MANCHESTER, N.H. – The Saint Anselm College baseball team fell to No. 12 nationally Southern New Hampshire University by a 9-8 score in 10 innings on Thursday.
The Hawks fall to 11-16 on the season and 4-5 in Northeast-10 Conference Northeast Division play while the Penmen improve to 18-5 overall and remain unbeaten in league games at 5-0. The teams are back in action on Friday, Apr. 8 from Sullivan Park with the opening pitch slated for 3 p.m.
With the Hawks trailing 5-4 headed to the bottom of the ninth, graduate student
Salvatore Pezzolla (East Greenbush, N.Y.) would launch a one out, solo home run to tie the score at five and force extra innings.
In the top of the 10th, the Penmen would strike for four runs as
Dakota Mulcay led off with a single before advancing to third on an error which allowed
Nick Schwartz to reach base. After a pitching change,
Idolson Taveras doubled down the left field line to score Mulcay before
Cam Caraher netted a sacrifice fly to plate another run.
Alex Kennedy registered
an RBI single and after a fly out,
Danniel Rivera
doubled to plate the fourth Penmen run of the inning.
However, the Hawks would battle in the bottom of the 10th as senior
Mike Pierro (North Andover, Mass.) walked to lead off the frame before senior
Daniel Baker (Reading, Mass.) singled to put runners on first and second. After a fly out, classmate
Matt Collins (Beverly, Mass.) would launch the fourth Hawks homer of the day, pushing the score to 9-8. Saint Anselm got the tying run on the bases via a walk but a fly out to the warning track and a strikeout closed the contest.
Baker posted two hits in two at-bats to lead the Hawks offense while seven other student-athletes recorded at least one hit. Pezzolla, Collins, Pierro, and junior
Brady Doran (Greenville, S.C.) all launched home runs for the Hawks. That is the second time this season Saint Anselm has gone for four home runs in a single game. Collins led the Hawks with three runs batted in while Pierro followed closely with two.
Junior
Dylan Bedder (New Providence, N.J.) made his seventh start of the season and allowed five runs on seven hits in 4.2 innings pitched while striking out seven batters. Sophomore
Will Hunter (Middleton, Mass.) came on in relief and allowed two runs, one earned in 4.1 innings pitched. Junior
Avery Mosseau (Bedford, N.H.) came on to pitch the 10th inning, giving up two runs, one earned on three hits.
Earlier in the game, Saint Anselm jumped on the board first as Pierro drove a ball over the left field fence, scoring two runs after sophomore
Nolan Elmore (Brentwood, N.H.) led off inning with a hit by pitch. After a groundout, Doran posted the second homer of the inning to push the score to 3-0.
Southern New Hampshire cracked the scoreboard in the top of the fourth as Caraher would drive home Schwartz who registered a one out single.
The Penmen posted four in the top of the fifth inning as
Cristian Mercedes reached on an infield single and advanced to second on a throwing error. A pair of walks would load the bases before Schwartz who doubled down the left field line which cleared the bases. In the next at-bat, Taveras singled off the right field fence, scoring one run and giving the visitors a 5-3 lead.
Saint Anselm responded with a run in the bottom of the fifth as an error, walk, and single loaded the bases but a wild pitch would score Pezzolla from third to cut the Hawks deficit to one at 5-4. A strikeout would close the inning leaving runners on second and third.
Pierro led off the bottom of the sixth with a walk before stealing two bases between the next two at-bats, reaching third with one out. Doran drew a base on balls and reached second on a stolen base but two strikeouts got Southern New Hampshire out of the jam.
The Hawks were set up for a scoring chance in the bottom of the eighth as runners were on first and second with one out. However, a fly ball to the outfield allowed a runner to advance but Saint Anselm was called out for leaving the base early, giving the Penmen an inning ending double play.
