FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SNHU Heading to Cary for Fourth Time in Program History.
When and Where: May 29, 2022 - Rindge, N.H. (Pappas Field, Franklin Pierce) - NCAA Div. II East Super Regional Game 3
Score: #7 Southern New Hampshire University 7, #18 Molloy College 3
Records: SNHU 46-10, Molloy 40-15
RINDGE, N.H. – The 7th-ranked Southern New Hampshire baseball team defeated Molloy College 7-3 Sunday to win the NCAA Div. II East Super Regional. The Penmen outlast the Lions in three games to advance to Cary, N.C. for the second consecutive season.
TOP PERFORMERS:
- Graduate student Taylor Lepard started and earned the win - 7.0 IP, 2 earned runs.
- Senior Sam Henrie tripled and homered and finished 5-for-12 in the Super Regional.
- Redshirt junior Cristian Mercedes went 2-for-4 with a double, a home run, and two runs scored.
- Redshirt sophomore Nick Schwartz 2-for-4, 2 RBI
- Redshirt sophomore Griffin Gilbert worked two scoreless innings in relief with two strikeouts.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- The Penmen jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. Mercedes doubled, advanced when Henrie reached on an error, and scored on a fielder's choice by Schwartz.
- Molloy moved in front with a pair of runs in the third inning. Chris Einemann and Robby Keane started the inning with singles for the Lions. A sacrifice fly and an error led to two runs, and a 2-1 Molloy lead.
- SNHU started the bottom of the fourth inning with a triple by Henrie, who reached when a pop fly was lost in the outfield. Schwartz singled to the tie the game, and senior Dakota Mulcay followed with a gap double to left center to make it 3-2. Mulcay advanced on a fly, and scored on an error.
- Redshirt sophomore Danniel Rivera led off the bottom of the fifth with a single, and Mercedes followed with his sixth homer of the season to make it 6-2.
- Henrie took Molloy starter Bobby Wildeman (loss) deep for his 14th homer of the season with two outs in the bottom of the seventh.
- Molloy mounted a final threat with Vincent Pecora leading off the top of the eighth with a single off Lepard, ending his day.
- Gilbert struck out Peter Theodorellis but Thomas Brady singled Pecora to third. A groundout by Matt Overton made it 7-3.
- Molloy's David Franchi singled to start the ninth, but Gilbert struck out Patrick Hoffman and the game ended with a double play grounder by Einemann.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Six of the nine SNHU hits went for extra bases, but Molloy did not record an extra-base hit in the game.
- Lepard improved to 5-0 on the season. In his last four starts, he's 3-0 with a 0.61 ERA (2 earned runs in 29.2 innings pitched).
- Henrie's homer was his 14th of the season, which ties him with Mulcay for the most in a season by an SNHU player. He has hits in 11 consecutive games.
- SNHU has hit 79 home runs on the season, the most in a single-season in program history.
- With two hits, Mercedes now has a team-leading 22 multi-hit games in 2022.
NOTES
- The teams had split the first two games of the Super Regional Friday at Delta Dental Stadium, but after a day off due to weather, the series was completed at Franklin Pierce University.
- It's the second consecutive season these teams went to three games to decide a trip to Cary. Last year, the Penmen won the deciding game 9-2 over the Lions, also at Franklin Pierce.
- The Penmen earn the fourth trip in program history to the Div. II College World Series (National Championship). SNHU also went under head coach Scott Loiseau in 2012, 2018, and last season.
- SNHU may be regarded as an offensive juggernaut, hitting .315 on the season, and averaging 8.25 runs per game. But don't discount a pitching staff with a team ERA of 3.32, among the lowest in the nation.
UP NEXT
- SNHU has been awarded the #4 seed for the NCAA Division II Baseball Championship in Cary, North Carolina. The first game will be next Sunday, June 5, at 1:30 p.m. against #5 seed Angelo State. The Penmen have never played against the Rams.
And just like that, @SNHU_Baseball is going to Cary, NC!!! Rooooooooooll Penmen! pic.twitter.com/bQpwXGwnpZ
— SNHU On Campus (@SNHUOnCampus) May 29, 2022
-Recap provided by SNHU athletic communications-
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