Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 MANCHESTER, N.H. – No. 12 Southern New Hampshire University swept a Northeast-10 baseball doubleheader from American International College by scored of 8-4 and 6-3 Sunday afternoon at Penmen Field. The wins extend SNHU's win streak to four as it now stands 21-7 overall and 9-3 in the NE-10, while the Yellow Jackets are 6-17 and 1-12 in the league.
In the opener, Al Stanton (Sandwich, Mass.) went 3-5 with two runs scored, while Brendan O'Brien (East Bridgewater, Mass.), Riley Palmer (Goffstown, N.H.) and Alejandro Diaz (Old Bridge, N.J.) each had a pair of hits. Palmer belted a three-run home run in the third inning as he drove in four runs in the opener, while O'Brien was 3-3 in stolen base attempts.
AIC plated single runs in the second and third innings, taking a 1-0 lead in the second on Lucas Vallas' solo home run. Palmer's three run blast in the third put the Penmen on top, and they added to the lead with a run in the fifth, three more in the sixth and one more in the eighth.
In the fifth, a two-out double by Diaz scored Mike Mastroberti (Ramsey, N.J.), who reached on a fielders' choice. In the sixth, an O'Brien sac fly brought in Bryan Toland (Wildwood, N.J.), who walked to start the inning. Stanton and Palmer each had run-producing doubles. In the eighth, O'Brien led off with a single and came home on a Manny Cruz (Wolcott, Conn.) triple. The Yellow Jackets scored two runs on a Brett Bohl single in the ninth but got no closer.
Joe McCarthy (Nashua, N.H.) improved to 3-0, striking out nine in eight innings of work while allowing two hits and two runs. Brian Karp took the loss for AIC, allowing nine hits and seven runs in his 5.2 innings of work.
The guests staked themselves to a 1-0 lead in the top of the first, but that was short-lived as the Penmen scored twice in the first, once in the third and three times in the fourth to build a 6-1 advantage.
In the first, SNHU got the first two batters of the game into scoring position as O'Brien was hit by a pitch and Cruz doubled. O'Brien scored on a passed ball, while Cruz came home on a sac fly by Stanton. O'Brien scored again in the third when he led off with a single, stole second and third, and came in on a balk.
In the fourth, Anthony Aceto (North Providence, R.I.) tried a squeeze play with runners on first and third, but the play went home and was unsuccessful, with Diaz scoring after working a leadoff walk. With two runners in scoring position following a throwing error on the play, Cruz hit a rocket off Yellow Jacket second baseman Bohl that allowed both runners to score and ended up a double.
AIC looked poised to get back into the game, scoring in the top of the fifth and loading the bases without a hit with one out in the sixth, using two walks and a hit batsman. After a bases-loaded walk made it 6-3, Sam Fuller (Barre, Vt.) came in and induced a 6-3 double play to get out of the jam.
Alex Person (Foxboro, Mass.) went five innings on the hill to get the win, striking out six and scattering five hits. Fuller went 2.2 innings of relief and fanned two while surrendering three hits, while Benjamin Criscuolo (Branford, Conn.) struck out the side in the ninth for his fourth save of the season.
Cruz went 3-3 with two RBI in the nightcap to lead SNHU offensively. O'Brien was 1-3 and went 3-3 in stolen base attempts in game two, making him 26-26 on the season. His third inning single was the 190th hit of his career, moving him into sole possession of second place on SNHU's career leaderboard.
Southern New Hampshire returns to action Tuesday when it travels to Saint Anselm College for a 3:30 Northeast-10 contest.
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