UNH 10 Merrimack 8
On Friday, the Cats' took on Merrimack College under the lights of the Wildcat Diamond on Parents Weekend and did not dissapoint. The bats came alive early and often as UNH went up 3-0 in the first inning, capped off by senior captain Matt Keene's (Berlin, NH) two-run homer over the right-centerfield wall. The Cats would ride out the five inning pitching performance of Junior Dan Kraft (Reading, Ma) who went five innings giving up five earned before turning it over to the bullpen. The Wildcats would let Merrimack bring the score within two but would shut the door and get the win, 10-8.
UNH 7 Three Rivers 1
Despite a bad foecast, the Wildcats drove down to connecticut to play Three Rivers at Dodd Stadium. After a breif rain delay, UNH would come out of the game flat. In the bottom half of the first inning, Three Rivers would get three consecutive hits off of UNH starter Matt Story (Hopkington, NH) including an RBI single to take the lead 1-0. Head coach Mason Roberge would then instruct Story to intentially walk the next hitter to load the bases. The strategy would pay off as Keene would make a diving catch on a check swing and tag the runner out at first to complete the double play; Story would get the next batter to fly out and the Cats' would escape with only one run.
In the top half of the second inning, Keene would lead off with a double to left center field and would get moved over on a bunt by freshman Ryan Feeney (Derry, NH). After a strike out, Junior captain Nick LaSarso (Queensbury, NY) would hit a single up the middle to score Keene and tie the game.
UNH would not look back as Story settled down and gave up two hits the remaining six innings to earn a complete game win. The UNH offense would explode for six more runs, lead by Junior Andy Basque (Westborough, Ma) and LaSarso who both had two hits on the game and Keene who went 3 for 3.
UNH 8 Three Rivers 6
After giving a beat down to Three Rivers in the first game of the double header, the UNH Wildcats would start right where they left off the first game; hitting around the order in the first inning getting six runs. Mike Riccardi (Waitsfield, VT) singled, following a Andrew Gordon (Goffstown, NH) walk to put two runners on for the Wildcats. Zach Hutton (Bennington, NH) would walk after a Basque fly out and Keene would follow Hutton with a 2 RBI single. A combination of walks and hits by Jeff Agnew (Milford, NH) Gordon, and Andy Klimm (Manchester, NH) would help bring in four more runs to give UNH a 6-0 lead in the first.
Feeney would shut down the Three Rivers offense in the first, bringing the UNH bats back to the plate quickly. Basque would lead off with a single to right field, followed by a Hutton double and Basque would score on a ground out by Keene. Hutton would cross the plate on a Klimm double. Unfortunately for the Wildcats that was all the offense they would get the rest of the game.
Three Rivers would pick away at the lead, scoring two runs in the second, one in the third, two in the fifth, and one in the seventh.