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SNHU Baseball And Softball Recap

By Mike Ghika- Sports Editor

Coming off of last year's 7-32 record, the Penmen Baseball program is quickly getting back on track under first year coach Scott Loiseau and his young staff. The Penmen began the season losing eight of their first nine, only to go on and win seven of their next ten.

The beginning of April, however, was not kind to the Penmen, as a 13-inning affair at home against Assumption ended in a tie on Fool’s Day. They went on to lose their next four as well, but have since won three of their last five and were 11-17-1 as of Monday, April 13th, with an 8-9-1 NE-10 record.

The highlight of the season thus far was two wins over conference powerhouse Franklin Pierce on March 24th and 26th. In the first contest at Pierce, lefty starter Steve Golbranson went the distance in a complete game shutout with nine strikeouts. Infielder Eric Pelletier got on base three times, while outfielder Scott Strong drove in both runs in a 2-0 Penmen victory.

In the second victory at home, SNHU prevailed, 3-2, in 11 innings after a Bob Wronski walk-off single. Ryan Quinn started on the mound and allowed just one earned run in 6.2 innings, while freshman Brad Monroe pitched 3.2 innings of scoreless relief to earn the win.

At the plate, Wronski had belted 5 home runs with 14 RBIs as of April 13th, while Jeff Giannino has 6 homers and 13 RBIs. Catcher/designated hitter Skyler Byrd is hitting .260, while Pelletier, who just returned from a pectoral injury, leads the team with a .340 average.

Meanwhile, Deb Robitaille’s softball team owned a 10-18 record as of April 13th. The Penmen got hot at the end of March and early April, winning six straight while sweeping three straight doubleheaders against Saint Michael’s, New Haven, and Southern Connecticut respectively.

Michelle Maranto has a .273 average with 2 home runs and 10 RBIs. Ashley Bernstein is hitting .282 with 1 homer and 7 RBIs, and she also has won four games on the mound. Kelsey Griffin owns a 3-2 record with a 1.98 ERA, while fellow pitcher Kyla Puccini has a 3-3 record with a 3.22 ERA.