MANCHESTER, N.H. –Three runs in the third inning proved to be the difference as fourth-seeded Southern New Hampshire University edged No. 5 seed Pace University 3-2 in the NCAA Division II Baseball Championship East Regional at Penmen Field Friday night.  The Penmen, who became the lone unbeaten team in the double-elimination tournament with the win, improve to 35-17, while the Setters are now 33-16 overall.

SNHU will play Saturday night at 7:00 against the winner of Saturday's first elimination game between Pace and sixth-seeded Franklin Pierce University at 11:00 am.  Saturday's second elimination game features top-seeded Wilmington University and No. 3 seed University of New Haven at 3:00 pm.

Three wild pitches to one batter in the third inning proved to be Pace's undoing.  Southern New Hampshire loaded the bases, with Zach Goldstein (Merrick, N.Y.) reaching on a one-out single through the right side.  Brendan O'Brien (East Bridgewater, Mass.) dropped a single into shallow left-center, followed by a single up the middle by Matt Boulter (Wrentham, Mass.).  Setter hurler Mike Tamburino nearly got out of the inning as he got Andrew Pezzuto (Hastings-on-Hudson, N.Y.) to line out sharply to second.  Pace second baseman Jon Kovel nearly doubled Boulter off at first but Boulter was able to scamper back to the bag.

With Riley Palmer (Goffstown, N.H.) up, Tamburino uncorked three wild pitches, allowing all three Penmen runners to score.  Tamburino got out of the inning by striking out Palmer.

Pace grabbed a run in the bottom of the first as a two-out double by Brandon Martineson brought home Chris Gili, who led off the game getting hit by a pitch.  The other Setter run came in the third as a Robert Horn single plated Martineson with two out.  Pace threatened to tie the game or take the lead as Kovel singled to load the bases, but Penmen hurler Jon Massad (Shrewsbury, Mass.) got Mike Viegas to ground out to end the threat.

Pace stranded 13 runners on the evening as it left two men on in the first, second, eighth and ninth innings in addition to leading the bases loaded in the third.  In the second, the Setters had two in scoring position with one away, but Massad got Gili to fly out before striking out Charlie Galasso to get out of the jam.  In the eighth, Pace had runners on first and second with one away against SNHU closer Alex Powers (Brewster, Mass.), but Powers notched back-to-back looking strikeouts to keep it a one-run game.  Pace got the tying run in scoring position in the ninth as Martineson and Joe Solomeno reached on back-to-back two-out singles before Powers slammed the door by getting Ian Wukitsch to ground out.

Massad upped his record to 6-3 as he battled for seven innings, scattering seven hits while notching seven strikeouts against a pair of walks.  Powers recorded his eighth save with his two innings of relief, recording a pair of strikeouts.  Tamburino went the distance for Pace, allowing five hits and three runs while striking out six.

Goldstein led SNHU with a pair of hits as the Setters outhit the Penmen 10-5.  Horn was 3-4 at the plate for Pace, while Martineson and Kovel each had a pair of hits.