borrelli (Salisbury, Mass.) in the top of the first to jumpstart the offense. Borrelli added a two-run single to left field in the top of the third, driving in all five of his team's runs to that point.
A six-run bottom of the third inning propelled Stonehill into the lead, 6-5. The Skyhawks pounded out six hits and were hit by two pitches, keeping the line moving for senior co-captain Rob Duarte. He continued to punish the Hawks, stroking an RBI single to right field for the go-ahead run.
A long home run to center field by Maurice in the top of the sixth inning pushed the Hawks ahead, 7-6. It would be the second lead of the day for Saint Anselm, whose offense was keeping the hopes of game one victory alive.
Stonehill scored a game-tying run in the bottom of the fifth, evening the score at seven following a two-out RBI double by Duarte. He drove in Matt Farragher, who reached on a two-out walk.
The Hawks captured a two-run lead at 9-7 after exploding for two runs in the top of the seventh. Maurice hit his second home run of the game and junior Dan Baker (Reading, Mass.) tacked on an RBI single, scoring Borrelli who reached on his fourth hit of the day in as many at-bats.
Tasked with holding on to a two-run lead, the Hawks walked the lead-off man to begin the home half of the seventh. With one out, the lead-off runner advanced to second on a wild pitch and later moved to third on another wild pitch. With two outs, Farragher cut the Saint Anselm lead to one with a single to left field.
Down by a 9-8 margin, Duarte took advantage of Saint Anselm pitching once again, singling to left field off a new Hawks reliever and placed runners on first and second. The big blow of the inning came when Mike Maher doubled down the right field line, clearing the bases, including the game-winning run from first base.
Junior Andy Grygorcewicz (Northampton, Mass.) drew the loss, giving up back-to-back singles in the seventh that led to the game-winning runs crossing the plate. Senior Ryan Schworer (Medfield, Mass.) allowed 10 hits, giving up seven earned runs on the afternoon before departing at the end of six complete innings.
Jonathan Rice pitched four innings on the mound for Stonehill, giving up six hits and five earned runs. Billy Duff relieved Rice in the fifth inning, conceding two home runs to Saint Anselm while giving up seven base hits. Logan Lawrence earned the win, getting one out in the game.
GAME TWO – Stonehill 12, Saint Anselm 11 (10)
The Hawks scored in the top of the first inning once again as a two-run single by Maurice drove in sophomore Brady Doran (Stony Brook, N.Y.), who reached on a lead-off single, and junior Mike Pierro (North Andover, Mass.), who followed with a one-out walk. Saint Anselm has now scored in the first inning in seven of its last nine games dating back to Friday, Apr. 23.
Stonehill erased the fourth Saint Anselm lead of the day with two runs in the home half of the inning. Two RBI singles in the inning, the final of which scored a runner from third base who was there due to a throwing error, drew the game even.
The offense would not quit, building another lead in the top of the seventh. Senior Ben Horsfall's (Westborough, Mass.) one-out single drove in classmate Max Silverman (Westford, Mass.), who led off the inning with a hit, before an RBI double by senior Patrick Henning (Guilderland, N.Y.) scored Horsfall. The final run of the inning was driven home by Pierro and his RBI single to left field.
The Skyhawks tied the game in the bottom of the third with three runs that scored on three separate RBI singles. In total, the third inning featured four hits, including a lead-off triple that tied the score at five.
The Hawks exploded for six runs in the very next half inning. Doran led off the frame with a single and the next three Saint Anselm batters reached by two hit-by-pitches and two walks. The big hit in the inning came off the bat of Horsfall, who hit his second grand slam of the 2021 season to build a commanding 11-5 lead.
Stonehill scored single runs in the fourth and fifth innings, thanks to several Hawks miscues. In the fourth inning, a lead-off error eventually came around to score and in the fifth, a balk and a fielding error eventually led to a sacrifice fly that scored a run.
In the bottom of the eighth, Stonehill cut the lead to 11-9. A run scored on a passed ball by Saint Anselm and a solo home run accounted for the damage.
The Skyhawks dramatically tied the game in the home half of the ninth, stunning Saint Anselm. With one out, back-to-back walks preceded a single to right field by Noah Lucier. The Hawks were able to settle down and induce a foul pop-up for the second out, but back-to-back walks allowed Stonehill to draw even at 11.
Stonehill completed the comeback in the bottom of the 10th inning. A lead-off walk ultimately proved to be the difference-maker, coming around to score on an infield single to the shortstop – the quick throw to first base was close, but it bounced in the dirt as the baserunner crossed home plate.
Freshman Matthew Michel (Haverhill, Mass.) gave up 11 hits in just four innings, allowing five earned runs to score. Junior David Hunter (Middleton, Mass.) came on in relief, pitching four innings and allowing only two earned runs to score. The tandem of Grygorcewicz and junior Taylor French (Goffstown, N.H.) allowed three runs in one-and-two-thirds innings, with the latter pitcher drawing the loss.
Lucier, the starting shortstop who took the mound in relief for the first time all season, was the winning pitcher, inducing an inning-ending double play to escape trouble in the top of the 10th inning. He also stroked the walk-off infield hit. Stonehill used six pitchers that combined to strike out 11 batters.
