BOX SCORE 1 | BOX SCORE 2 Box Score - Game One
Box Score - Game Two

EASTON, Mass. - The University of New Haven baseball team fell in a pair of games Sunday afternoon at Stonehill College. UNH fell 4-2 in the opener and 7-3 in the nightcap at Stonehill. The pair of losses drop the Chargers fall to 30-11 overall and 18-8 in the Northeast-10 Conference, while the Skyhawks improve to 25-16 overall and 17-9 in conference play.

Game One
Stonehill opened scoring in the bottom of the third inning with a single run after a pair of hits. UNH gained the lead in the top of the fourth inning when Taylor Candage (Portland, Maine/Deering) and David Wirkus (Orange, Conn./Fairfield Prep / St. Anselm College) each drove in a run. The Charger had an opportunity to go ahead further, but a double play later in the inning stranded one runner on base.

A two-run homer in the bottom of the seventh gave the Skyhawks a 3-2 lead. Jordan Kershaw (Seymour, Conn./Seymour) then opened the top of the eighth with a double to right center, but the Skyhawks retired the next three batters and continued to lead. The Chargers next opportunity came in the top of the final inning as they loaded the bases with no outs. A pop up and a double play ensued as the Chargers suffered their first loss since April 11.

Ryan Brockett (Guilford, Conn./Guilford ) and Kershaw led the UNH bats with three hits a piece. Wirkus added two hits and one RBI.

Starting pitcher Alex Smith (Manchester, Conn./Manchester) suffered the loss for the Chargers, falling to 6-3 on the season.

Game Two
After a three-inning drought, Stonehill put four runs on the board off four hits in the bottom of the fourth inning. The Chargers answered in the top of the fifth inning with two runs on two hits and one error. Kyle Pettoruto (Andover, Mass./St. John's Prep ) opened the fifth with a leadoff double, while two batters later, Tom Rombilus (Monroe, Conn./Masuk) drove in a run with a single. After Rombilus advanced to third, Kyle Donnelly (Oneonta, N.Y./Oneonta) hit a sacrifice fly to right field and drove in the Chargers second run.

The Skyhawks were next to score with one in the bottom of the sixth, while the Chargers added one in the seventh. Two more Stonehill runs in the bottom of the eight gave the Skyhawks a 7-3 lead. Three ground outs in the top of the ninth sealed the win for Stonehill.

New Haven stranded eight runners on base in the nightcap, while grabbing nine hits. Rombilus had two hits with a run and a RBI, while Pettoruto added two hits and two runs.

UNH starter, Mike Aquilino (West Haven, Conn./West Haven) suffered the loss, his first of the season, while Vince Lehman (Groton, Mass./Groton-Dunstable Regional) and Mitch Rossi (Bristol, Conn./Bristol Central) both threw innings in relief. Rossi collected six strikeouts in three innings, while Lehman and Aquilino each tallied two.

The Chargers return to action on Monday, May 3 in a non-conference game against Mercy College at Frank Vieira Field. Game time has been changed to 2:30 tomorrow afternoon.

With the end of the 2010 conference schedule, the Chargers finish third in the final NE-10 regular season standings with an 18-8 record. New Haven will start competition in the 2010 NE-10 Baseball Championship on Thursday, May 6 in the opening round of the double elimination tournament. The Championship will be hosted at Franklin Pierce University with the top six teams. The Charger will have a rematch with Stonehill in the opening round Thursday afternoon. Further details on the championship will be available later in the week.