MANCHESTER, N.H. – The Saint Anselm College baseball team battled to a doubleheader split on Sunday against No. 12 Southern New Hampshire University. The Hawks captured a game one victory by an 11-8 score before falling in game two, 5-3.
The Hawks are now 13-17 on the season with a 6-6 mark in Northeast-10 Conference Northeast Division play while the Penmen go to 19-7 overall and 6-2 in conference play. Saint Anselm will head to in-state foe Franklin Pierce University for a pair of doubleheaders on Friday, Apr. 15 and Saturday, Apr. 16.
Senior
Kyle Maurice (Exeter, N.H.) and sophomore
Nolan Elmore (Brentwood, N.H.) tied for team lead with three hits each on the day. Both student-athletes hit home runs with junior
Mike Borrelli (Salisbury, Mass.) launching a homer of his own in game one. Elmore tied a season-high with five runs batted in, in the game one win.
After reaching base safely in game one which extended the streak to 24 games, Borrelli did not reach base in game two ending the stretch which started in game two of a doubleheader against Adelphi University on Feb. 27. That is the longest streak in a single season since
Robert Kelly '13 reached safely in 31 consecutive games during the 2013 season.
The last time Saint Anselm netted consecutive wins over Southern New Hampshire came during the 2012 season when the Hawks won three consecutive games over the Penmen.
Sophomore
Matthew Michel (Haverhill, Mass.) made his sixth start of the season in game one. Michel allowed seven runs to score on nine hits in 3.2 innings pitched. Senior
Andy Grygorcewicz (Northampton, Mass.) recorded the win in relief after giving up one run on three hits in two innings of work. Classmate
Shawn Morrow (Melrose, Mass.) notched his first collegiate save in 1.1 innings pitched.
Junior
John Donovan (Lowell, Mass.) suffered the loss in game two after allowing four runs on eight hits in 3.2 innings pitched. Classmate
Harry MacKinlay (Norwell, Mass.) and freshman
Jared Reminder (Warwick, R.I.) combined for 3.1 innings of one hit baseball.
GAME ONE: Saint Anselm 11, Southern New Hampshire 8
The Hawks brought 10 batters to the plate and pushed across five runs in the bottom of the first inning. Sophomore
Zack Clough (Newbury, Mass.) reached on an error and would score on a double by graduate student
Salvatore Pezzolla (East Greenbush, N.Y.). Maurice and Borrelli walked to load the bases for senior
Mike Pierro (North Andover, Mass.). Pezzolla would cross on a wild pitch before Pierro was put on with an intentional walk. Elmore walked home a run which set up junior
Brady Doran (Greenville, S.C.) who singled home two runs, giving the Hawks a 5-0 lead.
Southern New Hampshire responded with two runs in the top of the second as
Alex Kennedy reached on an error following a double play and was quickly brought home on a home run by
Dylan O'Sullivan in the next at-bat.
Saint Anselm added two more runs in the bottom of the second as Maurice netted a two-out single before Borrelli and Pierro walked. Elmore would single to drive in both runs, regaining the five-run cushion at 7-2.
A pinch hit single by
Alex George plated another run for the Penmen but a double play got the Hawks out of trouble in the third inning.
Southern New Hampshire tied the contest in the top of the fourth as O'Sullivan singled before
Ricky Jimenez notched another single. The Hawks would get a fly out but
Cristian Mercedes drove a ball over the left field fence to pull within one.
Sam Henrie followed the homer with a single and would score on a single by
Anthony Poole which tied the contest at seven.
A leadoff single in the bottom of the fourth by Maurice set up Borrelli who launched his third home run of the season, giving Saint Anselm a 9-7 lead.
Nick Schwartz would record the third Penmen homer of the game in the top of the sixth as his solo home run pushed the score to 9-8. After a single, a walk, and a hit by pitch, the Penmen had loaded the bases with
Idolson Taveras on third. Taveras would take off and attempt to steal home but he was out at the plate to end the inning.
Elmore would put a ball over the left center field fence for a two-run home run in the bottom half of the inning which gave the Hawks the insurance they would need to close out game one, 11-8.
GAME TWO: Southern New Hampshire 5, Saint Anselm 3
After a scoreless opening two innings, Southern New Hampshire broke through on the scoreboard as Mercedes singled to lead off the third which paved the way for Henrie to launch a two-run homer to right
center field, giving the Penmen a 2-0 edge.
Henrie would drive in two more runs in the bottom of the fourth as Jimenez and Mercedes were hit by pitches. Henrie doubled down the right field line which would score both runners and push the lead to 4-0.
Saint Anselm loaded the bases in the bottom of the fifth inning on a pair of hit by pitches and a walk. However,
Brandon White, the Penmen starter, worked out of the jam with a pair of strikeouts.
The Hawks would register just their second hit of game two in the bottom of the sixth on Maurice's team leading seventh home run of the season. Pezzolla reached on an error to lead off the inning and he would come around to score on the big fly. The homer extended Maurice's hitting streak to 11 games, which is the longest in his Saint Anselm career.
Southern New Hampshire tacked on an insurance run in the top of the seventh with
Dakota Mulcay reaching third base on a throwing error. He scored on a single by Kennedy, giving the visitors a 5-2 lead.
The Hawks would get the winning run to the plate in the bottom of the seventh as senior
Daniel Baker (Reading, Mass.) recorded a one-out single and advanced to second on a walk. Clough put a ball in play up the middle, scoring Baker before a double play closed the game with Southern New Hampshire grabbing the win in game two, 5-3.
