NE10 Championship Central

RINDGE, N.H. (May 10, 2017) – For the third straight season, the Franklin Pierce University baseball team has advanced to the weekend portion of the Northeast-10 Conference Championship, to be hosted by the University of New Haven, in West Haven, Conn. The Ravens, the Northeast Division's second seed will open play in the three-day, double-elimination tournament on Thursday against the Southwest Division's fourth seed, Pace. First pitch is set for noon at Frank Vieira Field.

As in any double-elimination tournament, the first day of games provides a slate of pivotal contests. Those who fall on Thursday face an uphill battle and would have to win four straight games in two days to claim the NE10 title. Thursday's second game will feature the Northeast Division's top seed, Southern New Hampshire, and the host Chargers, the second seed out of the Southwest Division. The tournament schedule is as follows, beginning with Game 5, following Tuesday's four single-elimination, quarterfinal matchups:

Northeast-10 Baseball Championship
Hosted by University of New Haven
Frank Vieira Field
West Haven, Conn.
(Seeds in parentheses)

Thursday, May 11
Game 5: (SW4) Pace vs. (NE2) Franklin Pierce -- Noon
Game 6: (NE1) Southern New Hampshire at (SW2) New Haven -- 3 p.m.

Friday, May 12
Game 7: Game 5 Loser vs. Game 6 Loser -- 10 a.m. (loser eliminated)
Game 8: Game 5 Winner vs. Game 6 Winner -- 12:30 p.m.
Game 9: Game 7 Winner vs. Game 8 Loser -- 3 p.m. (loser eliminated)

Saturday, May 13
Game 10: Game 9 Winner vs. Game 8 Winner -- 11 a.m.
Game 11: Game 10 rematch* -- 35 minutes following conclusion of Game 10.
* Game 11 only necessary if Game 9 Winner wins Game 10.

All games to begin at scheduled time or 35 minutes after conclusion of previous game, whichever is later.

Scouting the Ravens

In pursuit of a record sixth NE10 title, Franklin Pierce (31-13) opened the postseason with a bang on Tuesday night at Dr. Arthur and Martha Pappas Field. The Ravens played host to the Northeast Division's third seed, Merrimack, and dealt the Warriors an 8-0 loss. Senior right-hander Cody McPartland (Sound Beach, N.Y.) struck out six over 7.1 shutout innings and three Franklin Pierce pitchers combined to author a seven-hit shutout. Meanwhile, the offense used a four-run fourth to key an eight-run outburst through the middle innings. Freshman left fielder Dylan Jones (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.) provided the game's pivotal hit, with a two-run single in the fourth which ballooned a 2-0 lead into a 4-0 advantage.

As announced on Wednesday by the Conference office, Franklin Pierce heads into the weekend portion of the tournament boasting six All-Conference selections. Thursday's probable starter, junior right-hander John Amendola (Wallingford, Conn.) landed on the First Team to lead the way for the Ravens. In addition, junior right fielder Adam Chase (Bridgewater, Mass.), McPartland and junior catcher Stephen Octave (New Windsor, N.Y.) were all named to the Second Team, while junior first baseman Dalton Davis (Birmingham, Ala.) and junior third baseman John Friday (Southborough, Mass.) collected Third-Team honors.

Scouting the Setters

On the other side of the ledger, Pace (29-17) returns to the weekend portion of the NE10 Championship for the second straight season after a 5-2, upset win over the Southwest Division's top seed, Southern Connecticut State, on the road on Tuesday afternoon. Junior right-hander Ryan Aquino went the distance on the mound for the Setters and threw a seven-hitter, allowing two runs and striking out nine along the way. Pace jumped out front 3-0 through 4.5 innings and then tacked on insurance runs in the eighth and ninth to create the 5-2 final. Sophomore shortstop Michael Salmonese went 2-for-3 with a double and a sacrifice fly and drove in two runs in the victory.

Salmonese was among three All-NE10 selections for Pace, as he landed on the Third Team after posting a .313/.349/.380 slash line with 34 runs scored through 179 at-bats (56-for-179). Pace also had a pair of First Team selections, in senior outfielder John Kukura and junior catcher Michael Gulino. Kukura is the team's leading hitter in all three triple-slash categories at .345/.459/.552, while Gulino has clicked along at .335/.413/.524.

