RAPID REACTION WITH GRADUATE STUDENT CAMERON SCOTIA

When and Where: March 29, 2019 – Hooksett, N.H. (Penmen Field)
Score: Southern New Hampshire University 8, Saint Michael's College 0
Records: SNHU 16-6 (2-1 NE10, 1-0 NE10 NE), Saint Michael's 4-6 (1-2 NE10, 0-1 NE10 NE)

Graduate student Cameron Scotia (Dudley, Mass.) tossed eight scoreless innings to guide the seventh-ranked Southern New Hampshire University baseball team to an 8-0 shutout of Saint Michael's College on Friday afternoon in its home opener at Penmen Field.

STANDOUT PERFORMERS

• Scotia allowed just four hits over his eight shutout innings, striking out nine and not walking a batter.
• Junior Tom Blandini (Bow, N.H.) led the way, offensively, going 3-for-4 with three RBI and a run scored.
• Redshirt-junior Joshua Goldstein (Haverhill, Mass.) went 2-for-3 and scored twice.
• Sophomore Idelson Taveras (Lawrence, Mass.) was 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Southern New Hampshire struck first with an unearned run in the bottom of the third. Goldstein hit a double down the left field line, but the outfielder misplayed the ball, allowing Goldstein to move to third. One batter later, Blandini lifted a sacrifice fly to center that made it 1-0.
• Scotia worked out of trouble in the top of the fifth, as an error put a pair in scoring position, but a fly out to right ended the threat.
• The Penmen doubled their lead in the sixth when Blandini led off with a single to right, moved to second on a great bunt down the third base line from redshirt-senior Kevin Alexy (Newton, Mass.), scampered to third when the infielder's throw to first was errant and scored on a sac fly to right from sophomore Sam Henrie (Middleboro, Mass.).
• SNHU doubled its advantage again in the seventh, as back-to-back one-out singles from Taveras and Goldstein, followed by a base hit to right from Blandini, brought in the first run, before a sac fly to right from Alexy nudged the Penmen lead to 4-0.
• The Penmen doubled the lead one final time in the eighth, with back-to-back RBI singles from junior Jake Coro (Johnston, R.I.) and Taveras making it 6-0, before classmate Phoenix Hernandez (Brooklyn, N.Y.) was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded and Blandini drove in another run with a fielder's choice groundout to extend the advantage to 8-0.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Redshirt-freshman Wesley Lahey (Bristol, Conn.) recorded a strikeout in a 1-2-3 ninth inning in his collegiate debut.
• Coro (RBI, run) and grad student John Stanton (Sandwich, Mass.; run) were both 1-for-1 in pinch-hitting appearances.

NOTES

• Southern New Hampshire has won nine of its last 12, including three of the last four.
• The Penmen improve to 30-2 all-time versus Saint Michael's.
• This marked SNHU's third shutout of the season.
• In his first two starts of the season, Scotia is now 1-0 with a 0.60 ERA, allowing one run on eight hits over 15 innings, striking out 16 and walking just two.
• Goldstein has hit safely in seven of his last eight games, while Blandini has done the same in six of his last seven.
• Junior Dylan Faircloth (Cleveland, Texas) sees his six-game hitting streak come to an end.

UP NEXT

• The Penmen return to action Saturday, March 30 when they play host to crosstown-rival Saint Anselm College in doubleheader action at Penmen Field that begins at noon.

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