Box Score BOX SCORE
When and Where: March 12, 2016 – Boca Raton, Fla. (Lynn University Baseball Field)
Score: Southern New Hampshire University 19, Molloy College 6
Records: SNHU 10-0, Molloy 8-4
Graduate student Mike Mastroberti (Ramsey, N.J.) finished 3-for-7 with four RBI as the 11th-ranked Southern New Hampshire University baseball team kept the scoreboard operator busy Saturday afternoon with a 19-6 victory against Molloy College to open its Florida trip at the Lynn University Baseball Field.
Mastroberti set the tone early as he doubled home junior Zach Goldstein (Merrick, N.Y.), who led off the game with a base hit, to make it 1-0 in the top of the first. Molloy tied it in the bottom of the inning on an RBI single by Kevin Podell, but the Penmen went back in front as they hung a five-spot in the second. A two-run homer from freshman Kevin Alexy (Newton, Mass.) and two-run triple from junior Carson Helms (Farmington, Conn.) provided the damage and a 6-1 advantage for SNHU.
Three more in the third – on RBI doubles from sophomore Sean Webster (Boston, Mass.) and junior Manny Cruz (Wolcott, Conn.), as well as a run-scoring single from Mastroberti – broke it open for the Penmen at 9-1. An RBI single from junior Derek Bauer (Millis, Mass.) in the fourth made it an even 10 runs for Southern New Hampshire.
In the bottom of the inning, Angelo Navetta hit a two-run homer off senior Tim Viehoff (Derry, N.H.) to trim the Molloy deficit to 10-3. After grad student Ryan Gendron (Nashua, N.H.) and Bauer hit back-to-back solo jacks in the fifth, the Lions struck for three in the bottom half and it was a 12-6 game.
The Penmen put it away in the eighth with RBI doubles from Webster and Goldstein and a two-run Mastroberti single leading to five runs and a 17-6 advantage. SNHU added two more in the ninth as Cruz was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded and freshman Christian Aybar (Cranston, R.I.) stroked an RBI single.
Viehoff (3-0) allowed six runs – four earned – on six hits, while striking out three and walking three. Freshman Connor Gavin (E. Longmeadow, Mass.) pitched a perfect two-thirds of an inning with a strikeout, while sophomore Rob Del Signore (Londonderry, N.H.) worked a hitless frame, but walked a batter. Freshman Mike O'Donnell (Pennington, N.J.) tossed the final inning-and-a-third, giving up a hit and striking out one.
Mastroberti was 3-for-7 with four RBI, while Webster went 3-for-4 with a pair of RBI and three runs scored. Bauer went 3-for-6, knocking in two runs and scoring twice. Cruz (two RBI) and Goldstein (RBI) were both 2-for-4 with three runs scored. Gendron went 2-for-5 with an RBI and two runs scored. Helms was 2-for-6 with two runs driven in.
Notes:
- SNHU is now the lone undefeated team in the East Region after third-ranked Franklin Pierce University fell to 12-1 by splitting with Felician College on Saturday.
- The Penmen are off to their best start since 2012 when they began the year 13-0 and made it to the College World Series.
- The Penmen racked up 20 hits on the day.
Up Next:
The Penmen are back in action Sunday, March 13 against Caldwell University in doubleheader action that begins at 2 p.m. The home opener for the Penmen is scheduled for Thursday, March 31 (3 p.m.) against Saint Michael's College.
