Saint Anselm displays power
- Updated: March 24, 2023
RINDGE — The Saint Anselm College baseball team slugged four home runs and beat crosstown rival Southern New Hampshire University by a 12-7 score from the campus of Franklin Pierce University on Thursday.
The Hawks improved to 4-15 on the season and have a quick turnaround as the team is scheduled for a non-conference doubleheader against Le Moyne College from the New England Baseball Complex in Northborough, Mass. on Friday. The Penmen, who are receiving votes in both the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association and Collegiate Baseball Newspaper National Polls, dropped to 11-8 on their season.
Seniors Matt Collins (Beverly, Mass.), Mike Borrelli (Salisbury, Mass.), and Will Panarello (Barrington, R.I.) led the Hawks with two hits apiece in the contest. Collins blasted two home runs in the game and scored three runs while Panarello hit one home run and was credited with four runs batted in. Sophomore Daniel Scolaro (Quincy, Mass.) was 1-for-3 at the plate with a homer and three RBIs.
The four home runs hit by the Hawks are tied for second most in a single game in program history and are tied for the most in a single game this season.
Senior Taylor French (Goffstown, N.H.) went 4.2 innings pitched in his second career start. Senior John Donovan (Lowell, Mass.) earned the win while sophomore Adam Betty (Lowell, Mass.) locked down his first collegiate save with 2.2 innings of scoreless work.
Collins wasted no time giving the Hawks a 1-0 lead as he turned around the first pitch of the game, sending it over the left field fence for his second home run of the season in the top of the first inning.
After a walk and a single with one out for the Hawks in the top of the fourth inning, the Penmen would get a ground out and a strikeout to keep the deficit at one.
However, that lead for the Hawks would disappear as Mike LaRocca drove a solo home run over the right field fence to lead off the bottom half of the fourth.
The Penmen once again got out of a two-on, one-out jam with a strikeout and a flyout in the top of the fifth and would take their first lead of the game in the bottom of the inning. Danniel Rivera kept the inning alive with a two-out double and he was replaced on a double by Anderson Moreno, giving Southern New Hampshire a 2-1 lead.
Southern New Hampshire made a pitching change in the top of the sixth after Borrelli worked a leadoff walk. Scolaro sent the first pitch thrown by the Penmen reliever over the center field fence to push the Hawks back in front, 3-2.
Following the home run, senior Mike Pierro (North Andover, Mass.) worked a walk and was brought home on a two-run homer from Panarello. The Hawks were not done in the inning as Collins slugged his second solo home run of the day, capping a three home run inning for Saint Anselm, which led 6-2 through the top of the sixth.
A single, walk, and hit by pitch loaded the bases for Southern New Hampshire in the bottom of the sixth. After a strikeout got Saint Anselm to two outs in the inning, Dyrenson Wouters doubled to right field to bring home a pair of runs, cutting the Hawks lead to 6-4.
Consecutive singles to open the seventh inning, set up the Hawks to push across another run as Pierro put a ball in play to score senior Brady Doran (Seneca, S.C.). After another single, Panarello brought home a pair of runs with a double, giving the Hawks a 9-4 advantage.
A walk and a pair of singles plated one Penmen run in the bottom of the seventh before a double by Dylan O’Sullivan scored another two, which cut the Hawks lead to two at 9-7.
Saint Anselm loaded the bases on two walks and a hit by pitch in the top of the eighth inning. Another walk followed by a sacrifice fly scored two runs and a wild pitch allowed a third to score, giving the Hawks a 12-7 lead.
The Penmen loaded the bases in the bottom of the eighth inning but Betty worked out of the trouble to preserve the Saint Anselm five-run lead headed to the ninth.
Both sides would strand one runner in their respective halves of the ninth inning as the Hawks grabbed a 12-7 non-conference win.
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