Baseball Opens Saint Anselm Series Friday Night

Matchup	Saint Anselm (8-15, 2-8 NE10, 2-4 NE DIV) at Merrimack (13-13, 6-7 NE10, 1-4 NE DIV)
Date//Time	Fri., April 13 (7:30 pm) | Sat., April 14 (12 | 3 pm)
Venue	Holman Stadium (Nashua, N.H.)
Multimedia	Live Stats
Social Media	Twitter // Instagram

 
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – The Merrimack College baseball program will host Saint Anselm on Friday and Saturday at Holman Stadium for a three-game series in Nashua, N.H. beginning on Friday night at 7:30 p.m. The series will conclude with a doubleheader that is set to begin on Saturday at 12 p.m. The Warriors enter the weekend with one win in five Northeast games this season, while the Hawks have a 2-4 divisional record.  

Last Time Out:

• The Warriors scored a season-high 19 runs in a 10-run drubbing of Assumption College on Wednesday (19-9). Merrimack held a 19-4 lead entering the ninth inning before the Greyhounds tacked on five runs in their last at-bat
• The Navy and Gold hit three homers in the game, with junior Matthew Ronai, senior Matt Nicholson and senior Ricky Smith providing the pop. It marked the first time Merrimack hit three round-trippers in a game since March of 2016
• Every member of Merrimack's starting nine recorded at least one hit, and eight of the nine posted multi-hit efforts
• Merrimack's first three hitters – sophomore Joey Porricelli, graduate student Tyler Lyne and Ronai – combined to go 9-for-16 at the dish, scored seven runs and totaled six RBI

'Mack Facts:

• The Warriors now have two of the top-five hitters in the conference in Ronai (.402) and Nicholson (.388). The former is one of three hitters in the conference with a .400 average or better
• As a team, Merrimack's offense ranks second in the conference and first in the division by hitting at a .296 clip. The Warriors' 57 doubles sits third in the league, while Lyne's 11 two-baggers are tied for the second most in the conference
• The Warriors are third nationwide in double plays per game (1.16), totaling 30 on the year
• With a team-high 28 runs scored this season and 111 in his career, Lyne has risen to seventh all-time in school history. He is also fifth in school annals with 233 total bases, fifth with 40 doubles and fifth with 11 triples
• On the mound, senior PJ Browne continues to lead the staff statistically. He enters the week first on the squad in ERA (2.01), ranking ninth in the conference. He enters the week with 211 career innings pitched and 218 strikeouts, both of which are nearing school records. Browne needs 13 more punch outs to set a new school mark
• Projected weekend starters in freshman Vin Zappulla and senior Anthony Lupi are both coming off of complete-game performances last weekend in a pair of NE10 victories

Scouting the Hawks:

• Saint Anselm snapped a six-game losing streak on Wednesday with a 12-1 divisional victory against Saint Michael's
• Junior JJ Dunn leads the staff with a 2.34 ERA over seven starts. Dunn has been the winning pitcher in five of the Hawks' eight wins on the season and leads the team with 42.1 innings pitched
• Two Hawks boast averages of .300 or better: freshman Matthew Butigian (.350) and senior Dan Bodi (.303)
• Junior Connor Parent has seven extra-base hits to pace the team, hitting one of four homers for the Hawks this year

Recent Series:

• The Warriors swept last season's divisional series with Saint Anselm, but lost a fourth non-league game that the programs played to end the year
• In the first league game, Merrimack executed a five-run comeback to prevail. The second contest featured a six-inning victory for Garrett Hudson, while the Warriors completed the sweep of the Hawks, 5-4, thanks to a game-winning RBI from Porricelli
• Since 2013, Merrimack has taken at least two of three games from the Hawks in divisional action

Up Next:
The Warriors travel to Bentley on Tuesday for the first divisional game of the season between the Navy and Gold and the Falcons. First pitch in Waltham, Mass. is set for 3:30 p.m.