Bilafer records three hits in second game

Game One Box Score
Game Two Box Score

EASTON, Mass. (April 7, 2010) – Sophomore center fielder Jayme Bilafer (Concord, Mass.) hit 3-for-3 with a double on Wednesday afternoon, but the Franklin Pierce University softball team was defeated, 3-0, by Stonehill in the second game of a Northeast-10 Conference doubleheader at Fr. Gartland Field. Earlier in the day, Franklin Pierce lost the first game as well, 5-1.

With the losses, Franklin Pierce falls to 8-13 (3-5 Northeast-10), while Stonehill improves to 9-9-1 (4-4 Northeast-10) with the victories.

In the first game, Franklin Pierce opened the scoring with a run in the top of the first inning. Junior second baseman Emily Griffin (Leominster, Mass.) led off with a single through the middle and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Bilafer. Griffin would score three batters later on an RBI single down the right-field line by freshman shortstop Aimee Lamoureux (East Brookfield, Mass.).

Stonehill would answer with two runs of its own in the home half of the first to take a lead it would never relinquish. Freshman center fielder Courtney Marchand led off with a double down the left-field line and moved to third on a bunt single by sophomore shortstop Chelsea Stryker, who then stole second. Two batters later, freshman designated player Nicole Eisenmann brought home both runners with a single into left-center.

The Skyhawks picked up two more runs in the bottom of the second inning to extend the lead to 4-1. Freshman left fielder Kaitlin Miller started off the inning with a single back through the middle and Marchand followed with her first career home run, a two-run shot into the power alley in left-center.

Stonehill added one more run in the bottom of the third to create the 5-1 score that would hold as the final. Junior third baseman Ashley Langlois led off with a double to right-center and moved to third when senior first baseman Kristen Clark reached on an error. Langlois would then score from third when Miller bounced into a double play.

Junior right-hander Kayla Johnson (Hudson, N.H.) started in the circle and took the loss (2-7) for Franklin Pierce. Over 1.1 innings, she allowed four runs on seven hits, walked one and struck out two.

Sophomore right-hander Samantha Krantz threw all seven innings to pick up the win (4-4) for Stonehill. She surrendered just one run on four hits, walked one and struck out seven.

In the second game, Stonehill opened the scoring with a run in the bottom of the third inning. With one out, Miller knocked a single to center field and moved to second on a wild pitch. She would score two batters later on an RBI single back through the middle by Stryker.

Franklin Pierce looked to mount a rally in the top of the sixth inning, with runners on first and second and nobody out, but sophomore third baseman Meaghan O'Neal (Littleton, Mass.) was called out on the base paths for interference. Franklin Pierce played the remainder of the game under protest from that point.

Stonehill picked up two more runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to create the 3-0 final. Freshman catcher Kelsey Wilcox led off the inning with a single into right-center and was replaced by sophomore pinch runner Lindsay Bock. Bock moved to second on a single into left-center by Eisenmann, who was lifted for freshman pinch runner Casey Remick. After a sacrifice bunt by Clark moved the runners to second and third, junior second baseman Katy Abarr brought home both runners with a two-run double down the left-field line.

Sophomore right-hander Jessica Wiley (Cape Vincent, N.Y.) took the ball for Franklin Pierce in the second game and was saddled with the loss (4-3). Over six innings, she allowed three runs on seven hits, walked one, threw a wild pitch and struck out one.

Sophomore right-hander Kellie Reardon started in the circle and got the win (1-1) for Stonehill. Over five shutout innings, she allowed five hits and struck out one. Senior right-hander Kait Mendall pitched a perfect final two innings with two strikeouts to notch her first save of the season.

The Ravens return to the field on Thursday, April 8, when they return home to host Saint Anselm in a Northeast-10 Conference doubleheader. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m. in Rindge, N.H.