HOOKSETT, N.H. – The Saint Anselm College baseball team posted two losses to nationally-ranked Southern New Hampshire University on Saturday in a Northeast-10 Conference doubleheader.
Saint Anselm falls to 6-11 overall on the year and to 1-9 against NE10 opponents. The Penmen, ranked No. 16 in NCAA Division II, move to 8-0 with the four-game series sweep of Saint Anselm. The Hawks dropped the first game of the doubleheader by a 7-4 margin before Southern New Hampshire punished Saint Anselm in the second game, 24-1.
Saint Anselm batted .200 at the dish across Saturday's doubleheader, but the team was led by sophomore
Brady Doran (Stony Brook, N.Y.) and his three hits in seven at-bats. The Penmen exploded for 31 runs on the afternoon, drawing almost as many walks (18) as they had hits (25), and batted .385 on the afternoon.
The Hawks play nine of their next 10 games at Sullivan Park, starting on Wednesday, Apr. 14 at 3:30 p.m. against Franklin Pierce.
GAME ONE – Southern New Hampshire 7, Saint Anselm 4
The Hawks conceded two runs in the bottom of the first inning without the help of a base hit. With two quick outs, a walk preceded an error by the Hawks to put runners on first and second. Saint Anselm issued a bases-loaded walk and then uncorked a wild pitch, gifting the Penmen two early runs.
The Penmen tacked on a single run in the home half of the fourth inning as yet another wild pitch allowed a one-out triple to cross home plate.
The Hawks started the top of the fifth inning with back-to-back walks before junior
Dan Baker (Reading, Mass.) singled to left field, cutting the Saint Anselm deficit to 3-1. Two additional runs came across, thanks to an RBI double to left by Doran and an RBI groundout by junior
Matt Collins (Beverly, Mass.) to tie the game at three.
The Penmen dramatically re-captured the lead just a half inning later as a three-run home run came before a solo shot later in the bottom of the fifth. SNHU hung a four-spot on the Hawks in the bottom of the fifth inning, creating a 7-3 lead heading into the seventh and final inning.
With two outs and down to their last at-bat, Doran reached base on a single to right field. He was driven in by Collins, whose RBI double to left field reduced the Penmen lead to 7-4, but the hosts were able to escape any further damage by inducing a ground ball out to third base.
Hawks starter
Dylan Bedder (New Providence, N.J.) gave up seven runs, five earned, and struck out eight batters on the day. Despite giving up just six hits, he fired three wild pitches and issued five walks to Penmen batters.
Wesley Tobin went the distance for SNHU, striking out nine batters, but he was touched for four earned runs.
GAME TWO – Southern New Hampshire 24, Saint Anselm 1
Southern New Hampshire recorded 19 hits in the nine-inning second game of Saturday's doubleheader, easing its way to a 24-1 win against the Hawks. The Penmen also took full advantage of 12 walks issued by Saint Anselm pitchers, who also hit three batters and threw two wild pitches.
SNHU led by a 9-0 margin before the Hawks got their first run of the game in the top of the fifth. With two outs, senior
Salvatore Pezzolla (East Greenbush, N.Y.) hit an RBI single up the middle before the Hawks left two runners on with a strikeout to end the inning.
The Penmen scored eight runs in the fourth and seventh innings and posted six runs in the home half of the sixth inning. Five Saint Anselm pitchers saw action in the game, highlighted by a one-and-one-third inning relief appearance by freshman
Ryan Semenetz (Atkinson, N.H.) that closed out the game.
Five SNHU pitchers combined to strike out 16 batters and starter
Nick Artymowicz allowed four walks, but gave up just one run and struck out 11.
