SNHU opens with win

By rbrown
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Updated: May 28, 2021

RINDGE — Junior right-hander Jeffrey Praml fired a four-hitter at Pappas Field on Thursday night, as No. 14/22 nationally ranked and top-seeded Southern New Hampshire opened its trip to the NCAA Championship East Regional with a 5-1 win over sixth-seeded Dominican. Senior left-hander Eric Sandusky went the distance on the other side as well for the Chargers in a losing effort. The East Regional is being hosted by Franklin Pierce University.

SNHU improved to 25-6 and will look to eliminate fourth-seeded Franklin Pierce in Friday’s 3 p.m. game. Dominican fell to 19-14 and will face elimination against St. Thomas Aquinas at 11 a.m. Friday.

SNHU jumped out front early with three in the bottom of the third and never looked back. Graduate student Marcus Chavez provided a two-run single to left and later scored on an RBI double down the right-field line by junior Dakota Mulcay.

Meanwhile, Praml (6-2) made sure Dominican never seriously threatened to even the game. He used 126 pitches (92 strikes) to dispatch the Chargers, allowed one run on four hits, did not issue a walk and struck out a career-high 14. It was his third double-digit strikeout performance and sixth complete game of the season, though the previous five were all of the seven-inning variety.

Then Penmen added single runs in the fifth and sixth on solo home runs by Chavez and freshman Michael LaRocca, respectively. Sandwiched between the two, Dominican picked up a run in the top of the sixth on a solo homer by junior Max Chidsey.

Sandusky (2-1) was no slouch on the other side of the ledger for Dominican, with his second complete game of the season, on 131 pitches (79 strikes). He surrendered five runs on eight hits, walked three and struck out nine.

Thursday’s Results