Hendricken graduates Conor Kiely and Jordan Marot are providing a veteran presence on the diamond this spring for the Stonehill baseball team, as both former Hawks are beginning to wind down their respective college careers.

Kiely is in his fifth season as a member of the Stonehill nine and has been an undisputed starter throughout, earning his spot in the lineup thanks in large part to his ability to hit for contact and get on base.

Batting at a .281 clip on the campaign, the outfielder is among the Skyhawk leaders in a host of statistical categories, falling inside the top five in doubles (6) and runs batted in (17) while also absorbing a team-leading ten hit by pitches.

Racking up 11 multi-hit games, Kiely has developed a tendency to prevent slumps from happening, with his only hitless streak lasting a grand total of two contests before he reached base safely again.

His most productive afternoon of the season thus far came in Stonehill’s most recent outing, a 13-4 triumph over Long Island on Sunday that prevented the host Sharks from clinching a three-game weekend sweep.

Going 3-for-6 with a double and three runs driven in, the bat of Kiely was active early and late, plating Sam Parks to open the scoring in the top of the first before enabling Ryan LeClair and Dylan Zemotel to cross home with a base hit in the eighth inning.

Moving from the batter’s box to the mound, Marot has mostly operated from the bullpen over the course of his ten appearances, with his lone start coming on April 10 in a 2-1 walk-off defeat to UMass-Lowell.

The senior righty scattered a half-dozen hits and struck out a pair of River Hawks in five innings of work, settling for a no-decision as the hosts claimed victory courtesy of a Trey Brown single in the bottom of the ninth which led to Conor Kelly’s winning run.

Marot’s personal ledger stands at 1-1 with a save, picking up the latter to close out Stonehill’s first win of the year on February 17 over Bethune-Cookman, forcing the Wildcats’ Colton Olasin to ground into a double play to secure an 8-7 decision.

Tossing a total of 15.2 innings, his strikeouts have mostly come in bunches, fanning two opposing batters in three of his four most recent appearances, with a season-best of three coming in a 6-4 setback to Sacred Heart on March 24.

While Kiely featured in all three contests of the weekend set versus LIU, the only time the Sharks got to see Marot was in the Skyhawks’ 12-10 Saturday defeat, adding a pair of punchouts to up his mark on the campaign to 12 in relief of starter Braydon Gray.

Now at 11-21 on the spring, Stonehill travels to Yale for a Tuesday non-league tilt before opening a six-game homestand the next day versus Rhode Island, continuing with a three-game series with Coppin State that commences Friday.

RIC baseball falls

Senior center fielder Justin Wardwell (Westport, Mass.) went 3-for-4 with a run scored and a double as Rhode Island College fell, 19-9 (eight innings) at Western Connecticut in Little East baseball action on Tuesday afternoon.

The Anchormen led, 8-2, at the conclusion of the top of the fifth.

The Wolves came back with four runs in the fifth and took the lead, 15-9, with a seven-run seventh. Western Connecticut plated five runs in the home half of the eighth to secure its first conference win of the season.

Freshman designated hitter Cameron Earley (Worcester, Mass.) went 1-for 3 with two runs scored, a home run and three RBI.

Sophomore second baseman Lucas McElroy (Westport, Mass.) went 2-for-3 with two runs scored and a pair of walks.

Senior reliever Jake Randall (West Warwick, R.I.) took the loss (1-3).

In upcoming action, Rhode Island College will play at MIT on Thursday.