Ravens win ninth straight season opener

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (February 20, 2015) – Senior right-hander Brendan O'Rourke (Shrewsbury, Mass.) -- who threw eight innings of three-hit ball in his last appearance of 2014 -- picked up right where he left off to open 2015 on Friday. O'Rourke took the ball on Opening Day, fired eight shutout innings of one-hit ball and struck out nine to lead the No. 19/22 nationally ranked Franklin Pierce University baseball team to a 6-0 win over Nyack in non-conference play at The Ripken Experience. It marked the ninth straight season Franklin Pierce has won its season opener.

With the win, Franklin Pierce improves to 1-0 (0-0 Northeast-10), while Nyack falls to 0-1 (0-0 Central Atlantic).

O'Rourke was the story of the day, as he refused to let the Nyack offense get its season started on Friday. He allowed just two base runners over eight shutout innings: a two-out walk, which he stranded at first in the bottom of the first, and a leadoff single in the bottom of the seventh, which was later erased on a double play. Between the two, O'Rourke retired 16 straight Warriors, as he faced just one over the minimum on the way to the win (1-0). Freshman right-hander Anthony Matarazzo (Medford, Mass.) tossed a perfect ninth with two strikeouts to finish things off, as Franklin Pierce pitching faced only 28 batters on the day.

Meanwhile, the Ravens opened the scoring with a pair of runs in the top of the first inning and never looked back. Making his Franklin Pierce debut, junior center fielder Maxx Sheehan (San Jose, Calif.) singled to open the game, moved to second on an error, stole third and later scored on an RBI groundout by senior right fielder John Razzino (Cranston, R.I.). Senior catcher Matt Walsh (Plymouth, Mass.) reached on a two-out hit-by-pitch, moved to second on a passed ball and scored on an RBI double by junior first baseman Matt O'Herron (Springfield, Mass.).

Franklin Pierce pushed the lead to 3-0 with a run in the top of the fourth. O'Herron led off the inning with a walk, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by sophomore third baseman Jay Jabs (Schwenksville, Pa.) and scored on an RBI single by senior designated hitter Bryan Dionicio (West Hartford, Conn.).

Two more runs in the top of the seventh ballooned the lead to 5-0. Dionicio opened the frame with a double and moved to third on a single by sophomore second baseman Kyle Hood (Arlington, Mass.). Dionicio then scored on an error, which also moved Hood to second base. Hood moved to third on a groundout and later scored while sophomore left fielder Chris LaVorgna (North Haven, Conn.) reached on an error.

The Ravens tacked on one more run in the top of the eighth to create the 6-0 final. Razzino led off with a single, stole second, took third on a passed ball and scored on an RBI single by Walsh.

Junior right-hander Zack Kamerman started and threw the first six innings for Nyack. He allowed three runs (two earned) on three hits, walked two, hit two and struck out seven while taking the loss (0-1).

The Ravens return to the field on Saturday, Feb. 21, with two more games at The Ripken Experience. Franklin Pierce will take on Chestnut Hill at 10:30 a.m. and Molloy at 2 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).