Molloy baseball team falls to Southern New Hampshire in Game 1 of NCAA Super Regional

Sean Welsh’s two home runs weren’t enough to propel the Molloy baseball team in Game 1 of an NCAA Division II Super Regional on Friday.

Dylan O’Sullivan walked with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 10th inning to force home the winning run in host Southern New Hampshire’s 9-8 victory over the Lions at Penmen Field.

Molloy opened the scoring in the fourth inning when Welsh, an East Meadow native, hit a two-run home run to left-centerfield.

Matt Yip highlighted a four-run fifth for the Lions (42-15) with a two-run home run to centerfield. Yip’s homer was his 14th, a single-season program record.

Welsh followed Yip’s home run with a solo shot to increase the Lions’ lead to 6-0. The sophomore first baseman had not homered in his previous 63 at-bats before hitting two on Friday.

Senior Gavin McAlonie of Miller Place went 2-for-4 with three RBIs, including a two-run single in the sixth to give Molloy an 8-2 lead.

Graduate student Charlie Cucchiara struck out three and allowed two runs in five innings, but the Lions’ bullpen could not hold the lead.

Southern New Hampshire (35-17) scored three runs in the sixth and two in the seventh to get within 8-7. With one out in the bottom of the ninth, Southern New Hampshire sophomore Steven Kienzle (Sachem North) of Holbrook hit a solo home run to tie it at 8.

Joe Burriesci doubled to begin the top of the 10th but the Lions could not drive him in. In the bottom of the inning, Molloy’s Robert Lucano got the first out but walked the next two batters. After getting the next batter to ground out, Lucano hit a batter to load the bases before walking O’Sullivan.

Molloy will try to even the series in Game 2 at noon on Saturday at the same location. If the Lions win, a deciding Game 3 will begin an hour after the final out of Game 2.