GAME 1 BOX SCORE | GAME 2 BOX SCORE

When and Where: April 28, 2018 – Nashua, N.H. (Holman Stadium)
Game 1 Score: Merrimack College 3, Southern New Hampshire University 2
Game 2 Score: Southern New Hampshire University 12, Merrimack College 6
Records: SNHU 28-13 (14-6 NE10, 13-3 NE10 NE), Merrimack 22-16 (14-9 NE10, 9-6 NE10 NE)

Senior Caleb Potter (Mentor, Ohio) hit a three-run homer and drove in five runs in a 12-6 victory in game two for the Southern New Hampshire University baseball team Saturday, as it split a doubleheader with Merrimack College at Holman Stadium. The Penmen were edged, 3-2, in the opener. 

Potter finished 5-for-7 with two walks, a home run, five RBI and three runs scored in the doubleheader. Graduate student Thomas Buonopane (Peabody, Mass.) went 4-for-8 with a walk, two RBI and two runs, while redshirt-senior Ryan Sullivan (Hopkinton, Mass.) turned in a 3-for-7 day with a pair of walks, two RBI and three runs. 

Southern New Hampshire jumped out a 6-0 lead in the top of the first inning of game two, as it sent 10 men to the plate. After sophomore Tom Blandini (Bow, N.H.) led off with a base hit and Buonopane drew a walk, Sullivan reached on an error to load the bases. Freshman Dakota Mulcay (Goffstown, N.H.) came through with a two-run double down the right field line, with Potter following by roping a two-run single to center that made it 4-0. Back-to-back fielder's choice grounders from senior Kyle Pangallo (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) and redshirt-sophomore Joshua Goldstein (Haverhill, Mass.) each brought in a run to close the scoring. 

The Penmen bats went right back to work in the second, as a lead-off double down the right field line from Buonopane and Sullivan's single to center put a pair in scoring position before Potter followed one batter later by smashing a three-run bomb to left-center that broke it open at 9-0. 

Redshirt-senior Jake Stearns (Plymouth, Mass.) allowed a home run to the first batter of the third inning, as Connor Suech put Merrimack on the board. A walk to Nick Shumski and consecutive singles to Tyler Lyne and Matthew Ronai packed the bases with one-out, before Matt Nicholson drove in a pair with a single down the right field line that trimmed the Merrimack deficit to 9-3 and knocked Stearns from the ballgame.

Junior Matthew Messier (No. Troy, Vt.) entered and recorded back-to-back punchouts to end the threat of more damage.

Merrimack would add another run in the fourth when Suech scored on a two-out wild pitch, with Shumski also trying to come around to score before getting thrown out to end the inning.

Sullivan made it 11-4 in the sixth with a two-run single to center plating Goldstein and Blandini, who collected back-to-back, one-out singles earlier in the frame. An RBI single to center from Pangallo in the seventh scored junior Joshua Zbierski (Stafford Springs, Conn.), who drew a one-out walk and swiped second, to nudge the lead to 12-4.

Ronai would push one across in the bottom of the frame with a sacrifice fly to left and then drove in another run in the ninth with a two-out double to left-center.

Potter (walk, home run, five RBI, two runs), Sullivan (walk, two RBI, two runs) and Buonopane (walk, two runs) were each 2-for-4. Pangallo went 2-for-5 with a pair of RBI, with Blandini going 2-for-6 and scoring twice. Goldstein (RBI, run) and Zbierski (walk, two runs) were both 1-for-4. Mulcay finished 1-for-5 with two RBI and scored a run.

Stearns relinquished three runs on five hits, striking out two and walking one, over two-and-a-third innings. Messier (3-1) earned the win, as he limited Merrimack to a pair of runs on five hits over four-and-two-thirds innings, fanning eight and walking just one. Redshirt-freshman Zachary Merchant (Lunenburg, Mass.) struck out a pair in a perfect eighth, while freshman Jordan Allard (Hartford, Vt.) gave up a run on two hits in one inning of work.

In game one, grad student Andrew Lalonde (Bedford, N.H.) and Merrimack starter PJ Browne matched scoreless frames until the sixth when, with runners at the corners and two down, Potter stole second and trapped himself in a rundown, allowing Sullivan to score from third ahead of the throw to the plate.

Merrimack answered in the bottom of the inning, taking advantage of three Penmen miscues and using singles from Joey Porricelli, Lyne, Ronai and Nicholson to grab a 2-1 lead.

The Warriors would add an insurance run against the SNHU bullpen in the eighth, with Porricelli leading off with an infield single before swiping second and scoring on a two-out base hit to left-center by Nicholson.

The Penmen pulled within one in the ninth, as Potter reach on an infield single and moved to second on a throwing error to begin the inning, before going to third on a balk and scoring on Pangallo's groundout to short to cap the scoring.

Potter went 3-for-3 with a walk and scored a run. Buonopane was 2-for-4, with Sullivan going 1-for-3 with a walk and a run scored.

Lalonde turned in seven strong innings, allowing two runs – one earned – on five hits, while striking out 11 and not walking a batter. Sophomore Nick Artymowicz (Seaville, N.J.) gave up one run on two hits, striking out a pair, over an inning of work.

Notes:
- The Penmen, who had their eight-game winning streak snapped in game one, have now won 17 of 22, including nine of 10.
- Southern New Hampshire is outscoring opponents 88-23 over its last 10 contests.
- The magic number for SNHU to clinch the Northeast-10 Northeast Division now stands at three with five regular-season games remaining. The Penmen hold a two-game lead on Franklin Pierce University, which has five games remaining on its schedule against the bottom two teams in the division.
- Potter's home run was his team-leading eighth of the season.
- Over the last 14 games, Pangallo is 25-for-53 (.472) with 19 RBI and 12 runs scored, while slashing .548/.642/1.190. During that stretch, he has raised his batting average 76 points to .343.

Up Next:
The Penmen wrap up the series with Merrimack on Sunday, April 29 at Holman Stadium. Due to expected rain in the forecast, first pitch will now be at 5 p.m.

For the latest on Southern New Hampshire University athletics, follow the Penmen via social media on Twitter, Facebook, Youtube and Instagram. Sign up to receive text message alerts and e-mail newsletters about your favorite Penmen teams here.