When and Where: May 25, 2019 – Hooksett, N.H. (Penmen Field)
Score: New York Institute of Technology 6, Southern New Hampshire University 3
Records: NYIT 37-14, SNHU 40-15

Trailing, 5-0, the 17^th-ranked and second-seeded Southern New Hampshire University baseball team pushed three runs across in the fifth inning, but would not score again, as the fifth-seeded New York Institute of Technology scored a 6-3 victory Saturday afternoon at Penmen Field to win the NCAA East Super-Regional and punch its ticket to the College World Series.

The Bears will represent the East Region at the NCAA Division II Baseball Championship, which begins June 1 at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, N.C.

STANDOUT PERFORMERS

• Junior Tom Blandini (Bow, N.H.) turned in the only multiple-hit effort for the Penmen, finishing 2-for-5 with a run scored.
• Junior Wesley Tobin (Portsmouth, N.H.) allowed two runs on six hits, while striking out six and not walking a batter, in five innings out of the bullpen.
• Sophomore Jeffrey Praml (Bridgewater, N.J.) fired two-and-two-thirds innings of perfect relief.

For NYIT…

• John LaRocca went 3-for-4 with a pair of RBI and a run scored.
• EJ Cumbo finished 2-for-4 with a home run, three RBI and a run scored.
• Chris Campbell was also 2-for-4 and scored a pair of runs.
• Joe Keller (3-0) kept the Penmen at bay in four-and-a-third innings of scoreless relief, giving up just two hits, while striking out two and walking three.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• NYIT struck for four runs in the bottom of the first against redshirt-junior Endy Morales (Holyoke, Mass.), with back-to-back leadoff singles from Ben McNeill and LaRocca setting the table for Cumbo's three-run blast to right-center. Following a single by Jake Lebel, a groundout and a walk to Matt DeAngelis, SNHU went to the bullpen for Tobin, who sandwiched a couple of outs around a Ryan Kuskowski RBI single through the left side that made it a 4-0 game.
• The Bears added to their lead in the fourth when Campbell led off the frame with a single to left, went to second on a wild pitch, moved to third on an infield error and scored on a LaRocca RBI single that dropped in down the right field line.
• Southern New Hampshire finally put runs on the board in the fifth, as a leadoff walk to redshirt-junior Joshua Goldstein (Haverhill, Mass.), an infield single for Blandini two batters later and a free pass to redshirt-sophomore Marcus Chavez (Queens, N.Y.) loaded the bases. With two outs, sophomore Dakota Mulcay (Goffstown, N.H.) drew a walk to force in the first run and end the outing for NYIT starter, Joseph Murphy. The new pitcher then hit senior Joshua Zbierski (Stafford Springs, Conn.) with a pitch to bring in the second run, before a walk to redshirt-senior Kevin Alexy (Newton, Mass.) brought in yet another run to make it 5-3. The Bears made another move to the 'pen to get Keller and the Penmen would leave the bases loaded.
• NYIT tacked on another run in the sixth, as Campbell led off with a double to left-center and scored a batter later on LaRocca's one-out RBI single to right.
• SNHU hit into a double play to leave one on in the seventh, stranded a pair in the eighth and went 1-2-3 in the ninth, as NYIT advanced to its first College World Series in program history.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Goldstein (walk, run) and Chavez (two walks, run) were both 1-for-3.
• Junior Jake Coro (Johnston, R.I.) went 1-for-4.
• Morales was charged with four runs on four hits and a walk in a third of an inning.

NOTES

• Southern New Hampshire falls to 27-18 (.600) all-time in its eighth NCAA Championship appearance.
• The Penmen finish the season 20-7 at home and are now 95-24 (.798) at Penmen Field since the start of the 2014 season.
• This marks the fourth straight season Southern New Hampshire was one of the final two teams left standing in the region.
• Praml's 25^th appearance of the season moved him into a tie with Ben Criscuolo (2014) for the program's top single-season mark.

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