No. 4/8 SNHU Keeps Rolling, Advances to NCAA East Regional Final by Eliminating STAC, 10-4
RINDGE, N.H. (May 22, 2016) -- Four runs through the middle innings on Saturday afternoon allowed No. 4/8 nationally ranked and second-seeded Southern New Hampshire to open up a 7-3 lead en route to its fourth consecutive elimination-game victory at Dr. Arthur and Martha Pappas Field. The Penmen went on to a 10-4 victory, eliminating third-seeded St. Thomas Aquinas in the second and final game of the fourth day of the NCAA Championship East Regional, hosted by Franklin Pierce University.
With the win, SNHU improves to 49-6 and advances to the championship round of the East Regional, beginning Monday at noon. The Penmen would have to defeat top seed and No. 1/3 nationally ranked Franklin Pierce twice to claim the regional title. With the loss, STAC sees its fourth NCAA Championship appearance come to a close and concludes its season at 37-17.
Leading 4-3, the Penmen stretched the lead to 6-3 with two runs in the top of the fifth inning. Graduate student second baseman Mike Mastroberti walked on four pitches leading off, moved to second when junior first baseman Derek Bauer was hit by a pitch. After graduate student right fielder Ryan Gendron walked to load the bases, Mastroberti scored on a wild pitch and then Bauer scored on a passed ball.
A single run in the sixth and two more in the seventh pushed the lead out to 9-3. In the sixth, sophomore left fielder Sean Webster singled and later scored on an error. In the seventh, sophomore designated hitter Matt Rabbito drove in a run with a single and scored on the play as well, as the center fielder overran the single and allowed the ball to escape all the way to the center-field fence.
The Spartans picked up a run in the bottom of the seventh and the Penmen tacked on a run in the eighth to create the 10-4 final.
Senior right-hander Joe McCarthy started on the mound for SNHU, but did not record an out, as he was allowed to throw just 12 pitches (four strikes) before being lifted. He was charged with two runs on one hit and walked two. Sophomore right-hander Mitchell Powers (1-0) did the heavy lifting for the Penmen, as he recorded all 27 outs, throwing 145 pitches (96 strikes) over nine innings of work. He allowed two runs on seven hits, walked three, threw a wild pitch and struck out nine to pick up the win.
Junior left-hander Sam Vincenzo (3-2) took the ball and threw 81 pitches (48 strikes) over 4.1 innings on the hill for St. Thomas Aquinas. He surrendered six runs (five earned) on seven hits, walked two, hit a batter, threw two wild pitches and struck out three while taking the loss.