Baseball Collides with No. 22 Southern NH in Regional Action Monday Afternoon (3:30 p.m.)
Links: Live Stats (G1) | Live Stats (G2) | Follow @MerrimackBSB
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – The Merrimack College baseball team returns to the East Region with six wins under its belt and the Warriors immediately have another challenge, as the Navy and Gold battle No. 22 Southern New Hampshire in non-conference action on Monday starting at 3:30 p.m. at the Dr. Arthur and Martha Pappas Field at Franklin Pierce University.
The Basics
Date/Time: 3/16 | 3:30 p.m.
Records: Merrimack (6-3) | SNHU (10-5)
Location: Dr. Arthur and Martha Pappas Field | Rindge, N.H.
Last Time Out:
The Warriors swept a doubleheader on Friday afternoon against St. Augustine's from Cary, N.C. to conclude the season-opening road trip through Florida and North Carolina.
In the first contest, junior starter Joe Carnevale (East Providence, R.I.) tossed six innings of one-run ball. He struck out seven batters while only allowing five hits as the Warriors won Game 1, 15-5. Junior third baseman Frank Crinella (East Longmeadow, Mass.) powered the offense with a 3-for-3 day, including his first home run of the campaign. He totaled four RBI and three runs scored. Six different players scored multiple runs, while four separate players notched at least two RBI.
In the second game, freshman southpaw PJ Browne (Rutland, Mass.) stole the show, tossing his first career complete game. The rookie pitched all seven innings, allowing a single run to go along with six strikeouts. The offense pushed six runs across the plate, with freshman Ricky Smith (Weymouth, Mass.) totaling a two-RBI game.
Junior captains Crinella and Matt Brown (Belmont, Mass.) are both hitting over .400 on the season. Crinella leads the team with 15 hits, 11 runs scored, seven stolen bases and eight RBI. Brown has registered three doubles, which is tied for the team lead, and also joins Crinella and senior Dionys Quezada (Lawrence, Mass.) as the players with home runs for the Warriors this season.
Last Season vs. SNHU:
Merrimack played some of its best baseball of the season last year against the Penmen, winning two of three when Southern NH was ranked among the top-15 teams in the country.
In the first game, the Warriors won 4-0. Graduated seniors Connor McMahon and Tyler Cuming combined to pitch the shutout. At the dish, Sean O'Neill (Norwood, Mass.) and Ryan Petrone (Leicester, Mass.) collected RBI hits for the Warriors. Tim Cashman (Rowley, Mass.) tossed eight innings, allowing only one run, to come away with the victory.
Both teams enter the matchup ranked in the top-five of the most recent NCBWA East Region Poll, while the Warriors coming in at No. 5 and the Penmen ranked No. 2.
The Penmen:
- SNHU enters Monday's non-conference doubleheader with 10 victories through 15 games. The Penmen have been ranked in the top-25 from the start of the year, and were picked to finish second in the Northeast Division in the Northeast-10 Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll
- The Penmen ranked third in the conference in runs scored (96) and second in the league in earned run average (2.34). The Penmen staff leads the conference in strikeouts (157)
- Sophomore Carson Helms has been fantastic at the plate, leading the team in average (.383) and ranks second in slugging percentage (.596). He has notched eight extra-base hits, including a team-leading seven doubles
Up Next
The Warriors begin conference play with cross-divisional action against Adelphi on Saturday beginning at Noon and Pace on Sunday beginning at noon as well. Both contests will be on the road in Garden City and Pleasantville, N.Y., respectively.
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