COLCHESTER, Vt. - The Saint Michael's College baseball team concluded the 2015 season with a pair of setbacks to regionally-ranked Stonehill College, 9-1 and 13-3, on Sunday during Senior Day at Doc Jacobs Field. The Purple Knights finished the year 10-28 overall and 4-19 in the Northeast-10 Conference, as only the opener was a league game, while the Skyhawks are 27-10-1 and 14-6. Stonehill is third in the NCAA East Region poll.

Senior Don McGuirl (Warwick, R.I./Saint Sebastian's School) and first-year Aiden Burton (Milford, Conn./Notre Dame) were both 2-for-4 in the opener for Saint Michael's, with McGuirl adding an RBI, while junior Alex Holt (Framingham, Mass./Marian) had a hit, walked and scored. Senior George Buteau (Burlington, Vt./Trinity-Pawling School) added a hit and a walk, and first-year Peter Bocchino (Saugus, Mass./The Governor's Academy) was hit twice by a pitch. Junior Curt Echo (Shelburne, Vt./Champlain Valley Union) took the loss after allowing seven earned runs in seven innings but striking out six. Senior Barry Maily (Moosup, Conn./Plainfield) and sophomore Alex Winkelmann (Gilford, Conn./Tilton School) both struck out two in relief.

Junior Chris Hoyt (Walpole, Mass./Xaverian Brothers) was 3-for-5 with three runs for Stonehill, and senior Dan Fratus (Plymouth, Mass./Plymouth North) doubled, walked twice, scored two runs and drove in three. Classmate Neal Horan (Mashpee, Mass./Boston College HS) scattered five hits over seven shutout innings while striking out seven to corral the win.

The Skyhawks scored their first run on a two-out error in the third inning, and Purple Knights reached second and third with one down in the home half before being stranded. Hoyt had the first of two straight RBI singles with two down in the Stonehill fourth to make it 3-0 and, after Horan pitched around two walks and a hit batter unscathed in the bottom half, the Skyhawks scored five times with two down in the sixth. Fratus' three-run double was the big blow. Another two-out run came around in the eighth before McGuirl came through with an RBI knock through the right side in the home half for yet another two-out run, plating Holt.

Seniors Michael Dougherty (Albany, N.Y./Christian Brothers Academy/Schenectady County CC) and Nicky Elderton (Shelburne, Vt./Rice Memorial) were both 3-for-5 in the nightcap for the hosts, with Dougherty scoring and knocking a double, and Elderton driving in a run. Sophomore Peter Cross (Fairfield, Conn./Fairfield Ludlowe) took the loss after allowing six earned runs in six innings before senior Will Corkum (Ipswich, Mass./Ipswich) tossed the final three frames, yielding four earned runs in his final college appearance.

Sophomore Steve Lee (Braintree, Mass./Braintree) went 3-for-5 with three runs and an RBI while missing the cycle by a home run for Stonehill, and Hoyt was 2-for-4 with three runs and a walk. Fratus was 2-for-4 with three RBIs and two doubles. Sophomore Patrick Hurley (Roslindale, Mass./Catholic Memorial) allowed two runs over five innings while striking out six in the win.

Cross and Hurley were locked up in a pitcher's duel over the first five innings, as the hosts carried a 2-1 lead into the sixth. Hoyt scored on a first-inning error to give Stonehill the lead before Cross set down 13 of 14 batters between the first and fifth frames. Elderton knocked a two-out single to score Dougherty in the third prior to first-year Matt Polletta (Pawling, N.Y./Pawling) grounding out to drive in the go-ahead run in the fifth.

The Skyhawks scored six times on five hits and two sacrifice flies during the sixth frame, as Fratus knocked a two-run double and first-year Joe Klingensmith (Topsfield, Mass./Masconomet Regional) swatted a two-run home run. Burton's RBI groundout cut the Purple Knight deficit to 7-3 in the home half, but Stonehill scored another six total runs over the final three innings, with senior Christian Baglini (Milford, Conn./Notre Dame) knocking sac flies in the seventh and eighth.

Buteau, Corkum, Dougherty, Elderton, Maily and McGuirl were all honored during a ceremony prior to game one to recognize their contributions to the program, as the Class of 2015 was the first group to play all four years in the NE-10 following the squad's return to the league in 2012. Elderton will graduate first in program history in career games (145), runs (83), doubles (31), walks (81), at bats (504) and total bases (208) while finishing second in hits (133) and home runs (10). McGuirl is first in sacrifice hits (19) and assists (364) while placing second in games (143) and sixth in hits (116). Buteau is tied for third in home runs (8) and fifth in hits (125) despite missing half of his rookie year due to injury, and Maily tied Luke Steffens '40 for third in pitching appearances (37). Buteau, Elderton and McGuirl are among only 12 Purple Knights to ever record 100 career hits.