RINDGE, N.H. (May 14, 2015) – Sophomore first baseman Eddie Bowler went 2-for-3 with a two-run single and a solo home run on Thursday afternoon at Dr. Arthur and Pappas Field, as second-seeded Stonehill picked up a 5-2 win over fifth-seeded Dowling on the first day of the NCAA Championship East Regional, hosted by Franklin Pierce. Junior left fielder Michael Rizzitello had a pair of hits in defeat for Dowling.

With the win, Stonehill improves to 34-13-1 and will play at 7 p.m. on Friday against the winner of Thursday's nightcap between Southern New Hampshire and Wilmington (Del.) at 7 p.m. With the loss, Dowling falls to 27-16 and will face eliminated at 11 a.m. Friday against Franklin Pierce, which was defeated earlier on Thursday by St. Thomas Aquinas, 3-0.

Stonehill jumped to the lead early with three runs in the bottom of the first inning and never looked back. With one out, senior second baseman Christian Baglini doubled down the left-field line before a walk to junior left fielder Brian Campbell and a hit-by-pitch of senior catcher Eric Schneider loaded the bases. Junior designated hitter Brian Hocking then drew another walk to force home a run and Bowler lashed a two-run single into right field.

Bowler later reclaimed a three-run lead for Stonehill with a solo home run just beyond the fence down the right-field line, his first of the season, leading off the bottom of the sixth.

Freshman right-hander Michael Young took the ball for Stonehill and threw 98 pitches (66 strikes) over 7.1 innings. He allowed two runs (one earned) on seven hits, walked two and struck out four to pick up the win (5-2).

For Dowling, senior right-hander Kyle DeMeo threw 87 pitches (56 strikes) over the first five innings. He allowed four runs on five hits, walked three and struck out four while taking the loss (4-2).