HOOKSETT, N.H. – The Pace University baseball team's season came to an end Friday, May 19, as the Setters dropped a pair of games to No. 1 seed Southern New Hampshire University. The Penmen won game one 6-3, then in game two took a 14-4 victory.
Game One: Southern New Hampshire 6, Pace 3
The Penmen (40-11), playing as the road team, got on the board right away, getting a leadoff home run from Danniel Rivera to take the early lead.
The Setters (34-21) got a leadoff single by sophomore outfielder Josh Miller (Clifton, N.J./Clifton) but couldn't get him home in the bottom of the first. They had another opportunity in the second, getting a pair of two out singles but again couldn't push a run across as SNHU held their 1-0 lead going into the third.
The Penmen got two runners on with one out in the top of the third and had a chance to extend their lead, but freshman pitcher Brendan McCann (Plainview, N.Y./Kellenberg Memorial) came back and set down the next two batters to keep it a one-run game.
However, SNHU added to their lead in the fourth, getting a solo home run from Kyle Lavigne to push their lead to two runs. Then with two on and two out, a pair of RBI singles by Anderson Moreno and Mike La Rocca made it a 4-0 game.
Lavigne went deep again in the fifth for the Penmen as they went ahead by five, but the Pace offense finally broke through in the bottom of the inning. After a pair of singles put two runners on with one out, a walk loaded the bases. Junior third baseman Anthony Labita (North Massapequa, N.Y./Plainedge) then got the Setters on the board with a two-run single for Pace's first runs of the day. Grad student outfielder Mitchell McCabe (Chelmsford, Mass./Chelmsford/ Bridgton Academy) followed up with a sacrifice fly, getting the Setters back in the game at 5-3 heading to the sixth.
With the scored still 5-3, junior pitcher Dan Brown (East Northport, N.Y./John Glenn) came on in relief in the seventh and didn't allow a hit. In the bottom of the inning, Pace had runners on first and second with two out. Sophomore shortstop Mason Baronian (River Vale, N.J./Pascack Valley) singled to left, but sophomore catcher Hunter Goldstein (Jericho, N.Y./Jericho) was thrown out at the plate trying to score on the play, ending the inning.
Brown again held SNHU hitless in the eighth, recording two strikeouts in the inning. However, in the top of the ninth, a two-out solo homer off the bat of Cam Caraher made it a 6-3 game heading to the last of the ninth.
The Setters couldn't draw even in their last chance at bat, dropping game one by a 6-3 final.
Game Two: Southern New Hampshire 14, Pace 4
The Setters looked to turn things around in game two and got the first two batters on base with a chance to take the lead., but the next three at bats resulted in outs as Pace left a pair stranded to start the game.
SNHU jumped in front in the bottom of the inning, getting a leadoff triple from Rivera, who came in to score on an RBI groundout as the Penmen took a 1-0 lead.
The home team added to its lead in the second, getting the first two runners on base and moving them to second and third on a sac bunt. Harry Vargas Segura brought one in with a sacrifice fly to make it a two-run lead for SNHU.
After the Setters went down in order in the third, the Penmen continued to add runs in the third. Moreno led the inning off with a solo home run, then Caraher added an RBI double. With two out in the inning, Dyrenson Wouters knocked a two-run single to right field, extending the lead to 6-0.
Neither team got on the board in the fourth, but SNHU tacked on in the fifth. After a walk and single put two runners on with one out, an error brought in the seventh run of the game for the Penmen. Wouters then hit a sac fly to right, giving the home team an 8-0 lead heading to the sixth.
Vargas Segura added an RBI single in the seventh to make it 9-0, but the Setters got on the board in the eighth. After a walk and double to start the inning, Labita hit a three-run homer to centerfield, getting Pace on the board and making it a 9-3 game.
McCabe followed up with a double, then came around to score on a sac fly from Baronian as Pace scored its fourth run of the inning to cut the lead to five. However, that was all the Setters came up with in the inning as SNHU took a 9-4 lead to the bottom of the eighth.
The Penmen put the game out of reach in their final turn at bat, putting up five runs. Lavigne got it started with an RBI single, then a two-run single by Wouters made it a 12-4 game. After an error brought in another run, Moreno provided the final run of the game with an RBI single.
Pace couldn't get a run across in the ninth, falling by a 14-4 final in game two.
