BOX SCORE

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. - Tim Rines (Northfield, NH) and Jeff Giannino (Beverly, MA) each registered three hits as Southern New Hampshire University posted a 6-1 win over American International College in Northeast-10 baseball at AIC Park Thursday.  The Penmen won their second straight to improve to 4-14 overall and 2-8 in the NE-10, while the Yellow Jackets are now 4-14 and 2-5 in the league.

Rines and Giannino each had doubles for SNHU as the Penmen posted an 11-hit attack.  Bill Murray (Canton, MA) had a pair of hits, while Chris O'Neil (Chelmsford, MA) and Eric Pelletier (Beverly, MA) each drove in a pair of runs.

Jeff Rustico had two of AIC's five hits.

SNHU broke a 1-1 tie with three runs in the fifth.  Back-to-back singles by Rines and Murray with one out started the rally.  Rines would score on a fielders' choice, while Murray would score on a single by Giannino.  The third run would score when O'Neil lifted a sac fly to left-center that plated Ryan Thompson (Westford, MA).

The Penmen would tack on two more runs in the eighth when a two-run single by Pelletier scored Scott Strong (Naperville, IL) and Skyler Byrd (Milford, NH).

The guests jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the fourth when Giannino led off the inning with a double and was brought in on a triple by O'Neil.  The Yellow Jackets would tie the game in the bottom of the inning when a single by Dan Fey scored Jeff Rustico, who led off the inning with a walk.

Mike Evans (Seabrook, NH) earned the win for SNHU, scattering five hits over 8.1 innings, allowing no earned runs and fanning four.  Joe Santos (Holliston, MA) retired the final two AIC batters in relief of Evans.

SNHU returns to action Saturday when it travels to UMass Lowell for a doubleheader starting at noon.