MANCHESTER, N.H. – Southern New Hampshire University took both ends of a Northeast-10 baseball doubleheader from Merrimack College by scores of 7-2 and 3-1 Saturday evening at Penmen Field.  The Penmen, who have won four in a row, improved to 24-10 and 7-3 in the NE-10's Northeast Division, while the Warriors, who entered the day second in the division, are now 18-11 and 4-3 in divisional play.

In the opener, Riley Palmer (Goffstown, N.H.) was 2-4 with three runs batted in, while Andrew Pezzuto (Hastings-on-Hudson, N.Y.) was 2-3 with two RBI.  Brendan O'Brien (East Bridgewater, Mass.) also had a pair of hits.  Derrick Sylvester (Franklin, N.H.) upped his record to 4-1, going seven innings on the mound and allowing six hits and two runs while striking out four.

After scoring once in the first and twice in the second, the Penmen scored four times in the sixth to build a 7-0 lead.  Bryan Toland (Wildwood, N.J.) and O'Brien had back-to-back one-out singles, then Merrimack intentionally walked Pezzuto, who had a two-run single in the second.  Matt Boulter (Wrentham, Mass.) lifted a sac fly to center to plate Toland, while O'Brien and Pezzuto scored on a double by Palmer.  Jon Minucci (Madison, Conn.) added the final run when his single scored Palmer.

Palmer got the Penmen on the board in the first with his single to the gap in right-center that scored Pezzuto after he reached on a one-out single.  Merrimack plated both of their runs in the top of the seventh inning.

The nightcap remained scoreless until the bottom of the seventh when Southern New Hampshire scored all three of its runs.  O'Brien bunted to lead off the frame and reached on a throwing error by Merrimack pitcher Beau Batchelor, reaching second.  After moving to third on a sac bunt by Pezzuto, O'Brien scored when Boulter singled over the drawn-in infield.  SNHU's other two runs came with the bases loaded, as an infield single by Minucci scored Boulter, while a sac fly by Tyler Fortanascio (Oradell, N.J.) brought in Palmer, who had singled.

Merrimack's lone run came in the top of the eighth on a groundout by Casey Cotter that brought in Frank Crinella.  The Warriors had the bases loaded with one out, but reliever Alex Powers (Brewster, Mass.) wiggled out of the jam with the Cotter groundout and a groundout by Joe Mantoni.

Boulter had two of SNHU's four hits in the nightcap.  Tyler Gauthier (Lynn, Mass.) (4-1) went seven-plus innings and allowed two hits and one unearned run while racking up 10 strikeouts.  Powers worked the final two innings to notch his sixth save of the season.

SNHU and Merrimack wrap up their season series Sunday with a single game at 3:00 pm at Penmen Field.