RAPID REACTION WITH SENIOR DEREK BAUER AND JUNIOR MITCHELL POWERS

When and Where: May 9, 2017 – Manchester, N.H. (Penmen Field)
Score: Southern New Hampshire University 2, Bentley University 1 (10 inn.)
Records: SNHU 40-7, Bentley 11-30

Junior starter Mitchell Powers (Portland, Maine) made just one mistake in a brilliant one-hitter and senior Derek Bauer (Millis, Mass.) made it not matter with a walk-off single in the 10^th inning as the fifth-ranked Southern New Hampshire University baseball team outlasted Bentley University, 2-1, Tuesday evening in a Northeast-10 Championship first round tilt at Penmen Field.

SNHU, the top seed in the Northeast Division, advances to the Championship Weekend portion of the tournament, which will feature the four remaining teams in a double-elimination tourney, hosted by the University of New Haven. The Penmen will open play against New Haven, which is the Southwest Division's second seed. Bentley, the fourth seed from the Northeast, sees its season come to a close. 

With one out in the 10^th and facing their first new pitcher of the night, the Penmen started it when graduate student Zach Goldstein (Merrick, N.Y.) slashed a 1-2 pitch the other way and just barely out of the reach of the diving right fielder. Goldstein raced around before stopping at third with a triple. Following a ground out that Goldstein could not score on, Bauer strolled to the plate and ripped a line drive up the middle, finding green space and easily scoring Goldstein with the winning run. 

Bauer finished 4-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored, while Goldstein was 1-for-5 with the run.

After looking overmatched against Powers through the first three innings, Bentley jumped on the board first when Max Troiani hit an 0-1 pitch to left for a shot that made it 1-0 in the top of the fourth.

Southern New Hampshire looked like it was going to find the scoreboard in the home half after three batters reached. Bauer singled to center before redshirt-junior Ryan Sullivan (Hopkinton, Mass.) was hit by a pitch and junior Caleb Potter (Mentor, Ohio) walked, but the Penmen could not cash in as Bentley went home to get the force on a grounder to third from redshirt-sophomore John Stanton (Sandwich, Mass.) and then escaped when junior Kyle Pangallo (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) hit a deep fly ball to center that stayed in the yard. 

Powers went back to dominating as he was perfect the rest of the way.

SNHU finally evened the score in the bottom of the sixth with a big two-out hit. Bauer led off with a single through the right side and then, following back-to-back strikeouts, Stanton drew a four-pitch walk. That set the stage for Pangallo, who ripped a 1-2 pitch down the line in left. Bauer easily scored from second, but Stanton, charging around all the way from first, was called out on a close play at the plate following a relay from the left fielder and shortstop.

Powers (5-2) pitched all 10 innings, allowing one run on one hit, while punching out 13 and not walking a batter. 

Bill Sullivan gave up one run on five hits, striking out 12 and walking three, in nine innings for Bentley.

Ryan Sullivan was 1-for-3, while Pangallo went 1-for-4 with an RBI.

Notes:
- SNHU has now won 36 of its last 40, including 29 of 32, 26 of 28, 19 of 20 and 15 straight.
- Southern New Hampshire won its first round game for the second straight season.
- SNHU, which improves to 14-1 (.933) at home this season, is now 57-11 (.838) at Penmen Field since the start of the 2014 season. The Penmen have not been beaten at home in a nine-inning regulation game since April 30, 2016.
- Powers, who was the one solo home run away from being perfect, retired his final 20 to end the game. He struck out one in each of his final six 1-2-3 innings.
- Powers has fired five straight complete games, going 4-1 with a 1.40 ERA and a 57-to-5 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 45 innings.
- Over his last nine appearances, which include six starts, Powers has five complete games and is 5-1 with a 1.11 ERA, allowing just 34 hits in 65 innings to hold opponents to a .152 batting average, while punching out 82 and walking just nine.
- The four-hit game was Bauer's first of the season.
- The Penmen wore white wristbands to raise awareness for #StrikeOutALS.

Up Next:
The Penmen return to action Thursday, May 11 (3 p.m.) when they take on New Haven.

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