Jabs makes first career pitching appearance to nail down second game

GARDEN CITY, N.Y. (March 5, 2016) – Senior right-hander Miles Sheehan (Madison, Conn.) fired eight shutout innings on Saturday afternoon to set the tone in the first game of a doubleheader, leading the way for the No. 3/3 nationally ranked Franklin Pierce University baseball team in a 4-0 win at Adelphi. The Ravens would go on to win the second game as well, 3-2, to complete the sweep in non-conference play at Bonomo Field.

With the wins, Franklin Pierce improves to 7-0, while Adelphi falls to 4-3. The two teams will meet for another doubleheader, on Saturday, April 9 at Franklin Pierce, which will be Northeast-10 Conference contests.

In the first game, the first five innings went scoreless, before Franklin Pierce drew first blood with a run in the top of the sixth. Senior shortstop Justin Brock (Latham, N.Y.) singled back up the middle, moved to second on a wild pitch, advanced to third on a balk and eventually scored on a two-out, RBI single the other way to left field by junior third baseman Jay Jabs (Schwenksville, Pa.).

The Ravens doubled the lead to 2-0 with a run in the top of the seventh. Senior right fielder Max DiTondo (Marshfield, Mass.) started things with a two-out single through the right side, moved to second on a wild pitch and scored on an RBI double into the gap in left-center by sophomore catcher Christopher Stanford (Quebec City, Quebec).

Franklin Pierce picked up a pair of further insurance runs in the top of the eighth inning to create the 4-0 final. Senior center fielder Maxx Sheehan (San Jose, Calif.) led off with a single to left and advanced to second as graduate student left fielder Matt Burns (Parkland, Fla.) reached on an error by Adelphi junior shortstop Michael Stack. A flyout to center by Jabs moved the runners to second and third, before Maxx Sheehan scored on a pinch-hit, RBI single to right by sophomore John Friday (Southborough, Mass.). The Ravens then put on the first-and-third double-steal play, which saw Burns steal home.

Miles Sheehan (1-0) bounced back from his season opening start with eight shutout innings on the hill for the Ravens. He threw 111 pitches (74 strikes) allowed six hits, walked two and struck out 11, matching his career high in the win.

Senior right-hander Jonathan Mulford (0-1) took the ball for Adelphi and logged the first 6.2 innings on the mound. He threw 98 pitches (67 strikes), allowed two runs on four hits, walked two, threw two wild pitches, balked once and struck out nine in the losing effort.

In the second game, a seven-inning affair, Adelphi opened the scoring with a run in the bottom of the second inning. Leading off the inning, sophomore designated hitter Camden Orologio put a 3-2 pitch beyond the fence in left field for his first home run of the season, a solo shot.

Franklin Pierce rallied for a lead it would not relinquish with three runs in the top of the fourth inning. Burns led off with a single through the left side and went first-to-third when Jabs followed with a single to center. Two batters later, an intentional walk to DiTondo loaded the bases for junior designated hitter Chris LaVorgna (North Haven, Conn.), who reached on an infield single to drive home Burns. The bases were still loaded for senior second baseman Kurtis White (Nahant, Mass.), who put the ball on the ground and drove home Jabs with an RBI fielder's choice. With LaVorgna erased at second, the Ravens were left with White on first and DiTondo on third with two away and put on the first-and-third double-steal again. The Panthers putout White between first and second, but not before DiTondo could cross the plate to push the lead to 3-1.

The third run proved important, as Adelphi put together a run in the bottom of the fifth inning to cut the gap to 3-2. Freshman shortstop Brett Malm led off with a single to right and moved to second when junior first baseman Robert Vani followed with a six-pitch walk. Malm would score from second on an RBI single by Orologio.

Sophomore right-hander Anthony Matarazzo (Medford, Mass.) went to the mound for the Ravens in the second game, but threw just 3.2 innings. He tossed 68 pitches (43 strikes), allowed one run on five hits, walked two, balked once, struck out three and did not factor in the decision. Jabs (1-0) took over on the mound and fired two shutout innings to finish the game and pick up the win. He allowed three hits and struck out one.

Junior right-hander TJ Santiago (1-1) went the distance on the other side in a losing effort for Adelphi. He threw 85 pitches (60 strikes) over seven innings, allowed three runs on four hits, walked one (intentionally) and struck out six.

The Ravens return to the field on Sunday, March 6, when they travel to Dowling for a non-conference doubleheader. First pitch is set for noon at Golden Lions Field in Shirley, N.Y.

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).