Hooksett, N.H – RV/ No. 26 Le Moyne College baseball team was eliminated from the NCAA Championship on Saturday after losing game two of the East Super Regional against No. 10/13 Southern New Hampshire University Penmen by a score of 4-2. The top-seeded Penmen previously defeated the third-seeded Dolphins 13-4 on Friday in game one of the three-game series at SNHU's Penmen Field.
 
The Penmen will make their third straight appearance in the NCAA Championship Finals at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, North Carolina.
 
The Dolphins conclude their season with a 34-22 record, an NE10 Southwest Division regular season title, an NCAA Championship East Regional #2 title, the program's first trip to the East Super Regional, and a 10-game win streak during the month April, which is the longest winning streak by a Le Moyne team since the 2012 squad ripped off 10 consecutive victories between March 9 and 25. The 2012 team was previously the last Le Moyne group to earn a spot in the East Regional Finals (the Super Regional was created in 2019). After defeating the second-seeded Goldey-Beacom Lightning in the East Regional #2 title game, the Dolphins became one of just 16 teams left standing in all of Division II.

"It's not the results we were looking for, but I could not be prouder of a group of young men. After being a .500 team after 30 games to being regular season and regional champs is amazing. They truly exemplify what a team is. Everyone doing their part for the good of the team. It was a good run that we hope to build on moving forward," said Le Moyne head coach Scott Cassidy '98 after the game.
 
Le Moyne freshman right-handed pitcher Eric Swiencicki (Lancaster, N.Y./St. Joseph's Collegiate Insititute) made his first career start on Saturday against the Penmen. Swiencicki had made 16 relief appearances coming into the game, and previously earned the win in the East Regional #2 title game after tossing 3.2 key innings in relief. On Saturday in the East Super Regional, the rookie tied his season-high of 4.0 innings pitched while holding the Penmen to four hits and two runs with four strikeouts.
 
Sophomore catcher Benji Ries (Buffalo Grove, N.Y./Adlai E. Stevenson) and graduate first baseman Dewey Roden (Sherrill, N.Y./Vernon-Verona-Sherrill/UMass Lowell) both launched a solo home run during the defeat, and freshman left fielder Adam Sullivan (Syracuse, N.Y./Marcellus) added a base hit to the Le Moyne cause.
 
Roden's home run on Saturday was his fourth in the NCAA tournament, his fifth long ball in Le Moyne's last seven postseason contests, and his 12th home run on the year. Roden concludes the campaign on a 13-game hitting streak, with a .466/.530/.897 slash line in the month of May (14 games). Roden's 58 RBIs in 2023 is second-most in the Northeast-10 Conference behind SNHU catcher Nick Schwartz.
 
Southern New Hampshire sophomore right-hander Frankie Sanchez held the Dolphins to three hits, two runs and three walks with eight strikeouts during the first 6.0 innings on Saturday to improve his 2023 record to 7-1, then junior righty Trevor Anibal held the 'Phins hitless with two walks and five strikeouts during the final 3.0 innings to record his team-leading fourth save of the year.
 
SNHU junior first baseman Mike La Rocca went 2-4 with a run scored and a team-high two runs batted in during the team's 31^st win in their last 34 contests. Junior shortstop Danniel Rivera recorded two hits and a team-best two runs scored for the Penmen.
 
Junior right-hander Billy Hoffacker (Erial, N.J./Timber Creek/Rowan College of South Jersey) threw 3.0 innings in relief on Saturday, then senior righty Jed Boyle (Syracuse, N.Y./Corcoran) did not allow a baserunner during the final 2.0 innings.
 
After SNHU created a 2-0 advantage in the top of the third following RBI singles from La Rocca and Schwartz, the host team extended their lead to 3-0 in the fifth after Schwartz scored on a wild pitch.
 
Ries launched a solo home run to left field in the bottom of the fifth, then Roden did the same in the sixth to make it a one-run game.
 
The Penmen got a run back in the top of the seventh with the help of La Rocca's second RBI single, making it 4-2 SNHU.
 
Le Moyne graduate second baseman Drew Carroll (Clifton Park, N.Y./Christian Brothers Academy (Albany)) drew a one-out walk with nobody on base in the bottom of the eighth, but Anibal got a ground ball and a strikeout to end the inning.
 
Freshman DH Brody Keneston (Ballston Spa, N.Y./Ballston Spa) drew a leadoff walk in the bottom of the ninth to bring the tying run to the plate. Anibal struck out the next two Le Moyne batters, then Keneston advanced into scoring position on a wild pitch. Anibal got the final out of the game on a fly ball to left field to complete the save and send his team to the world series.