GAME 1 BOX SCORE     GAME 2 BOX SCORE

MANCHESTER, N.H. - Southern New Hampshire University closed out its regular season with a sweep of The College of Saint Rose in Northeast-10 softball action Sunday afternoon.  The Penmen, who closed out the season winning seven of their final 10 games, improved to 21-23 overall and 17-11 in the NE-10, while the Golden Knights see their season come to a close at 15-23 and 11-17 in the league.

The Penmen open play in the Northeast-10 Tournament on Wednesday afternoon with a first-round single elimination game.  Final pairings will not be determined until the conclusion of Monday's contests.

In the opener, all of the game's runs came via the home run.  Ashley Anderson gave the Golden Knights a 2-0 lead in the top of the first with her blast to center field that scored Megan Rios.  Ashley Bernstein (Stoughton, MA) tied the game in the fourth when her home run also plated Nicole Arpin (Cheshire, CT).  Bernstein put the Penmen on top one inning later when she hit a two-run home run that hit off the scoreboard in left field.

Amanda Barton (Franklin, NH) earned the win in the circle for the Penmen, working five innings of relief for starter Kelsey Griffin (Scarborough, ME).  Barton did not allow a hit and issued just one walk while striking out three.

Saint Rose took a 2-0 lead in the second game in the top of the second when back-to-back singles by Alyssa Farrell and Katie Wiemann scored Amanda Morano and Kerry Monahan.  Karissa Bettencourt (Norton, MA) would cut the Golden Knight lead to 2-1 in the third with her solo homer to center.  The Penmen would tie the game in the fourth when a two-out single by Melissa Loughran (East Rockaway, NY) scored Arpin, who led off with a single.  Saint Rose retook the lead in the fifth when Wiemann led off with a double down the left field line and eventually scored on a sacrifice fly to left by Rios.

Southern New Hampshire scored three times with two outs in the bottom of the sixth to take a 5-3 lead and the eventual win.  Arpin reached on a one-out single to center and went to second on an error.  She would move over on a groundout by Bernstein and score on a single to center by Melissa Vitagliano (Bedford, NH).  Loughran would reach on an infield single and Vitagliano would go to third on a play when a throw to get Loughran at first was off target.

Pinch hitter Michelle Maranto (Hampstead, NH) gave the Penmen the lead when her single to right plated Vitagliano.  SNHU took a 5-3 lead when the next batter, pinch hitter Melissa Pessotti (Burlington, MA) singled to right-center to plate pinch runner Rachel Dobinski (Hopkinton, MA), who was running for Loughran.

Kyla Puccini (North Dighton, MA) earned the win for Southern New Hampshire, fanning two and allowing six hits in a complete-game win.  Arpin finished with three hits and Loughran a pair of hits as Southern New Hampshire outhit Saint Rose 9-6.