Angelo State 5, SNHU 3

By rbrown
- Tweet
- Pin It
Updated: June 9, 2023

When and Where: June 8, 2023 – Cary, N.C. (USA Baseball National Training Complex)
Score: #1/1 (#3 seed) Angelo State University 5, #7/10 (#6 seed) Southern New Hampshire University 3
Records: SNHU 44-13, Angelo State 53-9

The sixth-seeded Southern New Hampshire University baseball team matched its deepest run in the NCAA Division II Championship, but the Penmen saw their season end with a 5-3 loss to third-seeded Angelo State University on Thursday night in Cary, N.C.

STANDOUT PERFORMERS

Junior Trevor Anibal (Bedford, N.H.) – 5.0 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 0 BB, 5 K (loss; 4-2)
Junior Mike La Rocca (Vero Beach, Fla.) – 1-4, 2 RBI, R, 2B
Freshman Jake Risedorf (Barkhamsted, Conn.) – 1-4, RBI
Junior Nick Schwartz (Massapequa, N.Y.) – 2-4
Junior Cam Caraher (Plymouth, Mass.) – SF, RBI
Junior Danniel Rivera (New Britain, Conn.) – 1-4, R
Freshman Frankie DeMaro (Newburgh, N.Y.) – 4.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB,1 K

KEY MOMENTS

It took Anibal nine pitches to set down the Rams in order in the top of the first inning.
Angelo State took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning. Austin Beck singled, stole second, went to third on a balk, and scored on a squeeze bunt by Jackson Hardy. Two batters later, Hardy, who had stolen second, scored on a single by Justin Harris to put the Rams up 2-0.
Angelo State extended the lead in the top of the fifth inning. Jacob Guerrero tripled in a run and a sacrifice fly by Tripp Clark made it 4-0.
Clark opened the eighth with a triple, scoring on a sacrifice fly by Jordan Williams to make it 5-0.
The Penmen came alive in the bottom of the ninth inning. Rivera and sophomore Anderson Moreno (Bronx, N.Y.) picked up singles and La Rocca doubled down the left field line to make it 3-2.
Schwartz singled to center, moving La Rocca to third. La Rocca scored on a sacrifice fly by Caraher to make it 5-3.
SNHU had two shots to tie the game, but Risedorf was caught looking on a close call and freshman Dyrenson Wouters (Oranjestad, Aruba) grounded into a game-ending fielder’s choice.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

Anibal went five innings in his first career start for the Penmen.
DeMaro made his first appearance in Cary, allowing just one run in four innings.
Moreno was 1-for-3 with a walk and a run scored.
Redshirt-junior Cristian Mercedes (Providence, R.I.) went 1-for-3.
Schwartz had two of SNHU’s seven hits.
The Penmen managed just three singles through eight innings, but had eight outfield fly outs.
Braxton Pearson went five scoreless innings to earn the win for the Rams with Scott Ellis finishing up for his fifth 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, fell for only the fifth time in its last 38 games.
The 44 wins are the third most in program history, trailing the 2016 (50) and 2022 (46) teams.
SNHU, in its 11th appearance, is 43-26 (.623) all-time in the NCAA postseason, including 5-10 (.333) 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.
SNHU is now 0-3 all-time against Angelo State, with all three meetings taking place in the last two NCAA Div. II Championships in Cary.
Schwartz finished the season at 81-for-203, hitting .399, which is second all-time in a single-season for the Penmen.

UP NEXT

The Penmen have now concluded the 2023 season. No. 3 Angelo State, No. 4 Rollins College and No. 5 Cal State San Bernardino remain to fight for the Championship, which would be a first for any of the three programs.

*******

Those who would like to help New Hampshire Hardball promote baseball in the Granite State can do so by purchasing a New Hampshire Hardball membership or by making a donation below. Sponsorship inquiries can be sent to nhhardball@gmail.com. Your support is greatly appreciated.