No. 7/12 Baseball Comes Out Swinging; Drops Felician, Caldwell in Myrtle Beach

Leach fans eight in second game

Box score (Felician)
Box score (Caldwell)
***NOTE: all scoring unofficial until after team returns from Myrtle Beach

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (February 21, 2014) – Senior center fielder Calvin Graves (Boston, Mass.) went 5-for-10 and scored three times, while the pitching staff allowed just two runs over 18 innings on Friday, as the No. 7/12 nationally ranked Franklin Pierce University baseball team opened its season with a pair of neutral-site, non-conference victories at The Ripken Experience. The Ravens blanked Felician, 7-0, to open 2014, before trumping Caldwell, 7-2.

With the wins, Franklin Pierce opens defense of its East Region title at 2-0 (0-0 Northeast-10), while Felician falls to 0-2 (0-0 Central Atlantic) and Caldwell drops to 0-2 (0-0 Central Atlantic).

In the first game of the day, the Ravens got the only run they would need in the bottom of the first inning. Graves led off with a single, the first of his five hits on the day, before stealing second and moving to third on a passed ball. He would score two batters later on an RBI triple by junior catcher Matt Walsh (Plymouth, Mass.).

The game would go without further scoring until the bottom of the fifth inning. In the meantime, senior right-hander Joe Flynn (Plymouth, Mass.) mowed through the Felician lineup on his way to six shutout innings of three-hit ball. Flynn, who served as the team's closer down the stretch last season after missing nearly a full year due to injury, was making his first start since throwing a three-hit shutout at Massachusetts Lowell on March 31, 2012, and has now not allowed a run in his last 17.2 innings as a starting pitcher. Along the way to the win (1-0) on Friday, he issued two walks, struck out three and allowed just one runner to reach second base.

Franklin Pierce pushed the lead to 3-0 with a pair of runs in the bottom of the fifth. Junior right fielder John Razzino (Cranston, R.I.) opened the inning with a single, stole second and came in to score on an RBI single by Walsh. Later in the inning, after Walsh was caught stealing, senior designated hitter Marty Dunlap (Dorchester, Mass.) singled, took second on a passed ball and later scored on an error.

Four more runs in the bottom half of the sixth created the 7-0 final. Freshman third baseman Jay Jabs (Schwenksville, Pa.) led off with a single, moved to second on a groundout and came around to score on an RBI triple by Graves, who would later score on a passed ball. Razzino and Walsh both drew walks and scored unearned runs later in the inning to round out the scoring.

Sophomore right-hander John Holland started on the mound for Felician. He logged three innings, allowed one run on three hits, walked two and struck out six while taking the loss (0-1).

Franklin Pierce opened the scoring in the first inning of the second game as well. Now playing as the visiting team, the Ravens struck twice in the top of the first to jump to a 2-0 lead. Graves opened the game with a single, stole second and moved to third as a Razzino single put runners at the corners to start the game. Razzino stole second, but Caldwell senior catcher Phil Ragusa threw the ball away on the play, which allowed Graves to come home to score the game's first run. Razzino would score two batters later on an RBI single by sophomore first baseman Matt O'Herron (Springfield, Mass.).

Caldwell halved the lead with a run in the bottom of the third inning. Senior shortstop Stephen Luczaj opened the inning with a single and moved to second when Ragusa was hit by a pitch. After a sacrifice bunt by freshman left fielder Ryan Rivera moved the runners up, senior center fielder Andrew Nunez bounced an RBI groundout to shortstop to bring home Luczaj.

The Cougars briefly tied the game at 2-2 with a run in the bottom of the fourth. With one out, senior second baseman Paul Nyitray was hit by a pitch and came all the way around to score when senior designated hitter Thomas Pisano followed with an RBI double.

Franklin Pierce responded immediately with three runs in the top of the fifth to claim a 5-2 lead it would never relinquish. Razzino and Walsh opened the inning with back-to-back singles before O'Herron came through with his second RBI single of the game to score Razzino. Walsh and O'Herron would score later in the inning on a two-run double by Jabs.

Two more runs in the top of the seventh inning created the 7-2 final. O'Herron led off with a double, moved to third on a groundout and scored on a wild pitch. Later, junior Josh Rouse (Milford, Conn.) was hit by a pitch and lifted for junior Ryan Boswell (New Bedford, Mass.), who came on as a pinch runner. Boswell stole second and moved to third on a wild pitch, before Jabs worked a walk. With runners at the corners, Boswell stole home on a first-and-third double steal play to cap the scoring.

Senior right-hander Ryan Leach (Farmingdale, Maine) took the ball for the Ravens in the second game and worked the first five innings. He allowed two runs on five hits, walked one, hit two batters and struck out eight on the way to the win (1-0).

Meanwhile, junior right-hander Michael Sheridan tossed the first 4.1 on the hill for Caldwell. He was tagged for five runs on nine hits, walked one, hit a batter and struck out seven while taking the loss (0-1).

The Ravens are back at it on Saturday afternoon for another pair of games in Myrtle Beach. Franklin Pierce will square off with Bridgeport at 2 p.m. and Pfeiffer at 5 p.m.

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).