Ravens' shutout streak now at 27 innings

CARY, N.C. (March 15, 2015) – Sophomore designated hitter Chris LaVorgna (North Haven, Conn.) clubbed a pair of home runs on Sunday afternoon as part of a 15-hit barrage, as the No. 9/12 nationally ranked Franklin Pierce University baseball team rolled to an 11-0 win over Dominican (N.Y.) in non-conference, neutral-site play at the USA Baseball National Training Complex. Later, sophomore second baseman Kyle Hood (Arlington, Mass.) went 3-for-4, including a two-run single, as the Ravens defeated Dowling, 6-0.

With the wins, Franklin Pierce improves to 13-0 (0-0 Northeast-10) and extends what already stood as the best start to a season in program history. Meanwhile, Dominican opened its season at 0-1 (0-0 Central Atlantic) and Dowling fell to 2-1 (0-0 East Coast). For Franklin Pierce, the win over Dominican tied the program record for longest winning streak and then the win over Dowling established a new record. Furthermore, the Ravens have run their shutout streak to 27 innings, with shutouts in each of their last three games.

Against Dominican, Franklin Pierce opened the scoring with a pair of runs in the top of the fourth inning and never looked back. Senior catcher Matt Walsh (Plymouth, Mass.) singled leading off and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt. LaVorgna was next and hit his first home run of the day, a two-run shot and his second of the season.

The Ravens doubled the lead to 4-0 with two more runs in the top of the fifth. Junior center fielder Maxx Sheehan (San Jose, Calif.) led off with a single and moved to second when sophomore third baseman Jay Jabs (Schwenksville, Pa.) followed with a walk. Jabs moved to second as senior right fielder John Razzino (Cranston, R.I.) bounced into a fielder's choice, which saw Sheehan erased at third. After Walsh was hit by a pitch to load the bases, junior first baseman Matt O'Herron (Springfield, Mass.) lifted a sacrifice fly to center field to score Jabs. LaVorgna was next and picked up another RBI with a single to drive home Razzino.

Four runs in the top of the eighth and three more in the top of the ninth created the 11-0 final. Sheehan, Jabs and Razzino all had RBI singles in the inning, while Walsh drove in a run with a groundout. In the ninth, LaVorgna led off with a solo home run, freshman John Friday (Southborough, Mass.) had an RBI single and junior Max DiTondo (Marshfield, Mass.) drove in a run with a fielder's choice.

Senior right-hander Brendan O'Rourke (Shrewsbury, Mass.) took the ball and threw six more shutout innings on the mound for the Ravens. He allowed five hits, did not issue a walk and struck out seven on the way to the win (4-0). O'Rourke has now tossed 26 straight scoreless innings to start his senior campaign.

Against Dowling, Franklin Pierce opened the scoring with the only two runs it would need in the bottom of the third inning. Walsh had an RBI single in the frame, while junior shortstop Justin Brock (Latham, N.Y.) singled and later scored on an error.

The Ravens later tacked on four more runs in the bottom of the fifth to create the 6-0 final. With one out, Walsh singled back through the middle and moved to second when O'Herron followed with a walk. After LaVorgna was hit by a pitch to load the bases, Hood cracked a two-run single through the left side to score both Walsh and O'Herron. While LaVorgna and Hood executed a double steal, Dowling senior catcher Daniel Parisi threw the ball away, which allowed LaVorgna to score. Later, Brock singled to left field to drive home Hood.

Freshman right-hander Anthony Matarazzo (Medford, Mass.) threw 53 pitches (31 strikes) over four shutout innings (plus one batter in the fifth) on the mound for the Ravens. He allowed three hits, walked two, hit a batter, did not record a strikeout and did not factor in the decision. Senior right-hander Paul Fahey (Dorchester, Mass.) followed with two scoreless, hitless innings and issued two walks while picking up the win (3-0) out of the bullpen. Senior right-hander Travis Landry (Loudon, N.H.) logged three shutout innings, did not issue a walk and struck out four to pick up his first collegiate save.

Senior right-hander Brendan Butler started on the mound for Dowling and threw 86 pitches (57 strikes) over 4.2 innings. He allowed six runs on eight hits, walked two, hit two batters and struck out two while taking the loss (0-1).

The Ravens return to the field on Monday, March 16, with two more games at the USA Baseball National Training Complex. Franklin Pierce will take on Findlay at 10:15 a.m. and Felician 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).