Box Score BOX SCORE
When and Where: February 22, 2018 – Myrtle Beach, S.C. (Ripken Experience)
Score: Southern New Hampshire University 9, University of Bridgeport 3
Records: SNHU 1-0, Bridgeport 0-1
Senior Mitchell Powers (Portland, Maine) allowed one earned run over five innings and classmate Caleb Potter (Mentor, Ohio) hit a two-run homer, as the 15th-ranked Southern New Hampshire University baseball team opened the season with a 9-3 victory over the University of Bridgeport on Thursday to kick off its five-game trip to Myrtle Beach, S.C.
Potter staked the Penmen to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the fourth, as redshirt-junior John Stanton (Sandwich, Mass.) led off the frame with a base hit before Potter smashed a one-out bomb to left-center.
Bridgeport responded in the top of the fifth, however, taking advantage of a two-out error to put up three against Powers and the Penmen. After Powers relinquished a leadoff double to Ben Torres, he racked up back-to-back punchouts before then issuing a walk to Mark Komaromi and allowing an RBI double to Alex Rauso. Then came the two-out, two-run error and, just like that, the Purple Knights led, 3-2.
Southern New Hampshire would answer with three of its own in the bottom of the frame, with graduate student Thomas Buonopane (Peabody, Mass.) tripling to right-center to bring in redshirt-sophomore Joshua Goldstein (Haverhill, Mass.), who led off with a single to center, to tie the game. Buonopane then came home on a wild pitch, before sophomore Tom Blandini (Bow, N.H.) walked, stole both second and third, and scored on an error by the catcher to make it 5-3 in favor of the Penmen.
SNHU broke it open in the bottom of the eighth, with senior Kyle Pangallo (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) starting it on a double to right-center and immediately scoring on a pinch-hit double down the right field line by redshirt-junior Kevin Alexy (Newton, Mass.). Stanton came through with a run-scoring single to left that plated Alexy, while redshirt-senior Ryan Sullivan (Hopkinton, Mass.) hammered a one-out, two-run double to left to make it 9-3.
Powers (1-0) allowed three runs – one earned – on just two hits, while striking out eight and walking a pair. The bullpen was lights out, tossing four innings of one-hit, shutout ball. Junior Hayden Manning (Portland, Conn.) struck out one and walked one in a hitless inning of work, while redshirt-freshman Zachary Merchant (Lunenburg, Mass.) spun two hitless frames, fanning a pair and walking one. Freshman Jordan Allard (Hartford, Vt.) gave up just one hit in a scoreless ninth.
Potter (home run, walk, two RBI, run), Stanton (RBI, two runs) and Blandini (walk, run) were all 2-for-4, while Sullivan (two RBI), Buonopane (walk, two runs, RBI), Pangallo (run) and junior Joshua Zbierski (Strafford Springs, Conn.) were each 1-for-4. Goldstein (run) and junior Kyle Ruth (Albany, N.Y.; walk) each finished 1-for-3.
Notes:
- Southern New Hampshire begins the season 1-0 for the second time in three years.
- Potter's home run is his first of the season and his seventh in a Penmen uniform.
Up Next:
The Penmen return to action Friday, Feb. 23 (1 p.m.) when they take on Felician University.
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