New Hampshire Hardball

SNHU 13, Le Moyne 4

When and Where: May 26, 2023 – Hooksett, N.H. (Penmen Field)
Score: #10/13 (#1 seed) Southern New Hampshire University 13, RV/#26 (#3 seed) Le Moyne 4
Records: SNHU 41-11, Le Moyne 34-21

Sophomore Anderson Moreno (Bronx, N.Y.) and junior Mike La Rocca (Vero Beach, Fla.) each homered and combined to drive in five runs, as the No. 10/13 and top-seeded Southern New Hampshire University baseball team defeated RV/No. 26 and third-seeded Le Moyne College, 13-4, in game 1 of the NCAA Baseball Championship East Super-Regional on Friday at Penmen Field.

STANDOUT PERFORMERS
  • Moreno – 3-4, 2 RBI, 4 R, HR, 2 2B, BB
  • La Rocca – 3-5, 3 RBI, R, HR
  • Junior Danniel Rivera (New Britain, Conn.) – 3-5, 3 R, 2 2B
  • Junior Nick Schwartz (Massapequa, N.Y.) – 2-4, 2 RBI, R
  • Redshirt-junior Cristian Mercedes (Providence, R.I.) – 2-4, 2 RBI, R
  • Freshman Dyrenson Wouters (Oranjestad, Aruba) – 1-4, 2 RBI
  • Senior Jeffrey Praml (Bridgewater, N.J.) – 7.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 K (win; 11-3)
KEY MOMENTS
  • Le Moyne took advantage of an error on Dewey Roden’s double into the right field corner to score the game’s first run in the top of the first.
  • Southern New Hampshire answered with four in the home half on an RBI double by Moreno, a run-scoring single from Schwartz and a two-run single from Mercedes.
  • A two-out solo homer to right-center off the bat of Wyatt Patchett trimmed Le Moyne’s deficit to 4-2 in the second.
  • SNHU again responded with four in the bottom of the frame, with a two-run shot to center from La Rocca and a two-run single up the middle by Wouters stretching the lead to 8-2.
  • Moreno made it 9-2 in the third when he hammered a solo home run to left-center.
  • The Penmen extended their advantage to 12-2 with a three-run fifth. A wild pitch, an RBI single from La Rocca and a sacrifice fly from Schwartz did the damage.
  • SNHU tacked on an unearned run in the seventh when Rivera swiped third and scored, as the catcher’s throw hopped down the left field line.
  • Le Moyne added a pair in the eighth on an RBI single by Brody Keneston and a sac fly from Zach Brush to make it 13-4.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
  • Freshman Jake Risedorf (Barkhamsted, Conn.) went 1-for-3, scored a run and walked.
  • Junior Cam Caraher (Plymouth, Mass.) finished 1-for-5 and scored a run.
  • Sophomore Harry Vargas Segura (Bronx, N.Y.) was 0-for-2, but drew a pair of walks and scored a run.
  • Freshman Frankie DeMaro (Newburgh, N.Y.) allowed two runs on two hits, while striking out a pair and walking one, in two innings of relief.
  • Le Moyne starter Max Parker was charged with eight runs on nine hits, while striking out a batter and walking a pair, in one-and-two-thirds innings of work.
  • Roden was 2-for-4 and scored a run.
  • Patchett went 1-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored.
  • Nick Nevins finished 1-for-2 with a pair of walks and two runs scored.
NOTES
  • Southern New Hampshire, ranked 10th in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Division II Top 25 and 13th in the Collegiate Baseball Division II Poll, has won 30 of its last 33.
  • The 41 wins for the Penmen are tied for the fifth most in a single season in program history.
  • SNHU, the two-time defending East Region Champion, improves to 40-24 (.625) all-time in the NCAA postseason, including 2-0 against Le Moyne.
  • The Penmen better their record to 17-2 (.895) at home this season and are now 133-29 (.821) at Penmen Field since the beginning of the 2014 season.
  • Southern New Hampshire now leads the all-time series with Le Moyne, 6-2, and has won five of the last six, including two straight. SNHU is also 4-1 at home all-time against the Dolphins.
  • Praml’s win is his 11th of the year, which sets a new single-season program record, as he passes Alex Person and Justin Valdespina, who each won 10 games in 2016.
  • Moreno’s home run was his sixth of the season and of his Penmen career, as he goes deep for the second straight game and the third time in six contests.
  • La Rocca’s blast gives him 11 on the season and 18 in his career.
  • Caraher has a hit in 18 of his last 19, including 13 straight, while Wouters has a hit in 10 of 11, including eight-in-a-row.
  • The Penmen have now scored 504 runs in 52 games (9.7) to break the program’s single-season mark of 494 runs by the 2016 squad. The two home runs also broke a single-season record, giving the 2023 team 83 to pass the 82 clobbered by last season’s group. The team already held the top marks in batting average, RBI and walks.
UP NEXT
  • The Penmen and Dolphins will play game 2 of the NCAA East Super-Regional at Penmen Field on Saturday (May 27) at noon with an if-necessary game following 60 minutes following the conclusion of the opener.

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