Ravens score three in seventh, three in eighth

RINDGE, N.H. (April 16, 2013) – Junior first baseman Zach Mathieu (Derry, N.H.) and sophomore center fielder John Razzino (Cranston, R.I.) both hit home runs in the eighth inning on Tuesday night, as the No. 29 nationally ranked Franklin Pierce University baseball team scored seven unanswered runs to turn a 3-0 deficit into a 7-3 win over Saint Anselm in Northeast-10 Conference Northeast Division play at Dr. Arthur and Martha Pappas Field. Razzino went 2-for-4, drove in three runs and scored in both the seventh and eighth innings as the Franklin Pierce offense came to life.

With the win, Franklin Pierce improves to 24-12 (14-3 Northeast-10, 7-3 Northeast Division), while Saint Anselm falls to 15-20-1 (10-10 Northeast-10, 4-8 Northeast Division).

Trailing 3-1 and with only two hits heading to the home half of the seventh inning, the Franklin Pierce offense started its comeback in earnest. The Ravens hammered out seven hits and scored six times over the next two frames to come away with the win. In the seventh, senior right fielder Nick LaCroix (Grafton, Mass.) led off and chopped an infield single over the head of the third baseman, and then stole second with sophomore designated hitter Matt Walsh (Plymouth, Mass.) at the plate. Walsh got jammed on a pitch and hit a dribbler up the third-base line. Saint Anselm senior right-hander James Farrington scampered off the mound to collect the ball and, rather than hold the ball and surrender the tough-luck single, threw to first in a last-ditch effort to retire Walsh. The rushed throw sailed well over the head of the first baseman, allowing Walsh to reach with a single and move to second on the error, while LaCroix came in to score.

After the chaos of the Walsh single, Razzino came to the plate with a runner in scoring position and grounded a single through the left side of the infield to drive home sophomore pinch runner Ryan Boswell (New Bedford, Mass.) with the tying run. Razzino took second on a throw through to the plate on the play and scored from there two batters later when sophomore third baseman Matt O'Herron (Springfield, Mass.) lined an RBI single into center field to give the Ravens the lead for good.

The runs in the seventh made a winner out of junior right-hander Trevor Graham (Sebastian, Fla.) (5-1), who was lifted as Franklin Pierce took the field for the top of the eighth. Graham had been hit for three runs in the top of the fourth after retiring the first 10 batters of the game, but he silenced the Saint Anselm offense again after the fourth. He allowed only one further baserunner in his remaining three innings of work and had another stretch where he retired seven men in a row.

Sophomore left-hander Steve Hathaway (Acton, Mass.) pitched the eighth, touched 95 miles per hour on the radar gun and struck out two in his first appearance since March 2 to get the Franklin Pierce offense back to the plate in a hurry. The lineup used the opportunity to plate three more runs to solidify the lead and create the 7-3 final. Mathieu led off and smoked a 3-1 pitch on a line just to the left of the batter's eye in straightaway center field for his team-leading sixth home run of the season. The shot spelled the end of the day for Farrington, who departed after seven-plus innings.

Senior right-hander William O'Connor took over and got LaCroix on a deep fly ball to left for the first out of the inning. Freshman Rich Patrizio (East Northport, N.Y.) followed as a pinch hitter in the designated hitter spot -- after Boswell had pinch-run earlier -- and was hit by a pitch. Patrizio stole second and took third on a wild pitch during Razzino's ensuing at-bat, setting Razzino up in a situation where a fly ball could drive home a run. That proved academic however, as Razzino turned on a 2-2 pitch and did hit a fly ball, but that fly ball would not land until it was well beyond the fence down the left-field line for a two-run home run, Razzino's first as a Raven.

Despite throwing five shutout innings to start the game, Farrington would wind up the losing pitcher (2-6) at the end of the night, as the Franklin Pierce lineup figured him out the third time through the order. Over his seven-plus innings, he allowed five runs on eight hits, did not issue a walk, hit a batter and struck out two. Franklin Pierce hitters did not draw a walk in the game, but they were hit by three pitches and struck out only twice.

Earlier in the evening, Saint Anselm had opened the scoring with three runs in the top of the fourth inning. With one out, senior second baseman Richie Manzi, after fouling off four pitches, hit a worm-burner on the eighth pitch of the at-bat which found its way back up the middle for a base hit. The next batter was senior third baseman Rob Kelly, who hit a pitch the other way off the end of the bat and down the left-field line for a double to put runners at first and second. Sophomore first baseman Mike Hayden followed and took a big swing at a 1-1 pitch and caught it between the handle and the fat part of the barrel. He got under the ball, but the fly ball got up into the wind and carried out beyond the left-field fence for a three-run home run, Hayden's fourth of the season.

Franklin Pierce got on the board before the seventh- and eighth-inning theatrics with a run in the bottom of the sixth. Freshman second baseman Justin Brock (Latham, N.Y.) opened the inning with a single to center and stole second base. The lineup turned back to the top and a groundout by junior left fielder Calvin Graves (Boston, Mass.) moved Brock over to third, and he would score from there at the end of the following at-bat on an aggressive base running decision by Head Coach Jayson King from the third base coach's box. Senior shortstop Dan Kemp (Sturbridge, Mass.) struck out swinging on a ball in the dirt, and the pitch got far enough away from freshman catcher Allan McQuarrie that a throw to first was required to complete the putout. McQuarrie failed to give a glance to third to check on Brock, and the latter broke for home as soon as the ball was thrown. Brock appeared to narrowly beat the return throw from Hayden at first, but the point became moot as McQuarrie could not hold the ball while sweeping the tag on the play.

The Ravens return to the field on Saturday, April 20 and Sunday, April 21, when they remain home to host Stonehill in a three-game, Northeast-10 Conference Northeast Division, weekend series. The two teams will meet in a doubleheader on Saturday at noon and a single game on Sunday at 1 p.m. at Pappas Field.

For more information on Franklin Pierce Athletics, please visit the official website of Franklin Pierce Athletics (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu). Also be sure to follow the Ravens through the Department of Athletics' official Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/FranklinPierceRavens), its YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/franklinpiercesports) and its Twitter feed (http://twitter.com/FPUathletics). Fans wishing to purchase Franklin Pierce baseball apparel can do so at the Department of Athletics' online store (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu/store).