SNHU Sweeps Merrimack, 7-2, 3-1 Saturday in Manchester
Box Score (Game 1) | Box Score (Game 2)
MANCHESTER, N.H. – The Merrimack baseball team mustered five runs over a span of 18 innings, as 2012 College World Series participant Southern New Hampshire handed the Warriors a Saturday doubleheader sweep in Northeast-10 Conference Division play at Penmen Field.
Falling to 18-11 on the year with a 4-3 mark in Northeast Division action, the Warriors dropped the opener, 7-2, before falling in the late game, 3-1, against the Penmen (24-10) Saturday afternoon and evening.
"I'm proud of our effort today," head coach Jim Martin noted afterward. "It's always disappointing when you don't get a win, however we showed resiliency throughout. Both Alek and Junior pitched outstanding. We need to make the routine play, limit the big inning, and continue to have quality at-bats. If we can do that, we'll put ourselves in a great situation to succeed tomorrow."
Game 1
Derrick Sylvester tossed seven innings of two-run, six-hit ball, while his offense backed him with some early and then late run support to help Southern New Hampshire take Saturday's opener, 7-2.
The Penmen starter limited the Warriors' offense to two runs while using a four-strikeout, one-walk performance to earn the win. Righty Alek Morency (Nashua, N.H.) fell to 3-3 on the season after yielding three runs over five innings despite a season-high nine-strikeout performance. Classmate Travis Terrill (Hudson, N.H.) also logged three innings of relief and surrendered four runs over that span.
Two Warriors tallied two-hit performances in game one, led by seniors Alan Pastyrnak Jr. (Bristol, Conn.) and Mark O'Flynn (Ipswich, Mass.), who combined for four of Merrimack's six hits.
Southern New Hampshire hopped in front with a run in the first and two more in the second to go ahead by three after two innings. Riley Palmer tallied the home side's first run-scoring hit of the day on a single to right center before Andrew Pezzuto brought home two on a base knock through the right side in the second.
Both sides' bats would fall silent for three innings, as Merrimack squandered a few opportunities with runners in scoring position. Then, in the sixth, SNHU broke out with a four-run bottom of the sixth. Matt Boulter, Palmer (two-RBI double) and Jon Minucci each were responsible for run-scoring hits for the Penmen, as the home side went up by a 7-0 margin after six innings of play.
Merrimack got on the board at long last in the seventh, striking for a pair of runs on two hits, as O'Flynn drove in the first run on a groundout before Pastyrnak Jr. came home on a wild pitch to account for the lone Warrior runs of game one.
Game 2
After sophomore righty Junior Vasquez (Lawrence, Mass.) gave the Warriors five innings of shutout ball on his second start of the year, Southern New Hampshire managed to break a scoreless draw with three runs in the seventh, and that proved to be the difference as the Warriors suffered the Saturday sweep after dropping the nightcap, 3-1.
Vasquez gave the Navy and Gold all he had through five strong innings, as the right-hander yielded just one hit while striking out seven and walking five over that span. But Tyler Gauthier was just as good, as the SNHU starter limited the visitors to just two hits over seven-plus innings. Alex Powers earned his sixth save of the year after tossing the final two frames.
Each side combined for just six hits total (4-2 SNHU) in the nightcap, as junior Eddie Newton (North Billerica, Mass.) and freshman Frank Crinella (Springfield, Mass.) tallied the Warriors' only two hits.
After each team put up zeroes through seven innings, the Penmen finally broke through against senior Beau Batchelor (Peabody, Mass.) in the bottom of the seventh. After the leadoff man reached on an error to start, Boulter singled home the first run of the game two batters later.
Then, after a hit by pitch loaded the bases, Minucci tallied another RBI on an infield single before a sacrifice fly capped off the three-run, three-hit inning to give the hosts a 3-0 advantage after seven.
Right on cue, however, the Warriors finally managed to get to Gauthier, drawing back-to-back walks to start the inning. After a fielding error loaded the bases, Merrimack finally got on the board on a fielder's choice RBI off the bat of senior Casey Cotter (North Hampton, N.H.), but that was all the Warriors would get, slicing the deficit to two (3-1) after eight at-bats.
That would be the closest that Merrimack would pull to within, as Powers set down the visitors in order in the ninth to secure the sweep.
Merrimack and SNHU will close out the three-game weekend series with a Sunday matinee tomorrow (April 14). First pitch is slated for 3 p.m.
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