MANCHESTER, N.H. – Senior Brendan O'Brien (East Bridgewater, Mass.) became the Southern New Hampshire University baseball program's all-time hit leader as the Penmen split a doubleheader with Assumption College Sunday afternoon.  The hosts took a 5-4 win in a Northeast-10 contest in the opener, then nearly rallied before falling 6-3 in the non-league nightcap.  SNHU now stands 28-8 and 15-3 in NE-10 play as it saw an 11-game win streak snapped, while the Greyhounds are 10-14 and 5-10 in the league.

O'Brien, who needed three hits to break the record coming into Sunday's twinbill, went 2-5 in the opener and broke the record with a looping opposite-field single to left in the bottom of the fifth of the nightcap.  His 198 career hits eclipse the 197 compiled by former record holder Matt Boulter from 2010-13.

In the opener, Assumption staked itself to a 2-0 lead in the third, then after the Penmen scored in the fourth, plated two more runs in the fifth to build a 4-1 lead.  Southern New Hampshire scored in the fifth, tied the game with two in the sixth and pushed the go-ahead run across in the seventh.

In the seventh, with the game tied 4-4, SNHU had runners on first and second with two away as Al Stanton (Sandwich, Mass.) and Mike Mastroberti (Ramsey, N.J.) each walked.  Alejandro Diaz (Old Bridge, N.J.) singled up the middle to bring in Stanton and make it 5-4.

In the sixth, Mastroberti led off with a single down the right field line and eventually scored on a wild pitch.  A sac fly by Anthony Aceto (North Providence, R.I.)  tied the game as Diaz scored after following Mastroberti's single with a walk.  SNHU made it 4-2 in the fifth as a Manny Cruz (Wolcott, Conn.) sac fly plated Aceto after Aceto's leadoff double.  The Penmen got on the board in the fourth as Riley Palmer (Goffstown, N.H.) singled and came around on a pair of errors as he attempted to steal second.

O'Brien and Diaz each had two hits for SNHU.  Ian Searles (Wareham, Mass.) allowed two hits in his 1.1 scoreless innings of relief to earn the win, while Ben Criscuolo (Branford, Conn.) struck out the side in order in the ninth to record his seventh save of the season.  Penmen starter Mike Robert (Nashua, N.H.) lasted an inning, fanning two, while Lucas Olen (Bedford, N.H.) went 5.1 innings out of the bullpen, allowing two hits and four runs while fanning four and walking three.

Trailing 6-0 entering the bottom of the ninth, SNHU made it interesting, throwing up three runs before the Greyhounds could record an out.  Palmer led off with a walk and after stealing second, scored on a Mastroberti triple.  Diaz and Aceto each walked, then pinch hitter Greg Pezzuto (Hastings-on-Hudson, N.Y.) singled through the left side to make it 6-2.  Kyle McGinnity (Northboro, Mass.) then worked a bases-loaded walk to make it 6-3.  Ysander Figueroa, the fourth Assumption pitcher of the inning, came in from right field and nailed down the save, recording two strikeouts and a foul out to end the ballgame.

Mastroberti had three of SNHU's five hits in the nightcap, falling a home run shy of the cycle.  Joseph Zanghi (Milford, Conn.), making his first start of the season, took the loss, allowing five runs in 2.2 innings.

Southern New Hampshire is back in action Tuesday night when it hosts Franklin Pierce University in a key NE-10 Northeast Division game at 7:00 pm.

For the latest on Southern New Hampshire University athletics, follow the Penmen via social media on Twitter (@snhupenmen), Facebook (www.facebook.com/snhupenmen), Youtube (www.youtube.com/snhupenmen) and Instagram (www.instagram.com/snhupenmen).