NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. (April 17, 2016) -- Freshman designated player Madison Ryan's (Dracut, Mass.) hot hitting helped the Franklin Pierce University softball team split at Merrimack for the second day in a row on Sunday afternoon in North Andover. The Ravens were victorious in game one with a 4-3 win, before they fell, 4-1, in game two. The first game of the doubleheader was a Northeast-10 Conference, Northeast Division contest.

With the split, Franklin Pierce record moves to 11-18 (7-9 Northeast-10, 7-9 Northeast Division), while Merrimack goes to 19-23 (10-11 Northeast-10, 8-9 Northeast Division).

The Ravens took a 1-0 lead early in game one, after loading the bases in the top of the third. Senior third baseman Erin Wood (Dover, N.Y.) hit a sacrifice fly to center field, sending sophomore first baseman Aubrey Bianco (Marlboro, N.Y.) home.

The score remained 1-0 until the seventh inning, when the offense came to life for both teams. After a pair of singles which led to two runners on base, Ryan hit a double to right field to drive in a run and push the lead to 2-0. Moments later, sophomore second baseman Samantha Bonvino (Milford, Mass.) hit a single to send in another run. The Ravens would score their fourth and final run of the game after an error by the Merrimack shortstop, which allowed Ryan to advance to home plate.

With the Ravens up by four, the Warriors had to fight back and they did. The team would score three runs in the bottom of the seventh. A single by junior pitcher Haley Currie scored two runs, after an error in center field. The third and final run for the Warriors came after freshman third baseman Caitlin McBride had a single to left field, which sent Currie home. An out at second would end the game in a 4-3 win for Franklin Pierce.

Currie (7-10) had three strikeouts for the Warriors, and allowed six hits and four runs (three earned) over 6.1 innings while taking the loss.

Senior pitcher Mandi Adee (Kinderhook, N.Y.) earned her fourth win of the season (4-7) after allowing only six hits in the complete game and striking out two.

In game two, the Warriors came out with their bats hot in the bottom of the second inning. Junior center fielder Tamarra Crowe hit a triple down the left-field line, sending teammate McBride to score the first run of the game. After a pair of errors at second and first base in the same inning, three more runs scored to put the Ravens behind, 4-0.

The next and final score of the game would come from a solo shot by Wood in the top of the sixth to result in a 4-1 final score, as the Warriors came away with the victory.

Sophomore pitcher Courtney Zambello got her fifth win of the season (5-4), allowing four hits and only one run while striking out five in her complete game.

Freshman pitcher Sabrina LoMonaco (Franklin, Mass.) had four strikeouts and allowed four runs (one earned) on two hits in a complete-game loss (1-7).

The Ravens return to the field on Monday, April 18, when they return home to host Southern New Hampshire in a Northeast-10 Conference, Northeast Division contest. First pitch is set for 3 p.m. at the Bisaccia Softball Complex in Rindge.

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 softball apparel can do so at the Department of Athletics' online store (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu/store).