Every Friday, the NE10 is going to highlight the biggest contests each weekend. It may be a big-time rivalry, matchup between two ranked teams or a battle for playoff-positioning. Fans can follow the action for every game by visiting our schedule page.
MEN'S TENNIS - NE10 CHAMPIONSHIP
SNHU at Le Moyne: April 30 – 2:00 p.m. (Championship Central)
The two top seeds in the NE10 Men's Tennis Championship – Le Moyne and Southern New Hampshire – will meet on Saturday afternoon with first serve scheduled for 2 p.m. In the event of rain, the match will be moved indoors to Elevate Fitness Dewitt in Syracuse. Both teams advanced to the Championship final after semifinal victories on Thursday afternoon.
Le Moyne is on a 20-match winning streak, with its last loss coming to Division I Niagara on October 9. SNHU's only loss this season came to Le Moyne on the road in the regular-season finale, where the Dolphins clinched the top seed in the NE10 Championship. SNHU is led by Jonathan Berling, the NE10's Vern Cox Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year, while Le Moyne's Jeff Lonczak was named the league's Coach of the Year.
MEN'S LACROSSE - NE10 FIRST ROUND
Bentley at Pace: April 30 – 4:00 p.m. (Live Stats - Video)
The Falcons and Setters meet in the playoffs for the third straight year, in what should be a great battle. Pace finished at 7-3 in the conference while Bentley was 6-4. In their first meeting of the year the Falcons appeared on the verge of victory, holding a 15-12 lead going into the final minute. However, Pace scored three times and managed to force OT where they completed the 16-15 comeback victory.
Pace's Jake Veres led the conference in scoring with 63 points, while teammates Kyle Casey and Tim Cairo ranked second and third with 59 points respectively. In net, Louis Ragusa leads the NE10 in save percentage at 61.8%. Bentley has been led by the duo of Luke Jaber and Ryan Birch. Jaber has 31 goals and 16 assists, while Birch has totaled 33 points.
SNHU at Saint Anselm: April 30 – 4:30 p.m. (Live Stats - Video)
The Hawks went 7-3 in the NE10 are the No. 3 seed and look to take down cross-town rival Southern New Hampshire (5-5) on Saturday to earn a spot in the semifinals. They have won five straight games since an overtime loss to Franklin Pierce, while the Penmen had their six-game winning streak snapped in the final game of the regular season.
Saint Anselm leads the NE10 in scoring this year at 15.2 goals per game while ranking fourth in scoring defense (9.5). The Penmen are eighth in scoring defense (12.5) and sixth in scoring offense (12.5) thanks to Ryan Auger (45 pts) and Tristan Pietz (42 pts). The Hawks are led by the trio of Jack Robinson (49 pts), Sean Tomaszewski (47 pts) and Jack Andrews (41 pts).
WOMEN'S LACROSSE
Saint Anselm at Stonehill: April 29 – 3:30 p.m. (Live Stats – Video)
Stonehill has a chance this weekend to do something the program hasn't done since 2009 – win at least a share of the NE10 women's lacrosse regular season title. No. 9 Stonehill (13-2, 11-1 NE10) will need to beat No. 23 Saint Anselm (7-7, 5-6 NE10) at home on Saturday to snap that 13-year stretch. With last week's win over No. 2 Adelphi, a Stonehill win would not only clinch at least a share of the regular season title, but also secure the No. 1 seed in the NE10 Women's Lacrosse Championship.
Lydia Rudden – now a two-time reigning IWLCA National Offensive Player of the Week – continues to be the key piece for the Skyhawks. She leads all NE10 players this season in assists (62) and points (96). Freshman goalkeeper Sarah Faley has also played a huge role for Stonehill, as she ranks fifth among NE10 goalkeepers in saves (114), save percentage (44.2) and goals against average (10.62).
Le Moyne at SNHU: April 30 – 2:00 p.m. (Live Stats – Video)
No. 10 Le Moyne, currently tied for third in the NE10 standings, will look to maintain its playoff positioning when it travels to play Southern New Hampshire in the regular-season finale. Le Moyne (12-4, 9-3 NE10) has won three-straight games, following its loss to No. 5 Adelphi on April 16. Southern New Hampshire (9-5, 7-5 NE10) has lost consecutive games to No. 18 Assumption and No. 9 Stonehill, as it tries to snap its skid heading into the NE10 Women's Lacrosse Championship.
