When and Where: May 17, 2021 – Hooksett, N.H. (Penmen Field)
Score: Southern New Hampshire University 13, Franklin Pierce University 6
Records: SNHU 22-6, FPU, 22-9

Graduate student Marcus Chavez (Queens, N.Y.) and redshirt-junior Sam Henrie (Middleboro, Mass.) each collected three hits and belted two of the team's four home runs, while the bullpen turned in six-and-a-third strong innings, to lead the 20th-ranked Southern New Hampshire University baseball team to a 13-6 victory over Franklin Pierce University in the third and decisive game of the Northeast-10 Championship divisional final Monday afternoon at Penmen Field.

LINKS: BOX SCORE

STANDOUT PERFORMERS

• Chavez – 3-5, grand slam, 4 RBI, 3 runs
• Henrie – 3-4, home run, walk, 2 RBI, 2 runs
• Freshman Trevor Anibal (Bedford, N.H.; 2-0) – 2.1 innings, 0 runs, 0 hits, 4 strikeouts, 2 walks
• Junior Taylor Lepard (Toronto, Ontario; 2nd save) – 4.0 innings, 1 run, 0 earned runs, 1 hit, 4 strikeouts, 3 walks
• Redshirt-junior Idelson Taveras (Lawrence, Mass.) – 4-5, double, RBI, 3 runs, 3 stolen bases

KEY MOMENTS

• After Franklin Pierce jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first inning, Southern New Hampshire went ahead in a big way in the second when Chavez hammered a two-out grand slam to straightaway center field.
• The Ravens matched it in the top of the third, however, as James Boria hit a two-out grand slam of his own to left-center to leapfrog the visitors back in front, 5-4.
• SNHU tied it in the home half when redshirt-freshman Michael LaRocca (Vero Beach, Fla.) clobbered a solo shot to right-center.
• Henrie put the Penmen in front for good in the fifth with a one-out solo blast to right-center. Redshirt-sophomore Alex Kennedy (Braintree, Mass.) added a two-out insurance run with an RBI single to center that made it 7-5.
• An RBI base knock from redshirt-junior Dakota Mulcay (Goffstown, N.H.) in the sixth and a solo home run off the bat of redshirt-freshman Danniel Rivera (New Britain, Conn.) in the seventh widened the SNHU lead to 9-5.
• The Penmen broke it open with a four-run eighth, as RBI singles from Henrie and Taveras, followed by a two-run single from grad student Joshua Goldstein (Haverhill, Mass.), pushed the advantage to 13-5.
• The Ravens scored an unearned run in the ninth before Boria looked to have a two-out, three-run homer, but Kennedy made a leaping catch at the fence in left to rob him and end the game.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Mulcay went 2-for-4 with a walk, RBI and run scored.
• Kennedy was 1-for-3 with an RBI.
• LaRocca (home run, walk, RBI, run) and Goldstein (2 RBI, run) were both 1-for-4.
• Rivera (home run, walk, RBI, 2 runs) finished 1-for-5.
• Redshirt-freshman Christian Mercedes (Providence, R.I.) was 0-for-4 with a walk, but swiped a pair of bags.
• Redshirt-sophomore Ricky Alexy (Needham, Mass.) made his first career start and lasted two-and-two-thirds innings, allowing five runs on six hits and a pair of walks.

NOTES

• Southern New Hampshire, ranked 20th in the latest National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Division II Poll, moves to 15-8 (.652) in its eighth NE10 Championship appearance, including 2-3 against Franklin Pierce.
• The Penmen advance to their third NE10 Championship final, looking for their third NE10 title (2014, 2016).
• SNHU now leads the all-time series with Franklin Pierce, 47-42-1. It has won 15 of the last 17 meetings with the Ravens, who are receiving votes in the latest NCBWA DII Poll.
• The Penmen move to 12-4 at home this season and are now 107-28 (.793) at Penmen Field since the start of the 2014 campaign.
• Chavez' grand slam was his third home run of the season, including the second against Franklin Pierce, and the fifth of his career.
• LaRocca's long ball is his second in as many days, as well as his fourth of the season and of his career.
• Henrie's home run is his second of the year and sixth of his career.
• Rivera's homer is his third of the season and of his career.
• This marked Taveras' first four-hit game of his career.
• Following Boria's grand slam that chased Alexy from the game in the third, the Penmen bullpen went five-and-two-thirds innings without allowing a hit until relinquishing one in the ninth.
• Henrie and Rivera both own five-game hitting streaks and have a hit in 10 of their last 11. Mulcay is riding a four-game streak and has hit safely in eight of nine.

UP NEXT

• The Penmen, seeded first in the Northeast Division, will play host to the Southwest Division's No. 1 seed, Adelphi University, in the NE10 Championship final at Penmen Field. The teams will play a noon doubleheader Friday (May 21) to kick off the best-of-three series, with an if-necessary game three scheduled for Saturday (May 22) at noon. This will be the second time the two teams meet in the NE10 Championship, with the Penmen scoring a 2-0 win over the Panthers to earn their first NE10 crown back in 2014.

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