BOX SCORE

When and Where: April 23, 2017 – North Andover, Mass. (Warrior Softball Diamond)
Score: Merrimack College 6, Southern New Hampshire University 2
Records: SNHU 20-17 (6-11 Northeast-10 Conference), Merrimack 27-12 (14-5 Northeast-10 Conference)

Sophomore Erin Garczynski (Norwood, Mass.) finished 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI, but it was all the offense Southern New Hampshire University could generate Sunday as the Penmen softball team fell on the road to Merrimack College, 6-2.

Junior Katie Horiuchi (Livingston, N.J.) turned in a 2-for-3 afternoon with a double and a walk, while freshman Hannah Neverett (Nashua, N.H.) joined juniors Brittany Perdigao (Stoughton, Mass.) and Sarah Lavallee (Candia, N.H.) with 1-for-3 showings.

The Warriors jumped out to a 5-0 lead through the first three innings of play, as they pushed across single runs in the first two frames before tacking on three in the third. Haley Currie delivered a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the first to put the hosts ahead, 1-0, before Samantha Waskowitz singled home Tamarra Crowe in the second. An RBI single off the bat of Caitlin McBride drove in Currie to extend the Merrimack lead to three before Alyssa Williamson doubled in McBride. Crowe followed with a run-scoring double, and the Warriors carried a 5-0 advantage into the fourth.

The score remained unchanged until the top half of the fifth, when Garczynski drove in both Southern New Hampshire runs on one swing. After Neverett singled to lead off the inning, Garczynski stepped in with two outs and crushed a two-run shot to trim the deficit to three at 5-2. It would be as close as the Penmen would come, as the Warriors scratched across a run in the sixth to secure the 6-2 victory.

Freshman Maddy Barone (Halifax, Mass.) was saddled with the loss after surrendering two runs on two hits in 1.1 innings of work. Senior Nicole Gubellini (Salem, N.H.) tossed the final 4.2 innings on Sunday and allowed four runs (three earned) on seven hits with three strikeouts.

Notes:
- Merrimack outhit SNHU by a 9-7 margin, and the Penmen committed two errors compared to one by the Warriors.
- Sunday marked the first time this season Gubellini allowed more than two runs. She entered the game allowing two runs or fewer in 16 consecutive appearances. She still sits atop the NE10 with a 1.67 ERA.
- Garczynski sits third in the Northeast-10 in runs batted in (31), and ranks in the top-four in hits (47, fourth), home runs (6, fourth) and total bases (72, second). Her .392 batting average is good enough for sixth in the league, while her .600 slugging percentage is the fourth-highest in the conference.

What's Next:
The Penmen look to bounce back Monday (April 24) when they play host to Franklin Pierce University on the SNHU Softball Field at 3 p.m.

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