RINDGE, N.H. (May 21, 2016) – For the second straight day, the No. 1/3 nationally ranked, top seed and host Franklin Pierce University baseball team ambushed an opposing starting pitcher on Saturday night at Dr. Arthur and Martha Pappas Field. This time, the Ravens plated nine runs in the bottom of the first inning to set the stage for a 12-8 win over third-seeded St. Thomas Aquinas in the nightcap of the third day of the NCAA Championship East Regional.

With the win, Franklin Pierce improves to 47-6 and advances to the championship round of the East Regional on Monday, starting at noon. The Ravens will need just one win in two tries against a to-be-determined opponent to claim their seventh regional crown. With the loss, St. Thomas Aquinas falls to 37-16 and will face elimination at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, against the winner of Sunday's noon game, which features second-seeded Southern New Hampshire and fifth-seeded Bridgeport. The winner of Sunday's 3:30 p.m. game would need to beat Franklin Pierce twice on Monday to capture the regional title.

The Ravens jumped all over the St. Thomas Aquinas starter, junior left-hander John Bednarek, chasing him from the game before he could complete the bottom of the first inning. In all, Franklin Pierce sent 13 men to the plate in the inning and collected nine runs on five hits and one Spartan error, capitalizing on two walks and three hit batsmen along the way. For the second straight day, senior center fielder Maxx Sheehan (San Jose, Calif.) opened the bottom of the first with a hit, knocking a leadoff single through the right side of the infield. Senior shortstop Justin Brock (Latham, N.Y.) followed and chopped a would-be double-play ball on the right side, but STAC senior second baseman Brandon Fischer dropped the ball as he turned to throw to second base, leaving everybody safe.

The error was followed by immediate control problems from Bednarek, which allowed the floodgates to open. Senior third baseman Jay Jabs (Schwenksville, Pa.) took a five-pitch walk to load the bases and then junior designated hitter Chris LaVorgna (North Haven, Conn.) was hit by the third pitch of his at-bat to force home the game's first run. Senior right fielder Max DiTondo (Marshfield, Mass.) was next and lifted a sacrifice fly to center field to score Brock. Senior first baseman Matthew O'Herron (Springfield, Mass.) reached on an infield single to re-load the bases for senior left fielder Kurtis White (Nahant, Mass.), who took a six-pitch walk to force in a run.

After a visit to the mound from Spartans head coach Scott Muscat, sophomore catcher Stephen Octave (New Windsor, N.Y.) kept the line moving with an RBI single the other way, through the right side of the infield, to score LaVorgna. Junior second baseman Kyle Hood (Arlington, Mass.) was then hit by the fifth pitch of his at-bat to drive home O'Herron. The bases still loaded, the lineup flipped back to the top for Sheehan again, who drove the second pitch he saw into the gap in left-center. A baserunning snafu led to Octave running into the second out at the plate, but Sheehan did pick up an RBI single and wound up on second on the play.

The single spelled the end of the day for Bednarek (5-2), who departed after just two-thirds of an inning and 33 pitches (14 strikes). He was ultimately stung for eight runs (five earned) on four hits, walked two and hit two batters while taking the loss.

Muscat turned the game over to freshman right-hander Scott Hannon, who hit Brock with the fifth pitch he threw to load the bases for Jabs. Jabs attacked the first pitch he saw and laced a three-run double down the right-field line to clear the bases and complete the game-opening nine-spot for the Ravens.

St. Thomas Aquinas got on the board in the top of the third, as senior catcher Jonathan McGugan led off with a single through the left side and eventually scored on an RBI single through the left side by Fischer. The Spartans made it 9-2 in the top of the fifth, as Fischer launched his second home run of the season, a solo shot of an estimated 380 feet to the power alley in right-center field. Franklin Pierce pushed the lead back to 10-2 in the sixth, as O'Herron singled and later scored on an RBI ground out by Hood.

The teams would trade a mess of runs down the stretch, as St. Thomas Aquinas closed the gap to the 12-8 final. The Spartans got one in the seventh on a long, 375-foot solo home run to left by McGugan leading off, his second of the season. They would pick up two more in the eighth on an RBI double by sophomore right fielder Giovanni Dingcong and a sacrifice fly by senior first baseman Richard Cesca Jr.

Franklin Pierce tacked on a pair of insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth, courtesy of a two-run double to left-center by Hood, to make it 12-5. The Spartans got a two-run single from junior designated hitter Deven Del Priore and an RBI double from senior left fielder Nicholas Gargan to plate three in the top of the ninth, but could get no closer, resulting in the 12-8 final.

Sophomore right-hander Anthony Matarazzo (Medford, Mass.) started and threw 87 pitches (59 strikes) over the first 5.1 innings on the mound for the Ravens. He allowed two runs on seven hits, did not issue a walk and struck out four to pick up the win (11-0).

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).