GAME ONE BOX SCORE
GAME TWO BOX SCORE
GAME THREE BOX SCORE

When and Where: February 17, 2017 – Myrtle Beach, S.C. (Ned Donkle Complex)
Scores: Southern New Hampshire University 6, Le Moyne College 0; Wilmington (Del.) University 7, Southern New Hampshire University 0; Southern New Hampshire University 2, Slippery Rock University 0
Records: SNHU 2-1, Le Moyne 1-1, Wilmington 1-1, SRU 0-3

Freshman Erin Tyrell (Milford, N.H.) finished 4-for-10 with a double, triple and two runs batted in, and classmate Maddy Barone (Halifax, Mass.) joined senior Nicole Gubellini (Salem, N.H.) in hurling complete game shutouts, as the Southern New Hampshire University softball team picked up a pair of wins in its season-opening triple header at the Ned Donkle Complex in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

The Penmen cruised to a 6-0 victory over Northeast-10 Conference foe Le Moyne College in their season opener before after falling to Wilmington (Del.) University, 7-0, in game two. Southern New Hampshire closed out the day with a 2-0 blanking of Slippery Rock University.

Barone earned the first win of her career against the Dolphins, as she scattered three hits, fanned eight and walked a pair in the complete-game shutout. Gubellini capped the afternoon by striking out seven and allowing just five hits in the triumph over the Rock.

Senior Jessica Torsiello (Morris Plains, N.J.) collected three hits on Friday, two of which went for extra bases, to go along with a walk and a run scored, while junior Brittany Perdigao (Stoughton, Mass.) added three base knocks of her own.

Game One – SNHU 6, Le Moyne 0
Southern New Hampshire wasted little time in getting its season off to a strong start, as it scored in each of the first three innings and final two frames against Le Moyne. Senior Devan Rabidou (Ashland, Mass.) led off the first with a walk, and after being sacrificed to second, swiped third. Sophomore Erin Garczynski (Norwood, Mass.) followed with a sacrifice fly to left to plate Rabidou and stake the Penmen to a 1-0 lead.

Torsiello started the second-inning rally with a one-out double before a Le Moyne error put runners on the corners. Freshman Hannah Neverett (Nashua, N.H.) walked to load the bases for junior Katie Horiuchi (Livingston, N.J.), who delivered with a sacrifice fly of her own to extend the lead to a pair. Neverett and senior Erin Morrissey (Commack, N.Y.) moved up to second and third on Horiuchi's sac fly, and the heads up baserunning was vital, as Morrissey scampered across with the game's third run after a passed ball on the ensuing batter.

Barone responded with a shutdown inning in the home half of the second, which included a pair of punch outs, and the offense went back to work in the top of the third. Garczynski worked a one-out walk and moved into scoring position after Tyrell reached on another Le Moyne miscue. Junior Sarah Lavallee (Candia, N.H.) made the Dolphins pay, as she followed with an RBI single to make it 4-0.

Le Moyne went down in order in the third before threatening in both the fourth and fifth innings. After Barone retired the first two batters in the fourth, Kelly Mascari walked before Peyton Bellrose followed with a base hit to left to put runners on first and second. The Dolphins would get no closer, however, as Barone was able to set down the ensuing hitter with a fly out to center. In the fifth, Emily Bagley led off with a walk, and two batters later, picked up two bases on a passed ball to put a runner 60-feet away with one out. Barone again was up to the challenge, as she fanned the next batter she faced and closed the inning with a pop out to short. 

Southern New Hampshire capped the game's scoring with single runs in both the sixth and seventh. The first two Penmen went down in order during the sixth before Neverett drilled a solo shot to right that established a 5-0 cushion. After Garczynski reached on a fielder's choice in the seventh, Tyrell stepped in and connected on a two-out double to provide the final margin of victory.

Game Two – Wilmington (Del.) 7, SNHU 0
Game two saw Southern New Hampshire fall behind early, as the Wildcats plated single runs in the first two innings to jump out to a 2-0 advantage. Whitney DeMora homered in her first collegiate at-bat to make it 1-0 after one before Kaitlyn Slater added an RBI single in the second to push Wilmington ahead by a pair. The Penmen nearly answered in each of the first two frames, but stranded a pair of runners in the first and left another on third in the second.

A throwing error on a Meghan Brown sacrifice bunt attempt allowed Becca Stanley to score from second with the game's third run in the fourth, and a long ball off the bat from Slater to lead off the sixth made it a 4-0 ballgame. After Rosa'Lynn Burton added a sacrifice fly in the sixth, Stanley completed the scoring with a two-run shot in the seventh.

Tyrell and Torsiello each went 2-for-3 against the Wildcats, with Torsiello collecting her second double of the day. Lavallee suffered the setback in the circle after going the first three-plus innings and surrendering just two earned runs. Freshman Gabriella Vachon (Newton, Mass.) provided three innings of relief and gave up an earned run on four hits with two strikeouts before Barrone tossed the seventh.

Game Three – SNHU 2, SRU 0
Friday's finale saw the Penmen bounce back thanks in large part to timely hitting and clutch pitching by Gubellini. Slippery Rock's Paige Flore was twirling a perfect game through the first four innings of play, but Gubellini managed to keep Southern New Hampshire in the game by working out of trouble to keep the game tied at zero.

The Rock came out swinging in the first, as back-to-back doubles put runners on second and third with nobody out. Gubellini struck out the following batter before fielding a bunt attempt and throwing to Morrissey at first, who completed an inning-ending double play by cutting down the runner at the plate.

After Gubellini stranded a runner in scoring position during the second and left another on-base in the fourth, Slippery Rock applied its strongest pressure of the contest in the fifth. Lauren Hawley reached on a fielder's choice, and after a bunt moved her into scoring position, Emily Nagle was the beneficiary of a Penmen error that left runners on first and second with two away. Megan Brown followed with a single to load the bases, but Gubellini locked in and shut down the threat by striking out the final batter of the frame looking.

Still in search of its first base runner, Southern New Hampshire finally broke through in the home half of the fifth before adding an insurance run in the sixth. Lavallee dug in with one away in the fifth and drilled a solo shot to provide Gubellini with all the offense she would need. In the sixth, Horiuchi connected on a one-out single before Tyrell rapped a triple to push across the second Penmen run.

Gubellini returned for the seventh and slammed the door with a 1-2-3 inning, highlighted by back-to-back strikeouts to end the contest. 

Notes:
- The Southern New Hampshire offense combined for 17 hits on Friday. Nine of the 11 Penmen who recorded an official plate appearance logged at least one base knock.
- SNHU pitching totaled 19 strikeouts and surrendered a total of just six walks. By contrast, the Penmen offense drew six walks while only striking out seven times in 21 innings of action.
- Perdigao, Tyrell and Horiuchi each reached base safely in all-three games on Friday. Perdigao notched a base hit in each game while Horiuchi registered a hit and a pair of walks. Tyrell turned in a two-hit game against Wilmington, and her lone hits against Le Moyne and Slippery Rock went for extra bases.

What's Next:
Southern New Hampshire continues play in the 2017 Snowbird Softball Freeze Out Tournament on Saturday when it takes on Felician University at 10 a.m. before closing out the day against Kutztown University at noon.

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