Every Raven in lineup collects hit and either scores or drives in run

RINDGE, N.H. (April 28, 2015) – Sophomore third baseman Jay Jabs (Schwenksville, Pa.) was a perfect 4-for-4 with a pair of doubles and scored three times on Tuesday afternoon to lead an offensive bonanza, as the No. 1/3 Franklin Pierce University baseball team picked up a 15-9 win on the road over Saint Anselm in Northeast-10 Conference Northeast Division play at Sullivan Park. Senior right fielder John Razzino (Cranston, R.I.) went 3-for-5, as the second and third spots in the Ravens order combined to go 7-for-9, score five runs and drive in three.

With the win, Franklin Pierce improves to 39-2 (21-1 Northeast-10, 17-1 Northeast Division) and has won 20 in a row, extending the team's program-record winning streak. With the loss, Saint Anselm falls to 13-24 (10-14 Northeast-10, 7-14 Northeast Division). With the win, Franklin Pierce also swept the three-game season series from Saint Anselm.

With the win, and with Southern New Hampshire idle, Franklin Pierce's magic number to clinch the outright Northeast Division title is down to one. Already assured a share of its fourth straight division crown, the next Franklin Pierce win or SNHU loss would allow the Ravens to claim the title for its own. Franklin Pierce has the tiebreaker, should the two finish tied at the top of the division.

Franklin Pierce's remaining regular-season games are a three-game road series at Bentley on Friday and Saturday. Meanwhile, SNHU travels to Stonehill for a three-game series on Friday and Saturday.

On Tuesday afternoon, Franklin Pierce -- which has now scored 54 first-inning runs over 41 games (1.32 per game) on the year -- plated five runs in the top of the first inning to jump out to a quick, 5-0 lead. Junior center fielder Maxx Sheehan (San Jose, Calif.) led off with a single to left field and moved to second as Jabs followed with a single through the right side. After a passed ball moved the runners up, Razzino lifted a sacrifice fly to left field to score Sheehan. Back-to-back hit-by-pitches of senior catcher Matt Walsh (Plymouth, Mass.) and junior first baseman Matt O'Herron (Springfield, Mass.) then loaded the bases to set up the remainder of the inning. Sophomore designated hitter Chris LaVorgna (North Haven, Conn.) cashed in the next two runs by socking a double into the gap in left-center field to score both Jabs and Walsh. Sophomore second baseman Kyle Hood (Arlington, Mass.) then dumped a two-run single into left-center to score O'Herron and LaVorgna.

Saint Anselm got on the board with a run in the bottom of the second inning. Sophomore third baseman Nick Bragole put a one-out single through the left side of the infield and moved around to third on a double into the gap in left-center by freshman left fielder John Marculitis. Bragole scored on an RBI groundout by freshman designated hitter Dan Bodi.

Franklin Pierce put together another five-spot in the top of the fourth inning to seemingly break the game open and take a 10-1 lead. The first five batters of the inning reached base, as Sheehan was hit by a pitch and moved to third as Jabs yanked a double down the right-field line. That spelled the end of the day for the Saint Anselm starter, sophomore right-hander Autrey Gates, who was replaced by fellow sophomore right-hander Cameron Latta. Latta surrendered hits to the first three men he faced, as Razzino went to left-center for a single to score Sheehan, Walsh clubbed a two-run double into left-center to score Jabs and Razzino, and an RBI double the other way to right-center by O'Herron scored Walsh. O'Herron later moved to third while junior left fielder Kurtis White (Nahant, Mass.) reached on an error and scored on an RBI infield single by junior shortstop Justin Brock (Latham, N.Y.).

Saint Anselm cut the gap to 10-5 with a quartet of runs in the home half of the fourth. Marculitis was hit by a pitch leading off, and then back-to-back singles by Bodi and freshman shortstop Max Wadington loaded the bases. Sophomore second baseman Matt Flynn followed with an RBI single back up the middle to score Marculitis and Bodi scored on a sacrifice fly to center by junior center fielder Ken Morrisino. A single into right-center by freshman catcher Shaine Carpenter re-loaded the bases and was the end of the line for sophomore right-hander Mike Lundin (Kingston, Mass.), who left in favor of senior right-hander Paul Fahey (Dorchester, Mass.). Fahey was greeted by an RBI infield single by senior right fielder Joe Morin, which scored Wadington, while Flynn scored on the play as well, as Fahey threw the ball away after collecting it.

The Ravens pushed the lead back to seven runs, at 12-5, with a pair of runs in the top of the fifth inning. Jabs doubled to center leading off and moved to third on a bunt single by Razzino. After Razzino stole second, a wild pitch scored Jabs and moved Razzino to third. Razzino would score from there later in the inning, when LaVorgna lofted a sacrifice fly to left field.

Saint Anselm made things interesting again in the home half of the fifth, when it plated four runs to cut the deficit to 12-9. Bragole led off with a single inside the right-field line, but was later turned into the second out of the inning while Bodi reached on a fielder's choice. The Hawks then did all their damage with two outs, as a single through the right side by Wadington and a walk to Flynn loaded the bases for Morrisino. Morrisino knocked the second pitch of his at-bat into center field for a two-run single to score Bodi and Wadington, which caused the Ravens to go to the bullpen again and turn the game over to sophomore right-hander Dylan Dennis (Wakefield, Mass.). Dennis was greeted rudely, as Carpenter put a two-run double down the right-field line to score Flynn and Morrisino.

Dennis would settle in from there and combine with senior right-hander Travis Landry (Loudon, N.H.) to throw shutout ball over the final 4.1 innings, while the Ravens added some insurance markers along the way. First, a run in the top of the sixth pushed the lead to 13-9. White walked leading off, moved to second while Brock reached on an error, went to third on a sacrifice bunt by Sheehan and scored on a sacrifice fly to center by Jabs.

Two more runs for Franklin Pierce in the top of the ninth created the 15-9 final. O'Herron started things by leading off with a single into right-center and moved to second on a single through the right side by LaVorgna. After a double steal moved the runners to second and third, White scored O'Herron with an RBI single back through the middle. LaVorgna would score the game's final run on an errant throw.

Lundin started on the mound for Franklin Pierce on Tuesday, but did not have his best stuff. He threw 53 pitches (38 strikes) over 3.1 innings, was roughed up for five runs (four earned) on eight hits, walked one (intentionally), hit a batter, struck out one and did not factor in the decision. Dennis ultimately threw 3.1 shutout innings to pick up the win (1-0) out of the bullpen. He allowed just one hit, walked two and struck out three.

Gates tossed 48 pitches (30 strikes) over the first three-plus innings for Saint Anselm. He was ultimately touched up for seven runs on eight hits, did not issue a walk, hit four batters, threw a wild pitch and struck out one while taking the loss (0-4).

The Ravens return to the field on Friday, May 1, when they travel to Bentley for a Northeast-10 Conference, Northeast Division contest. First pitch is set for 3:30 p.m. at DeFelice Field in Waltham, Mass.

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).