GAME 1 BOX SCORE | GAME 2 BOX SCORE
RAPID REACTION WITH JUNIOR JOE DESARRO

When and Where: April 28, 2017 – Manchester, N.H. (Penmen Field)
Game 1 Score: Southern New Hampshire University 6, Saint Michael's College 5
Game 2 Score: Southern New Hampshire University 6, Saint Michael's College 2
Records: SNHU 32-7 (18-2 NE10, 13-1 NE10 NE), Saint Michael's 1-22 (1-20 NE10, 1-14 NE10 NE)

Redshirt-junior Ryan Sullivan (Hopkinton, Mass.) homered, drove in two runs and was on base six times as the fifth-ranked Southern New Hampshire University baseball team won a pair of games against Saint Michael's College on Friday at Penmen Field. SNHU outlasted Saint Michael's, 6-5, in the first game and then posted a 6-2 victory in the night cap.

Sullivan was 3-for-5, in addition to walking and being hit with a pitch, while scoring two runs. Fellow redshirt-junior Taylor Olmstead (Greenwich, Conn.) finished 3-for-6 with a pair of runs scored and junior Caleb Potter (Mentor, Ohio) posted a 3-for-8 day with a home run, three RBI and a run.

Saint Michael's jumped out to a 2-0 in the top of the first of game one against redshirt-sophomore starter Cameron Scotia (Dudley, Mass.) when Trevor Allen hit a 1-0 pitch to center field for a two-out, two-run home run.

Southern New Hampshire diced its deficit in half in the bottom of the inning as junior Kyle Pangallo (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) walked, stole second and moved to third on a fly out to right from senior Derek Bauer (Millis, Mass.). Sullivan then drew a walk and stole second to put two in scoring position with two outs. Potter followed with a sharp groundball in the hole that was picked up by the third baseman, but he hustled down the line and beat the throw, allowing Pangallo to score.

The Penmen went ahead with a pair of runs in the third. Olmstead led off with a hard-hit single to center before he swiped second, went to third on a wild pitch and scored to tie the game when graduate student Zach Goldstein (Merrimack, N.Y.) lifted a fly ball to center. Pangallo followed with a single through the left side before going to second on a wild pitch and moving to third on a Bauer groundout to the right side. Sullivan then drew another walk and stole second as Pangallo raced home on the throw to give SNHU a 3-2 lead.

Southern New Hampshire added an insurance run in the fourth when redshirt-sophomore John Stanton (Sandwich, Mass.) led off with a single through the left side, swiped second and then came all the way around to score after tagging up on a deep fly ball to center off the bat of sophomore Robert Fulkerson (Anaheim, Calif.).

Saint Michael's made it a one-run game in the sixth when Steven Auger began the inning by getting hit with a pitch before moving up a base on a groundout and then scoring on Calvin Holland's single to right. Freshman Alex Gomes (Peabody, Mass.) then entered in relief and induced an inning-ending 3-6-1 double play to preserve the lead for the Penmen. 

SNHU grabbed the run back in the home half as Stanton took advantage of a 2-1 offering and lined a ball over the fence in left to make it 5-3.

Saint Michael's would push two across to tie it in the seventh. After Joe Roberston and Sean Winthrop began the inning with singles, a sacrifice bunt from PJ Jasak would move both runners into scoring position with one out. A Dan Flynn groundout to second plated Robertson before Matt Downing delivered a two-out base knock to left to knot the game at 5-5. 

Potter broke the tie in a big way in the eighth as he hit a mammoth home run to left-center to put the Penmen on top, 6-5.

Graduate student Stephen Fortuna (Metuchen, N.J.), who recorded the final two outs of the eighth, pitched a scoreless ninth to seal the win. 

Scotia allowed three runs on four hits, while striking out four and not walking a batter, over five-and-a-third innings. Gomes relinquished two runs on four hits in two innings of work, with Fortuna (2-0) notching a strikeout in one-and-two-thirds frames of scoreless, one-hit baseball.

Olmstead, making his first start since March 25, finished a perfect 3-for-3 with a walk and a run scored. Potter (two RBI, run) and Stanton (RBI, two runs) were each 2-for-4. Pangallo was 1-for-3 with a walk and pair of runs scored. 

Southern New Hampshire jumped right out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning of game one when Sullivan swatted a two-out, two-run homer to left that scored Goldstein, who led off the frame by getting hit with a pitch.

The Penmen increased their lead with a trio of unearned runs in the fourth. After two quick fly outs, Pangallo and Olmstead reached on errors, putting a pair in scoring position. Goldstein came through with a single through the left side that brought in both runs. Goldstein moved up on the throw toward the plate and then scored on an RBI knock through the right side by freshman Tom Blandini (Bow, N.H.) that made it 5-0. 

Potter nudged the Penmen advantage to 6-0 in the fifth when he hit a ball to the outfield that the centerfielder dove for, but could not come up with, turning it into an RBI triple that scored Sullivan, who led off the frame with a base hit.

Saint Michael's finally reached junior starter Joe DeSarro (Frankfort, N.Y.) in the seventh when Jasak delivered an RBI single through the left side to trim the deficit to 6-1. 

The Purple Knights tacked on one more in the ninth as Winthrop began the inning by striking out, but reaching on a wild pitch, then moving to second on a wild pitch, going to third on a looping Connor Hopkins double that fell into right-center and scoring on Jasak's ground out to second. With Hopkins on third, Flynn hit a fly ball to left for out number two and then Potter came up throwing with a strike to the plate that nailed Hopkins to end the game. 

DeSarro (1-0) allowed one run – unearned – on four hits, while punching out 10 and walking two, in seven-and-two-thirds innings. Redshirt-freshman Brendan Welch (Easton, Mass.) retired the only batter he faced, while sophomore Hayden Manning (Portland, Conn.) gave up one run on one hit, while striking out a batter, in an inning of work.

Sullivan went a perfect 3-for-3 with two RBI and a pair of runs scored. Blandini finished 2-for-4 with an RBI, while Goldstein was 1-for-3 with two RBI and two runs scored. Potter (RBI) and Pangallo (run) were each 1-for-4.

Notes:
- SNHU has now won 28 of its last 32, including 21 of 23, 18 of 20 and seven straight.
- Scotia and DeSarro made their first career starts in just their respective seventh and fourth appearances ever.
- Stanton's home run was his second of the season, Potter's was his fourth and Sullivan's was his team-leading seventh.

Up Next:
The Penmen return to action Saturday, April 29 when they take on Assumption College in doubleheader action that begins at noon. The next home game for SNHU is Tuesday, May 2 (6 p.m.) when it plays host to Franklin Pierce University at Penmen Field.

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