Jessica Meneilly is the top scorer for the Dolphins this season (55 points), while Shelby Cole leads the Penmen (58 points). Le Moyne boasts one of the top scoring offenses (15.44 goals per game) and defenses (9.50 goals allowed per game) in the league.
SOFTBALL
Franklin Pierce at Assumption: April 29 – 3:00 p.m. (DH) (Live Stats - Video)
It's the final weekend of the regular season as the Ravens (14-8) and Greyhounds (11-11) both fight for playoff positioning. Franklin Pierce is in a three-way tie for third in the conference, while Assumption is tied for seventh but a just a game out of falling to ninth and out of the playoffs.
Neither team has been hot lately as the Greyhounds have dropped five straight contests and the Ravens are 5-6 over their last 11 games. Franklin Pierce is batting .301 as a team and is led by Gina Hinckley, who has 11 home runs, 38 RBI and is batting .383 while slugging .851 this year. Assumption is hitting just .257 and owns a team ERA of 4.04 as five pitchers have thrown at least 20 innings.
Pace at Le Moyne: April 30 – 12:00 p.m. (DH) (Live Stats - Video)
The final day of the regular season is going to be big for both the Setters (14-8) and the Dolphins (10-12). Le Moyne enters the weekend just one game out of the playoff picture and needs to sweep the Setters if they want a chance to climb into one of the final two playoff spots. Pace, meanwhile, is tied for third in the standings and a strong weekend could give them a home game in the opening round of the playoffs.
The Setters are hitting .290 this year and have won five of their last six conference games. Freshman pitcher Gisselle Garcia has been dominant this year, posting a 15-5 record with 186 strikeouts and a 1.33 ERA, including a no-hitter. Le Moyne will need a great effort from Laura Bennett who is 12-8 this year with a. 2.25 ERA and 175 strikeouts in 133.2 innings. The Dolphins as a team are hitting .265 this year.
BASEBALL
Le Moyne at Adelphi: Saturday, Apr. 30 – 12:00 p.m. (DH) (Live Stats – Video)
Le Moyne at Adelphi: Sunday, May 1 – 12:00 p.m. (DH) (Live Stats – Video)
Two of the top teams in the Southwest Division will meet this weekend when Le Moyne visits Adelphi in a four-game set that could help determine the regular season champion. Adelphi (22-9-1, 11-4 NE10) has won five in a row, while Le Moyne (21-17, 10-6 NE10) has won two of its last three in conference games against Saint Rose and American International. Adelphi and Le Moyne have combined to win each of the past three regular season titles in the NE10 Southwest Division (2018-2021).
Matt Alifano and Kyle Olson continue to lead Adelphi's high-powered offense, as they rank first and third, respectively, among all NE10 players this season in batting average. Le Moyne will look to counter Adelphi's offensive attack with good pitching, as ace Jacob Marshall enters the weekend with a 6-1 record and 2.98 ERA in nine starts this season.
SNHU at Franklin Pierce: Friday, Apr. 29 – 6:00 p.m. (Live Stats – Video)
SNHU at Franklin Pierce: Saturday, Apr. 30 – 4:00 p.m. (DH) (Live Stats – Video)
SNHU at Franklin Pierce: Sunday, May 1 – 2:00 p.m. (Live Stats – Video)
When Southern New Hampshire and Franklin Pierce play, what once was just an in-state rivalry has turned into a yearly battle for Northeast Division supremacy – with this season being no different. SNHU (30-7, 14-2 NE10), ranked No. 11 in the latest NCBWA rankings, is riding a 12-game winning streak, while Franklin Pierce (23-11, 11-6 NE10), winner of seven of its last nine, looks to snap that streak.
SNHU ranks second among NE10 teams in hitting this season with a .323 batting average – led by Nick Schwartz at .414. Franklin Pierce ranks third in batting average (.307), with Ian Battipaglia sporting a .374 average at the dish. Both teams also have arguably the two best pitching staffs in the league, ranking first and second in ERA (SNHU at 3.90, Franklin Pierce at 3.94).