When and Where: June 1, 2021 – Rindge, N.H. (Pappas Field)
Score: Southern New Hampshire University 9, Molloy College 2
Records: SNHU 28-7, Molloy 25-11

Graduate student Marcus Chavez (Queens, N.Y.) went 4-for-5 and drove in five runs, and redshirt-junior Jeffrey Praml (Bridgewater, N.J.) fired eight strong innings, as the 14th-ranked and top-seeded Southern New Hampshire University baseball team secured its third NCAA East Regional Championship crown with a 9-2 victory against third-seeded Molloy College on Tuesday afternoon at Franklin Pierce University's Pappas Field.

LINKS: BOX SCORE | NCAA EAST REGIONAL CENTRAL

STANDOUT PERFORMERS

• Chavez – 4-5, 2 doubles, 5 RBI, run, stolen base
• Praml – 8.0 innings, 5 hits, 2 runs, 2 earned runs, 6 strikeouts, 2 walks
• Redshirt-freshman Christian Mercedes (Providence, R.I.) – 2-4, 2 RBI, 2 runs, stolen base
• Redshirt-freshman Danniel Rivera (New Britain, Conn.) – 2-4, 2 runs, stolen base
• Redshirt-junior Dakota Mulcay (Goffstown, N.H.) – 2-5, home run, RBI, run

KEY MOMENTS

• After Molloy struck first with an RBI single from Matt Overton in the first, Southern New Hampshire pulled even in the second when Mulcay tagged a ball to left that carried up and over the fence to make it 1-1.
• SNHU went ahead with a pair of two-out runs in the second. Mercedes singled home grad student Joshua Goldstein (Haverhill, Mass.), who smacked a ground-rule double, and then flashed some heads-up baserunning to go first-to-third on an errant throw before scoring on a double off the bat of Chavez.
• Overton plated another run in the fourth to pull Molloy within 3-2 with an RBI groundout after Jake McCarthy reached on a double that was lost in the sun.
• The Penmen added to their lead with a three-spot in the seventh. Chavez plated a pair with a single back up the box and later scored to make it 5-2 on an errant throw when Molloy tried to turn a 4-6-3 double play.
• SNHU broke it open with three more in the eighth, as a sacrifice fly from Mercedes and a two-run, ground-rule double by Chavez widened the gap to 9-2.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Goldstein was 1-for-4 with a walk, double and two runs scored.
• Redshirt-junior Idelson Taveras (Lawrence, Mass.) went 2-for-5 with a steal.
• Redshirt-sophomore Alex Kennedy (Braintree, Mass.) was 1-for-5 with a run scored.
• Redshirt-freshman Michael LaRocca (Vero Beach, Fla.) went 0-for-3, but walked twice.
• Grad student Wesley Tobin (Portsmouth, N.H.) finished it off, walking two and allowing a hit in a scoreless ninth.

NOTES

• Southern New Hampshire, ranked 14th in the latest National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Division II Poll, improves to 31-19 (.620) in its ninth NCAA postseason appearance, including 3-1 versus Molloy.
• The Penmen, who were playing in their fifth straight NCAA East Regional Championship final, earn their third regional crown and trip to the Division II Championship in Cary, N.C. (2012, 2018).
• Southern New Hampshire, which has won eight of its last nine, outscored its opponents in the NCAA East Regional Championship, 40-20, over five games.
• SNHU betters its record to 8-10 against Molloy and has won seven of eight against the Lions.
• Mulcay's home run was his 14th of the season and 28th of his career - both tops in the SNHU record book.
• In two regional starts, Praml went 2-0 with a 1.50 ERA and allowed just three runs over 18 innings, while striking out 20 and walking just two.
• Mulcay and Chavez were a combined 19-for-40 (.475) with nine extra-base hits, including six home runs, 22 RBI and 14 runs scored in the five contests.

UP NEXT

• Southern New Hampshire, seeded sixth in the NCAA Division II Championship in Cary, N.C., will open up against second-seeded Seton Hill University on Sunday, June 6 (6 p.m.).

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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 9, (3) Molloy 2