LANTANA, Fla.- The Caldwell University baseball team split a pair of games on day two of their Florida trip. The Cougars came up short to #11 Southern New Hampshire University 6-3 and defeated American International College 16-2.
 
The Cougars move to 2-3 on the season. The Penmen improve to 9-3, while the Yellow Jackets fall to 3-4.
 
Caldwell got on the board first against the Penmen as they loaded the bases in the second inning. Junior Rob DeSanti (Barneget, N.J.) singled in two runs to put Caldwell up 2-0. Southern New Hampshire tied the game with a run in the second and one in the third.
 
The Cougars rallied in the fifth inning as senior Ryan Rivera (Saddle Brook, N.J.) led off with a double. Senior Michael Bernstein (Staten Island, N.Y.) singled home Rivera to put Caldwell back in front at 3-2. The Penmen tied the score in their half of the fifth. Southern New Hampshire tacked on two runs in the seventh and one more in the eighth inning.
 
Junior Joshua Caba (Belleville, N.J.) tossed 6 1/3 innings, allowing five runs (four earned) on nine hits and struck out six to fall to 0-1. Freshman John Franco (Great Meadows, N.J.) tossed 1 2/3 innings, allowing one run and struck out one.
 
In the win over American International, Bernstein had a big day in the win. He went 4-for-5 with five RBI. Caldwell scored seven runs in the first two innings to push out to an early lead.
 
In the first inning, Bernstein doubled home the first run of the game. Caldwell added two runs on an error in the inning and one on a passed ball. The Cougars added two more runs in the second inning as Rivera doubled in two runs. Rivera later scored on a passed ball.
 
American International got a run in the second and added one in the fourth inning. Freshman Jack Zosulis (East Windsor, N.J.) drove in two runs in the fifth with a double. Zosulis scored later in the inning on a base hit by DeSanti.
 
Bernstein capped off his big game with a two-run double in the seventh and a two-run single in the ninth.
 
Senior Chris Gehrsitz (Jackson, N.J.) got the start and earned the win for the Cougars.
 
The Cougars take on Adelphi University on Monday, March 13 at 6 pm on the campus of Broward College.