HOOKSETT, N.H. - The Saint Michael's College baseball team lost twice at No. 22 Southern New Hampshire University, 7-6 in seven innings and 9-3, on Sunday during Northeast 10 Conference play at Penmen Field. The hosts' national ranking is according to the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA).

Despite the setbacks, the Purple Knights clinched a postseason spot for the first time in program history; each NE10 program was eligible to compete during the COVID-affected 2021 tournament. Saint Michael's will be among one of six teams in the NE10 Championship, and is still alive to host a first-round contest next Tuesday, a right afforded to the No. 3 and 4 seeds. The Purple Knights currently sit in sixth place, within three games of fourth.
 
RECORDS

• Saint Michael's (18-23, 16-16 NE10), Southern New Hampshire (35-9, 27-5 NE10)

DOUBLEHEADERS FACTS

• Senior Sam Cavossa (East Falmouth, Mass./The Winchendon School) has 52 hits this year, good for third in program history. The 53 he rapped last season were the most in the program's NE10 era, while Matt Beaulieu '10 set the school mark with 56 in 2009. He also moved into a tie for seventh in school history by legging out his sixth career triple.
• Junior Richard Gilboy (South Portland, Maine/South Portland) moved his career RBI total to 88, passing Sean Finnell '94 (87) for second in program history. He trails only graduate student Max Kolifrath (Millbury, Mass./Millbury), who is in first place with 90. Gilboy also tied Finnell for fifth in career walks (55), while his 26 free passes this season are shy only of the 28 Brian Rayder '93 drew in 1992.
• Kolifrath now has 70 career walks, tying Rayder for second in school history.

GAME 1
SAINT MICHAEL'S LEADERS

• Cavossa, 3-for-4, R, 3B
• Gilboy, 2-for-3, 2 R, 4 RBI, BB, 2B, HR
• Junior Josh Ayala (San Diego, Calif./Alexandria City/West Virginia Wesleyan), 2-for-4, 2 R
• Senior Matt Safer (Essex, Vt./Essex), 4 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 2 K in relief, loss

OPPONENT LEADERS

• Graduate student Shane McNamara, 2-for-2, 2 R, 3 RBI, HR, SF, HP
• Senior Dakota Britt, 1-for-1, R, RBI, 2 BB, 3B, HP
• Junior Jack Davis, 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K in relief, win

THE ACTION

• Gilboy's three-run homer gave Saint Michael's a 3-0 lead just three batters into the game.
• McNamara hit a sac fly in the home half of the first inning before junior Casey Cumiskey doubled in an unearned run in the second.
• The Purple Knights extended their lead to 6-2 in the third, as Gilboy and senior Jack Weber (Milford, Conn./Notre Dame) both picked up RBI doubles and junior Trevor Arsenault (Websterville, Vt./Spaulding) added a sacrifice fly.
• Southern New Hampshire scored three runs in the home half, drawing within a run following McNamara's two-run homer, and Britt tripled home the tying unearned run with two out in the fourth.
• Cavossa tripled with one out in the seventh before Gilboy was intentionally walked, but Davis entered from the bullpen to fan the next two batters.
• McNamara led off the home half with a single, moved 90 feet on a sac bunt, and scored the walk-off winner on first-year Christian Cepin's pinch-hit single with one out.

GAME 2
SAINT MICHAEL'S LEADERS

• Ayala, 0-for-1, R, 3 BB
• Cavossa, 1-for-3, RBI, 2B, HP
• Gilboy, 0-for-2, 2 RBI, 2 BB, SF
• First-year Luke McGuire (Mansfield, Mass./Mansfield), 1-for-1, R
• Senior Keegan Burke (Amherst, N.H./Souhegan), 3+ IP, 7 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, loss

OPPONENT LEADERS

• Senior Jake Pisano, 3-for-5, 2 R, 3 RBI, 2 2B, 3B
• Junior Joel Valera, 2-for-4, R, 3 RBI, 2B, HR
• First-year Shawn Taylor, 2.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K in relief, win

THE ACTION

• Pisano's RBI triple was bookended by sac flies in a three-run first inning for the Penmen.
• Pisano added an RBI double in the third before scoring on Valera's two-run homer, which pushed the lead to 6-0.
• Another host sac fly in the fourth padded the lead before Gilboy countered with a sac fly of his own in the fifth.
• Valera responded with an RBI double in the home half before Pisano knocked another RBI double in the eighth.
• Cavossa (hit by pitch) and Gilboy (walk) both drove in runs with the bases loaded in the ninth.

NEXT SAINT MICHAEL'S GAME

• Friday vs. Saint Anselm College, 12 p.m. doubleheader.