RINDGE, N.H. (May 12, 2016) – Junior center fielder John Kukura made a game-saving catch in the bottom of the eighth inning, then doubled and scored the game-winning run in the top of the ninth inning on Thursday afternoon, as Pace pulled off a 2-1 upset of the No. 1/3 nationally ranked Franklin Pierce University baseball team on the first day of the double-elimination portion of the Northeast-10 Championship. Senior right-hander Josh Garran gutted his way through 161 pitches to go the distance and throw a 10-hitter for Pace at Dr. Arthur and Martha Pappas Field. Junior third baseman Jay Jabs (Schwenksville, Pa.) hit a fourth-inning home run for Franklin Pierce's only score.

With the loss, Franklin Pierce -- the Northeast Division's top seed -- falls to 45-5 and sees its winning streak snapped at 17 games. The Ravens will face elimination at 7 p.m. on Thursday against Saint Rose, which fell to Southern New Hampshire, 9-7, earlier on Thursday. With the win, Pace -- the Southwest Division's second seed -- improves to 30-20 and will face SNHU in a winner's bracket game on Friday at 10 a.m.

With the game tied at 1-1, Franklin Pierce threatened to take the lead in the bottom of the eighth inning. Junior second baseman Kyle Hood (Arlington, Mass.) won a nine-pitch battle leading off and dumped a single into right-center field. Senior center fielder Maxx Sheehan (San Jose, Calif.) attempted to sacrifice, but popped the ball up in foul territory on the third-base side, allowing Pace senior third baseman Nick Lobello to make a diving catch for the first out. After senior shortstop Justin Brock (Latham, N.Y.) struck out on seven pitches, the inning came down to Garran against Jabs, with Hood still at first base. Jabs drove the third pitch of the at-bat deep to straightaway center field, sending Kukura on the run as Hood took off around the bases. Kukura would make an over-the-shoulder catch as he crashed into the fence just to the left of the 390-foot mark in center field to end the inning.

Kukura was shaken up by his collision with the fence, but ultimately stayed in the game and came to the plate with one out and nobody on in the ensuing top of the ninth inning. He pulled the third pitch he saw down the left-field line for a double and immediately scored when senior second baseman Andrew Coffey shot the first pitch of his at-bat back up the middle for an RBI single. The run would stand as the game-winning run after Franklin Pierce failed to advance a runner past first base in the bottom of the ninth inning.

The run made a winner out of Garran (7-3), who made what should stand as the premier start of his career. He fired 161 pitches (103 strikes) while authoring his fifth complete game of the season. Garran allowed one run and scattered 10 hits, walked one and struck out six on the afternoon.

Earlier in the day, Franklin Pierce opened the scoring with a run in the bottom of the fourth inning. Leading off, Jabs got a 1-2 pitch to his liking and drove his team-leading 14th home run of the season an estimated 360 feet, just to the right of straightaway right field.

Pace evened the score at 1-1 immediately, with a run in the top of the fifth inning. Graduate student shortstop Brett Bittiger started things with a two-out single to center and moved to second when Kukura followed with an infield single to third. Coffey was next and picked up his first RBI of the day by lashing a 1-1 pitch through the left side of the infield for a single.

Sophomore right-hander Anthony Matarazzo (Medford, Mass.) started on the mound for the Ravens, but was long gone before the game was decided, as he threw 98 pitches (64 strikes) over the first 5.2 innings. He allowed one run on five hits, walked two, hit two batters and struck out three. Senior right-hander Tanner Bird (Adams, Mass.) went the final 3.1 innings, allowed one run on three hits, walked one, threw a wild pitch and struck out four while taking the loss (8-1).

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).