SPRINGFIELD, Massachusetts - The American International College baseball team dropped a pair of matchups with Southern New Hampshire University to open Northeast-10 Conference play on Friday, March 24, falling 11-5 and 15-6.

AIC is now 5-11 overall and 0-2 in the NE10.

The Penmen jumped to a 4-0 lead before AIC could get to the plate. AIC bounced back quickly, however, as Brendan Edvardsen doubled to lead off the home half of the inning and was driven in by Michael Cruz. One frame later, Tyler Ziemak and Kyle Leifert led off the second with back-to-back singles. Yeudy Ramirez tried to sacrifice them over, and the Penmen helped out by throwing the ball away, allowing the on-base duo to score and cutting AIC's deficit to 4-3.

The scoring came quickly for both sides after that; the Penmen added a pair of runs each in the third and fourth, while AIC scored one in the third and one in the fifth on RBI groundouts by Leifert and Ziemak, respectively. However, the Penmen held off the Yellow Jackets from there, adding three in the eighth for the 11-5 final.

In game two, the bats came alive in the second frame. The Penmen once again hung a four on the board, with only one hit in the accounting thanks to a walk, an error, and several groundouts advancing runners, but AIC retorted with a five-run frame as Ziemak and Leifert led off with hits and Connor Daly walked to load the bags; Ramirez doubled in the first two, and Chad Lavelle singled in Daly and Ramirez to tie the game. Edvardsen then singled, and though Caffrey hit into a 1-6-3 double play, Lavelle came home, putting AIC ahead 5-4.

Unfortunately for AIC, the lead was short-lived. The Penmen notched a pair in their next go-around before exploding for seven in the fourth and two in the fifth. AIC only mustered one more run, on a bases loaded failed pickoff that allowed Daly to easily reach home, but the Penmen lead was insurmountable.

The two teams will close out the series with a pair of games Sunday, March 26 beginning at noon.