Jabs shuts door with 1.1 shutout innings

RINDGE, N.H. (March 23, 2016) – After struggling to get anything going at the plate early in the game, the No. 4/5 nationally ranked Franklin Pierce University baseball team got two runs in the sixth and an unearned run in the eighth to rally for a 4-3 win over Post in its home opener at Dr. Arthur and Martha Pappas Field on Wednesday afternoon. Sophomore catcher Christopher Stanford (Quebec City, Quebec) socked a two-run double to tie the game in the sixth, allowing the Ravens to take advantage of an eighth-inning error to pick up the win.

With the win, Franklin Pierce improves to 18-2 and has won five in a row, while Post falls to 5-14 with the loss.

Already trailing 2-1 heading into the sixth, Franklin Pierce surrendered a run in the top half of the inning to allow Post to extend its lead to 3-1. With one out and nobody on, sophomore third baseman Don Walsh took a 2-0 offering from Franklin Pierce senior right-hander Paul Covelle (Medford, Mass.) and drove a long, solo home run just to the left of straightaway center field. His team-leading third home run of the season traveled an estimated distance of 410 feet.

Franklin Pierce, which had been held to just four hits prior, finally broke through with a pair of runs in the bottom half of the sixth inning to tie the game at 3-3. With one out, senior first baseman Matthew O'Herron (Springfield, Mass.) hit the ball on the ground on the right side, but reached on a fielding error by Post freshman second baseman Shawn Boston. O'Herron moved to second as senior second baseman Kurtis White (Nahant, Mass.) followed and put a single the other way through the left side of the infield.

With the Post starter, sophomore left-hander Enzo Esposito, at 109 pitches and in trouble with one out, the Eagles' dugout paid a mound visit with sophomore right-hander Ben Brown ready in the bullpen down the right-field line. Head coach Ray Ricker elected to stay with Esposito, but the next pitch would be the latter's 110th and final pitch of the afternoon. Stanford clubbed the first pitch of his at-bat the other way and into the gap in right-center field to drive home both runs and tie the game. With the proverbial horses already out of the barn, Post brought on Brown to shut the door, and he retired the next two batters to strand Stanford and keep the game tied.

The game would remain knotted at 3-3 until the bottom of the eighth, when the Ravens plated what would stand as the game-winning run. White started things with a one-out, seven-pitch walk, before Stanford fouled out to the catcher for the second out. Senior shortstop Justin Brock (Latham, N.Y.) was next and lashed a sinking line drive into center field. Post sophomore center fielder Alex Wright came charging in and made a dive for the ball, which was tailing into left-center field. Wright got a piece of the ball, but could not come up with it. As the ball ricocheted away into left-center, Brock headed for second looking for a double as White took third.

Wright collected the ball and appeared to rush his throw back to the infield, as it sailed over the cutoff man with no discernible target and trickled to the warning track in front of the first-base dugout. The errant throw allowed White to score and Brock to take third. Brock would attempt to take home on a light throw back to the pitcher by junior catcher Rupert House, but the ploy to take advantage of the napping defense did not work, as Brown returned the ball to House for the putout at the plate. The Franklin Pierce dugout argued Brock got to the plate underneath the tag, but it was to no avail.

Senior right-hander Jay Jabs (Schwenksville, Pa.), who had moved from third base to the mound in the top of the eighth to get the final out in a bases-loaded jam, retired the side in order in the ninth with one strikeout to finish off Post and pick up the win (2-0).

Earlier in the day, Post opened the scoring with a pair of runs in the top of the third. Sophomore right fielder Maxime Robillard worked an eight-pitch walk leading off and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt. Sophomore left fielder David Sarmiento was next and lifted a shallow fly ball down the right-field line. Franklin Pierce senior right fielder Max DiTondo (Marshfield, Mass.) made a diving attempt on the ball, but came up empty, allowing Sarmiento to go for an RBI triple as the ball escaped down the line. Two batters later, Walsh drove home Sarmiento with a double over DiTondo's head and off the fence in right field.

Franklin Pierce cut the gap to 2-1 with a run in the bottom half of the third. With two outs and nobody on, graduate student Matt Burns (Parkland, Fla.) smoked a single back up the middle, moved to second on a wild pitch and scored on an RBI single through the middle by junior designated hitter Chris LaVorgna (North Haven, Conn.).

Covelle did not factor in the decision after throwing 86 pitches (57 strikes) over six innings, plus one batter in the seventh, on the mound for the Ravens. He allowed three runs on five hits, walked one and struck out nine. Senior right-hander Tanner Bird (Adams, Mass.) pitched a scoreless seventh, but then loaded the bases with one out in the eighth, before sophomore left-hander Adam Goss (Waterford, Conn.) struck out freshman designated hitter Michael Munson and Jabs got House to fly out down the right-field line to escape the jam.

On the other side of the ledger, Esposito threw 110 pitches (67 strikes) over the first 5.1 innings on the hill for Post and also did not factor in the decision. He allowed three runs (two earned) on six hits, walked four, threw a wild pitch and struck out six. Brown (0-1) took the loss after throwing the final 2.2 innings out of the bullpen, despite allowing just the one unearned run on one hit, while walking one and striking out two.

The Ravens return to the field on Saturday, March 26, when they travel to Stonehill for a Northeast-10 Conference, Northeast Division doubleheader. First pitch is set for noon at Lou Gorman Field in Easton, 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).