On the Mound

Franklin Pierce is expected to give the ball to Amendola on Thursday afternoon, for what would be his fourth career postseason start. His start at the NE10 Championship last season came in an elimination contest on Thursday night at Pappas Field against Saint Rose. Amendola allowed two runs on seven hits over 6.1 innings, did not issue a walk, struck out four and did not factor in the decision. A week later, he would strike out 10 over seven innings to pick up the win over Southern New Hampshire in the decisive game of the NCAA East Regional.

On the season this spring, Amendola picked up his All-NE10 First Team honor after making 11 appearances on the mound, which included nine starts, three complete games and one shutout. Over a team-high 71 innings of work, he has allowed 16 runs (13 earned) on 60 hits, walked eight and struck out 64 (8.11 per nine innings) on the way to a 1.65 ERA, a 6-3 record and one save.

Amendola has one career start against Pace, which came on March 19 of last season, at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, N.C. He went 8.2 innings against the Setters, allowed four runs (three earned) on seven hits, walked two and struck out six to pick up the win in a 6-4 Ravens victory.

The most-likely counter on the hill for Pace appears to be sophomore left-hander Dan Wirchansky, who would be making his first collegiate postseason start.

On the season, Wirchansky has made 12 appearances, including 10 starts, one complete game and one shutout, to total 64.1 innings. He has surrendered 29 runs (24 earned) on 57 hits, walked 30 and struck out 58 (8.11 per nine innings) on the way to a 3.36 ERA and a 4-4 record with one save.

Wirchansky has never faced the Ravens.

Earlier this Season

Though the two teams were originally on each other's schedules this spring, the games were ultimately scrapped due to weather issues. Thursday's meeting will be the first between the two sides in 2017.

A year ago, the teams met four times, with Franklin Pierce taking three out of the four. However, Pace's lone win in last year's season series came in the Northeast-10 Championship.

Previously in the Postseason

The Ravens and the Setters have previously met four times in the postseason, with three meetings occurring in the NE10 Championship and one clash in the 2013 NCAA East Regional. Franklin Pierce is 2-1 against Pace all-time in the NE10 Championship and 1-0 in the East Regional.

Last season, Pace scored its first-ever postseason victory over Franklin Pierce with a 2-1 win at Pappas Field on May 12. Then a junior, Kukura, made a game-saving catch in the bottom of the eighth and then doubled and scored the game-winning run in the top of the ninth inning for the Setters.

Four years ago, the two teams locked horns in an elimination game at the 2013 East Regional. Kevin McGowan went the distance, allowing one run on nine hits for the Ravens, while Matt O'Herron went 4-for-4, scored twice and drove in a run, as Franklin Pierce kept its eventual East Region title run alive with an 8-1 victory.

The two remaining NE10 Championship meetings between the two both came at UMass Lowell, all the way back in 2007. The Ravens beat the Setters on consecutive days, 7-6 and 5-1, on the way to their first of three straight NE10 titles.

Headed to the Game?

If you plan on making the trip to West Haven on Thursday, New Haven's Championship Central page, which includes directions and ticket information, can be found here.

Ticket prices are set as follows:

Adults - $6
Children/Seniors - $4
Students (with valid ID from NE10 institutions) - $1

Per Conference policy, no complimentary admissions will be issued.

How to Follow Along

If you prefer to follow the action from home, from work or from elsewhere, both live video and live stats will be available.

Live stats | Video 

Up Next

As outlined in the schedule above, the winner of Thursday's game will play at 12:30 p.m. Friday against the winner of Thursday's second game, which features Southern New Hampshire and New Haven. Friday's winner's bracket game acts as a de facto semifinal, with the winner advancing to Saturday's championship round.

The loser of Thursday's contest will turn around and face elimination at 10 a.m. Friday, against the loser of the SNHU/New Haven contest. Thursday's loser will be forced to win twice on Friday, at 10 a.m. and again at 3 p.m., to advance to Saturday's title round.

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).