Box Score When and Where: May 31, 2021 – Rindge, N.H. (Pappas Field)
Score: Molloy College 8, Southern New Hampshire University 3
Records: SNHU 27-7, Molloy 25-10
Redshirt-junior Idelson Taveras (Lawrence, Mass.) homered to stake the Penmen to a 1-0 lead in the second inning and graduate student Marcus Chavez (Queens, N.Y.) drove in a pair of runs, but the 14th-ranked and top-seeded Southern New Hampshire University baseball team fell to third-seeded Molloy College, 8-3, Monday evening at Franklin Pierce University's Pappas Field. SNHU will still have a chance at the NCAA East Regional Championship crown in a rematch with the Lions on Tuesday at noon.
STANDOUT PERFORMERS
- Taveras – 1-4, home run, RBI, run
- Chavez – 2-5, double, 2 RBI
- Grad student Joshua Goldstein (Haverhill, Mass.) – 2-3, run
- Redshirt-freshman Christian Mercedes (Providence, R.I.) – 2-4, walk, run, 2 stolen bases.
KEY MOMENTS
- After graduate student Nick Artymowicz (Seaville, N.J.) stranded a runner at third in the top of the second, Southern New Hampshire capitalized when Taveras crushed a ball over the fence in right to make it 1-0.
- Molloy responded with five in the top of the third, loading the bases with no one out against Artymowicz. Redshirt-sophomore Ricky Alexy (Needham, Mass.) came on and walked in a pair of runs, before redshirt-junior Alex Gomes (Peabody, Mass.) entered and the Lions took advantage of an error to push across three more and make it 5-1.
- The Penmen chipped away, with Chavez contributing an RBI double in the third and a run-scoring single in the fourth to trim the deficit to 5-3.
- Molloy capitalized on two more errors in the sixth to hang a three-spot that widened the gap to 8-3.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Redshirt-freshman Danniel Rivera (New Britain, Conn.) went 1-for-4 with a walk.
- Redshirt-junior Dakota Mulcay (Goffstown, N.H.) and redshirt-freshman Michael LaRocca (Vero Beach, Fla.) were both 0-for-2 with a pair of walks.
- Artymowicz (8-2) was charged with four runs - three earned - on three hits over two innings, while striking out a pair and walking three.
- Alexy allowed a run on a pair of walks and struck out one in a third of a frame.
- Gomes gave up three runs - one earned - on a hit, while fanning a pair and walking three in three-and-two-thirds innings.
- Junior Taylor Lepard (Toronto, Ontario) fired three scoreless innings, giving up a pair of hits, while striking out two and walking a batter.
NOTES
- Southern New Hampshire, ranked 14th in the latest National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Division II Poll, dips to 30-19 (.612) in its ninth NCAA postseason appearance, including 2-1 versus Molloy.
- The Penmen, playing in their fifth straight NCAA East Regional Championship final, will have another chance to take the crown and punch their ticket to the NCAA Division II Championship in Cary, N.C., when they meet the Lions again Tuesday at noon.
- Southern New Hampshire, which had its seven-game winning streak snapped, is still outscoring its opponents in the NCAA East Regional Championship, 31-18, over four games.
- SNHU falls to 7-10 against Molloy and had its six-game winning streak against the Lions halted.
- Taveras' home run is his second of the season and his career.
UP NEXT
- Top-seeded Southern New Hampshire will play in a winner-take-all NCAA East Regional Championship final against third-seeded Molloy on Tuesday at noon.
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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 2, (2) St. Thomas Aquinas 1 (St. Thomas Aquinas eliminated)
Monday, May 31
Game 9: (3) Molloy 6, (5) Goldey-Beacom 4 (Goldey-Beacom eliminated)
Game 10: (3) Molloy 8, (1) Southern New Hampshire 3
Tuesday, June 1
Game 11: (1) Southern New Hampshire vs. (3) Molloy - 12 p.m.
* Game 11 only necessary if Game 9 Winner wins Game 10.
