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SNHU 8, North Greenville 4

When and Where: June 7, 2023 – Cary, N.C. (USA Baseball National Training Complex)
Score: #7/10 (#6 seed) Southern New Hampshire University 8, #1/2 (#2 seed) North Greenville University 4
Records: SNHU 44-12, North Greenville 50-11

Sophomore Frankie Sanchez (Kendall Park, N.J.) tossed five-and-two-thirds no-hit innings in relief, junior Michael La Rocca (Vero Beach, Fla.) hit a three-run homer, and sophomore Anderson Moreno (Bronx, N.Y.) had three hits and drove in two in the sixth-seeded Southern New Hampshire University baseball team’s 8-3 win over second-seeded North Greenville University on Wednesday at the NCAA Division II National Championship. The Penmen knock out the defending NCAA National champions to advance to the semifinals against Angelo State University on Thursday night.

STANDOUT PERFORMERS
  • Sanchez – 5.2 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 4 BB, 5 K (win; 8-1)
  • Graduate student Jeffrey Praml (Bridgewater, N.J.) – 1.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K (save; 1)
  • La Rocca – 1-3, 3 RBI, R, HR, 2 BB
  • Moreno – 3-4, 2 RBI, 2 R, 2B, BB
  • Freshman Dyrenson Wouters (Oranjestad, Aruba) – 2-4, RBI
  • Freshman Jake Risedorf (Barkhamsted, Conn.) – 1-4, RBI
  • Junior Cam Caraher (Plymouth, Mass.) – 2-4
  • Junior Danniel Rivera (New Britain, Conn.) – 1-3, 2 R, 2B, 2 BB
KEY MOMENTS
  • After two scoreless innings by junior starter Brandon White (Simsbury, Conn.), North Greenville struck for a pair in the top of the third inning. After loading the bases on a pair of singles and a walk, Pat Monteith singled to make it 2-0.  A lineout double play got the Penmen out of the inning without any further damage.
  • The Penmen would tie the game in the bottom of the third inning. Sophomore Harry Vargas Segura (Bronx, N.Y.) singled to start the inning and Rivera doubled. A two-run single by Moreno made it 2-2.
  • A Penmen error led to an unearned run for North Greenville in the top of the fourth inning when a sacrifice fly by Jax Cash plated David Lewis to make it 3-2.
  • SNHU moved back in front in the bottom of the fifth inning. Moreno and Schwartz drew walks and Risedorf singled to center field to make it 3-3. Wouters beat out a dribbler up the third base line and Schwartz scored to put the Penmen on top.
  • Moreno delivered an RBI single in the bottom of the eighth ahead of the home run by La Rocca that gave the Penmen an 8-3 lead. The Crusaders intentionally walked Rivera to get to Moreno before he provided the insurance run.
  • The Crusaders, the defending NCAA Champs, received a pinch-hit home run by Andrew Kaminsky in the ninth, but Praml finished off for his first save.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
  • Vargas Segura was 1-for-3 with a run scored.
  • White allowed two runs on four hits over two-plus innings of work, striking out one and walking one.
  • LaRocca homered for the second straight day – his 13th of the season and the 21st of his career. The home run he hit off North Greenville’s Michael Rodriguez was the first the talented southpaw had allowed in 2023 over 40 innings.
  • Rivera has 17 doubles on the season and Moreno has 11.
  • Sanchez worked for the second consecutive day in relief. He had notched the final four outs in the win over Augustana (S.D.) University on Tuesday to earn a save.
NOTES
  • Southern New Hampshire, ranked seventh in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Division II Top 25 and 10th in the Collegiate Baseball Division II Poll, wins for the 33rd time in its last 37 games.
  • The 44 wins are the third most in program history, trailing the 2016 (50) and 2022 (46) teams.
  • SNHU, in its 11th appearance, improves to 43-25 (.632) all-time in the NCAA postseason, including 5-9 (.357) in its fifth trip to Cary.
  • The Penmen advance to the national semifinals for the second time. They also won a pair of games after dropping their opener to do so in 2018.
  • This was the first meeting between SNHU and North Greenville.
  • Praml’s relief outing was his first of the season and he earned his first save since May 18, 2019. As a reliever in 2019, Praml recorded 10 saves.
  • Wouters is 6-for-12 (.500) in three games in Cary and has a hit in 11 of his last 12.
  • Over his last three appearances, Sanchez is 2-0 with a save and a 1.38 ERA, allowing three runs – two earned – on just four hits, while striking out 15, over 13 innings. In his last nine appearances, he is 8-0 with a save and a 1.84 ERA, punching out 47 in 49 innings.
UP NEXT
  • The Penmen will take on No. 1/1 and third-seeded Angelo State in a rematch Thursday (June 8) at 6 p.m. at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, N.C. Angelo State defeated SNHU 2-1 in Sunday’s opener.

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