NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – Punctuated by a six-run bottom of the sixth, host Merrimack College outslugged No. 12 Southern New Hampshire University for an 11-1 Northeast-10 baseball victory Saturday at Warrior Diamond.  The Warriors upped their record to 17-16 and 11-11 in NE-10 play, while the Penmen are now 29-10 and 16-5 in the league.

Matt Brown led Merrimack with a 4-4 day at the plate, while Mike Forgione was 3-5 with three runs scored.  The Warriors, who outhit the Penmen 12-9, also benefitted from six walks.

Riley Palmer (Goffstown, N.H.) led Southern New Hampshire with a 3-3 effort, while Brendan O'Brien (East Bridgewater, Mass.) had two hits to give him 201 for his career, making him the first player in program history with at least 200 career hits.

Merrimack grabbed a run in the first, two in the third and one in the fourth to build a 4-0 lead.  The Penmen made it 4-1 in the fifth when a Manny Cruz (Wolcott, Conn.) single plated Anthony Aceto (North Providence, R.I.).  The Warriors scored again in the bottom half to make it 5-1, then put the game out of reach with six runs in the sixth.

Tim Cashman went eight innings to pick up the win for Merrimack, allowing nine hits and fanning seven without issuing a walk.  Joe McCarthy (Nashua, N.H.), the first of eight Penmen pitchers on the afternoon, took the loss, allowing three runs (one earned) in his 2.1 innings of work.

Southern New Hampshire is idle until Wednesday when it travels to Saint Michael's College for a 4:00 Northeast-10 Conference contest.

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).