FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Penmen Equal Best-Ever Finish for NE10 Team in League History
CARY, N.C. - Senior Caleb Potter went 2-for-3 and drove in a run, but fourth-seeded Southern New Hampshire saw its season come to a close Thursday with an 8-2 defeat against fifth-seeded Augustana (S.D.) at the Baseball Championship in Cary, N.C., at the USA Baseball National Training Complex. SNHU's run to the national semifinals equals the furthers a team from the NE10 has ever advanced in the history of the league.
Southern New Hampshire, making its second appearance in the College World Series, won two straight elimination games, including one that ended just 12 hours and 21 minutes prior to first pitch in this one. Augustana, at 3-0, advances straight to Saturday's final where it will await the winner of Friday's game between top-seeded Florida Southern and second-seeded Columbus State.
After a pair of flares to the outfield and a bunt single toward third that loaded the bases in the bottom of the first for Augustana with no outs, graduate student Andrew Lalonde induced a key 6-4-3 double-play ball that put the Vikings up 1-0, before recording the final out of the inning on a fly out that snuffed out what was a potential huge inning. Southern New Hampshire would then tie it in the top of the second, as base hits from freshman Sam Henrie and senior Kyle Pangallo put a pair on before a two-out error by the Augustana second baseman on a groundball off the bat of redshirt-sophomore Joshua Goldstein allowed Henrie to race around from second and score.
Augustana went ahead in the home half, as Lalonde recorded two quick punchouts before loading the bases and then clearing them on Michael Svozil's three-run double to right-center that made it 4-1. The Penmen grabbed a run back in the third when grad student Thomas Buonopane led off with a single to center, took second on a wild pitch and scored when Potter shot a ball the other way down the right field line for an RBI double that trimmed the deficit to 4-2.
The Vikings added another run in the fourth, as they put a pair on against Lalonde before he was replaced by redshirt-junior Jake Walkinshaw with a 3-0 count to the third batter of the inning. Walkinshaw's first pitch loaded the bases, while his second pitch resulted in a 6-4-3 double play that nudged the Augustana lead to 5-2. Walkinshaw then recorded a strikeout to get out of the inning with little damage done.
More two-out execution led to another Augustana run in the sixth, as a two-out fielding error, stolen base and an RBI single to center from Svozil stretched the lead to 6-2. The Vikings added two more in the seventh against sophomore Nick Artymowicz, as Lucas Barry plated a run with a bunt single and then scored on a wild pitch to make it 8-2.
Potter finished 2-for-3 with an RBI, while Pangallo was 2-for-4. Buonopane went 2-for-5 and scored a run, with Henrie going 1-for-4 with a run scored.
Lalonde (6-5) relinquished five runs on seven hits, while striking out three and walking four, over three-plus innings. Walkinshaw was charged with one run – unearned – on two hits over three frames, striking out one. Artymowicz gave up two runs on hits in an inning of work, striking out one and walking one. Senior Ivon Clough and redshirt-senior Jake Stearns combined on a perfect eighth, with Clough striking out one of the two batters he faced before Stearns finished it off.
- Information for this release provided by the athletic communications staff at Southern New Hampshire
ABOUT THE NE10
The NE10 is an association of 15 diverse institutions serving student-athletes across 24 NCAA Division II sports. Together we build brilliant futures by embracing the journey of every student-athlete.
Each year, 4,500 student-athletes compete in conference championships, making the NE10 the largest DII conference in the country in terms of sport sponsorship. Leading the way in the classroom, on the field and within the community, the NE10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.