RINDGE, N.H. (May 13, 2021) -- Bentley was able to plate three in the top of the first inning on Thursday afternoon at Pappas Field, but the Franklin Pierce University baseball team was having none of it. The Ravens responded with four home runs to score eight runs over the first four innings in the Northeast Division semifinal round of the Northeast-10 Championship. Franklin Pierce, the division's second seed, put it in cruise control from there and rolled to a 10-4 victory over the third-seeded Falcons.

With the win, Franklin Pierce improves to 21-7 and will continue the defense of its 2019 NE10 title in the best-of-three divisional final, which will be hosted by top seed and intrastate rival Southern New Hampshire. The Northeast Division final will consist of a doubleheader at noon on Sunday, with an if-necessary game to follow at noon on Monday at Penmen Field in Manchester, N.H. Per SNHU policy, no spectators will be permitted to attend.

With the loss, Bentley falls to 17-11 and will have to rely on a long-shot NCAA bid for its season to continue.

Junior right-hander Danny Gracia (Wilmington, Mass.) was greeted rudely by the Bentley lineup on Thursday. He faced six batters, but recorded only one out and was eventually charged with three runs on five hits. Sophomore Tim Zupkus opened the proceedings with a bang, as he clubbed a leadoff homer, his second of the season, an estimated 370 feet the other way into right-center.

After a double and a single, Gracia did induce a would-be double-play ball, but sophomore shortstop Ian Battipaglia (Cheshire, Conn.) stumbled and fumbled the ball, and the Ravens had to settle for just one out on the play, while a run came in to score. Graduate student Ryan Berardino followed with an RBI single and, two batters later, freshman Jackson Walonis clubbed an RBI ground-rule double to left-center which chased Gracia from the mound.

Graduate student left-hander Shawn Babineau (Ashland, Mass.) came on, working on short rest, retired the next two batters to end the inning and went on to fire 105 pitches (67 strikes) over 7.2 brilliant innings. He faced 27 batters, just four over the minimum for his time on the hill, allowed one run on five hits, walked one, struck out one and wound up a winner (3-1) after the Franklin Pierce offense took care of business.

Just as Zupkus had opened the top of the first with a homer, junior Randy Flores (Brooklyn, N.Y.) did the same in the bottom half of the inning, as he socked his fourth of the season an estimated 360 feet the other way to right-center.

The Ravens took the lead with a five-spot in the bottom of the second. After a one-out single from graduate student James Boria (Massapequa, N.Y.), junior Joel Lara (Boston, Mass.) stepped to the plate. Lara's first career home run was a timely one, as he crushed an estimated 370-foot shot to straightaway left to tie the game at 3-3. After a walk and an error put two runners back on base, graduate student Tyler Patane (Lake Grove, N.Y.) cleared them again, as he went an estimated 350 feet to right for his fourth of the season to put Franklin Pierce ahead to stay, 6-3.

The Ravens added solo runs in the third and the fourth, as well as two more in the sixth, on the way to the 10-4 victory. In the third, junior Jake Miller (Waltham, Mass.) knocked the ball an estimated 370 feet, over the fence in left, for his third of the season to cap Franklin Pierce's four-homer day. Patane provided RBI singles in both the fourth and sixth, as he rounded out a 3-for-5 day with five runs batted in. The remaining run scored on a double play.

Bentley picked up its lone run in the top of the eighth when Berardino, the NE10's leader in batting average (.489), pulled his third home run of the season an estimated 360 feet to left field.

Senior right-hander Evan Christopulos (2-2) took the ball and the loss on the hill for Bentley. He threw 68 pitches (41 strikes) over just 3.2 innings and was ultimately charged with eight runs (five earned) on eight hits, walked one, hit a batter and struck out two.