Photo credit: Emma Daniels

When and Where: May 29, 2021 – Rindge, N.H. (Pappas Field)
Score: Southern New Hampshire University 9, Molloy College 3
Records: SNHU 27-6, Molloy 23-10

Redshirt-junior Dakota Mulcay (Goffstown, N.H.) homered and drove in four runs for the second straight game, setting the program's single-season home run record and leading the 14th-ranked and top-seeded Southern New Hampshire University baseball team to a 9-3 victory over third-seeded Molloy College on Saturday at Franklin Pierce University's Pappas Field, as the Penmen punched their ticket to Sunday's NCAA East Regional Championship final.

LINKS: BOX SCORE | NCAA EAST REGIONAL CENTRAL

STANDOUT PERFORMERS

• Mulcay – 4-5, 2 home runs, 4 RBI, 3 runs
• Graduate student Wesley Tobin (Portsmouth, N.H.; 4-1) – 9.0 innigs, 7 hits, 3 runs, 3 earned runs, 10 strikeouts, 3 walks 
• Redshirt-freshman Danniel Rivera (New Britain, Conn.) – 2-3, double, 3 walks, RBI, run
• Redshirt-freshman Michael LaRocca (Vero Beach, Fla.) – 2-3, 2 walks
• Redshirt-junior Idelson Taveras (Lawrence, Mass.) – 1-2, double, 2 walks, RBI, run

KEY MOMENTS

• Southern New Hampshire leapt out an early lead in the top of the first. Redshirt-junior Sam Henrie (Middleboro, Mass.) delivered a two-out RBI single, before LaRocca dropped an RBI base hit down the left field line that scored a second run to make it 3-0 when the left fielder misplayed the ball.
• The Penmen made it 4-0 in the second inning on an RBI groundout by Rivera.
• Mulcay extended the advantage to 5-0 in the third with a jam-shot down the right field line that sailed over the fence and matched SNHU's single-season home run record.
• Molloy grabbed one back in the home half on an RBI single to center by Sean Hogan, but Taveras threw an absolute dart to the plate to cut down the would-be second run.
• The SNHU offense kept it going in the fourth, with Mulcay swatting a two-run single to center and Taveras lifting a sacrifice fly to left that pushed the Penmen lead to 8-1.
• Mulcay struck again in the sixth, blasting a solo shot to deep right that gave him the single-season record and made it 9-1.
• Garrett Scavelli touched up Tobin for a two-run home run to center in the home half to get Molloy within 9-3. Redshirt-sophomore Alex Kennedy (Braintree, Mass.) ended that frame by running a long way into foul territory in left field and making an absurd catch to pull the ball back in play from over the fence.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Redshirt-freshman Christian Mercedes (Providence, R.I.) was 2-for-6 with a run scored.
• Graduate student Marcus Chavez (Queens, N.Y.) went 1-for-4 with a walk and two runs.
• Henrie finished 1-for-5 with an RBI and a run.
• Kennedy went 0-for-3, but walked twice.

NOTES

• Southern New Hampshire, ranked 14th in the latest National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Division II Poll, improves to 30-18 (.625) in its ninth NCAA postseason appearance, including 2-0 versus Molloy.
• The Penmen advance to their fifth straight NCAA East Regional Championship final, which will take place Sunday (May 30) at 4 p.m. Molloy plays Sunday at noon against the winner of Saturday's late game between second-seeded St. Thomas Aquinas College and fifth-seeded Goldey-Beacom College. The victor of that game turns around to play SNHU in the final.
• Southern New Hampshire is outscoring its opponents in the NCAA East Regional Championship, 28-10, over three games.
• SNHU has won seven straight.
• Southern New Hampshire improves to 7-9 against Molloy and have now won six-in-a-row and seven of nine versus the Lions.
• Mulcay's two home runs give him 13 on the season and 27 for his career. The 13th of the year moves him past Ryan Gendron (2016) and Ryan Sullivan (2017) for first place atop SNHU's single-season record book, while the 27th adds on to his all-time record.
• The four RBI for Mulcay gives him 126 for his career, moving him within five RBI of tying SNHU's all-time record.
• In three games at the East Regional, Mulcay is 7-for-13 (.538) with four extra-base hits, including three home runs, nine RBI and six runs scored, to go with a .571/1.308/1.879 slash line.
• Tobin's 18th career victory moves him into sole possession of fifth place in SNHU's all-time record book. Tobin also moved past Mitchell Powers (2015-18) for seventh in both strikeouts (223) and innings pitched (198.0).

UP NEXT

• Top-seeded Southern New Hampshire will play Sunday (May 30) at 4 p.m. in the NCAA East Regional Championship final against a to-be-determined opponent.

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NCAA Division II East Regional Championship

Thursday, May 27 
Game 1: (5) Goldey-Beacom 3, (2) St. Thomas Aquinas 0
Game 2: (3) Molloy 13, (4) Franklin Pierce 5 
Game 3: (1) Southern New Hampshire 5, (6) Dominican (N.Y.) 1 

Friday, May 28 
Game 4: (2) St. Thomas Aquinas 4, (6) Dominican (N.Y.) 2 (Dominican eliminated) 
Game 5: (1) Southern New Hampshire 14, (4) Franklin Pierce 6 (Franklin Pierce eliminated) 

Saturday, May 29 
Game 6: (3) Molloy 3, (5) Goldey-Beacom 2
Game 7: (1) Southern New Hampshire 9, (3) Molloy 3 
Game 8: (5) Goldey-Beacom vs. (2) St. Thomas Aquinas - 10 p.m. (loser eliminated) 

Sunday, May 30 
Game 9: (3) Molloy vs. Game 8 Winner - 12 p.m. (loser eliminated) 
Game 10: (1) Southern New Hampshire vs. Game 9 Winner - 4 p.m. 

Monday, May 31 
Game 11: Game 10 rematch* - 12 p.m.
* Game 11 only necessary if Game 9 Winner wins Game 10.