MANCHESTER, N.H. – The Southern New Hampshire University baseball team dropped two games to No. 15 Southern Connecticut State University by scores of 8-1 and 6-3 in a Northeast-10 conference doubleheader Saturday afternoon at Penmen Field. Southern Connecticut improved to 34-9-1 with the victories and 21-5 within the conference. Southern New Hampshire fell to 17-24-1 and 10-14-1 in the NE-10.

The Owls got a sterling pitching performance from starter Ryan Yerina in the first game, as he improved to 5-2 on the year with the victory. Yerina allowed just one run on five hits over eight innings, while striking out six and walking two.

Penmen starter Steven Golbranson (Abington, Mass.) took the loss for Southern New Hampshire. He allowed five runs (four earned) on nine hits in 5.2 innings.

Five Owls finished with two hits in the contest.

With one on in the third, Southern Connecticut would take the lead for good when Owls' shortstop Ryan Geffert connected on his thirteenth home run of the season in to go up 3-1.

Southern Connecticut got on the board first in the second inning after Mike Cleary's RBI groundout plated Jordan Hockenberry. SNHU evened it up at 1-1 in the bottom half after Jon Massad (Shrewsbury, Mass.) singled home Jeff Giannino (Beverly, Mass.) after Giannino had walked and stole second with two outs.

Up two runs in the sixth, Southern Connecticut plated two more on three hits. Second baseman Greg Malen followed Bryan Dorsey's double with an RBI single through the left side. After stealing third, Malen would score on a Nick DeProspo single to make it 5-1.

The Owls tacked on two more in the eighth on a wild pitch and Kyle Rosadino's sacrifice fly. They added another run in the ninth on a passed ball.

In the second game of the twinbill, the Owls got another quality effort from starter Kevin Pettine en route to their 6-3 victory. Pettine allowed three runs on seven hits over seven innings and struck out five.

Michael Johnston pitched a 1-2-3 ninth to earn his fourth save of the year.

Dorsey provided most of the offense for the Owls, as he hit two home runs and had four RBIs in the winning effort. Rouleau had three hits and knocked in two for Southern Connecticut.

For Southern New Hampshire, designated hitter Patrick Copp (Cumberland, Maine) had two hits and scored twice, while centerfielder Brendan O'Brien (East Bridgewater, Mass.) had two RBIs.

Starter Brad Monroe (Hampton Falls, N.H.) took the loss for the Penmen after he allowed six runs on seven hits over seven innings of work. He also struck out seven, and surpassed 100 strikeouts for his career in the process, increasing his career total to 105.

The Penmen would get on the board first after they pushed one across in the first inning. Third baseman Thomas Quicker (West Islip, N.Y.) worked a two-out walk and Eric Pelletier (Beverly, Mass.) followed up with an RBI double to left for the early 1-0 lead.

In the third, the Owls would tie it up at 1-1 after Rosadino, who had reached on a fielder's choice, scored on an RBI single by Rouleau. Dorsey led off the fourth for the Owls with a solo homer to centerfield to make it 2-1.

In the fifth, DeProspo led off the frame with a double off the centerfield fence, and he came around to score two batters later on another Rouleau RBI single. Eric Schlitter reached on a fielder's choice and Hockenberry was hit by a pitch with two outs when Dorsey connected on his second homer, this time a three-run shot to center, to extend the Owls' lead to 6-1.

Southern New Hampshire would get one back in the bottom half after Copp and Scott Rogers (Orr's Island, Maine) opened the frame with back-to-back singles. Copp then came in to score on an O'Brien sacrifice fly that cut the deficit to four.

In the seventh, O'Brien plated Copp on a two-out double to left center to account for the final.

The Penmen return to action tomorrow as they wrap up their regular season schedule with an afternoon doubleheader at Merrimack.