Ravens down Chestnut Hill, 11-10 (10 inn.); dump W. Va. Wesleyan, 16-2

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (February 22, 2013) – Junior right-hander Trevor Graham (Sebastian, Fla.) struck out the first six batters he faced as a Raven on Friday evening on his way to 14 strikeouts over six innings of one-hit ball to lead the No. 9/12 nationally ranked Franklin Pierce University baseball team to a 16-2 win over West Virginia Wesleyan in neutral-site, non-conference play at The Ripken Experience. Earlier in the day, sophomore catcher Matt Walsh (Plymouth, Mass.) hit a game-winning single in the bottom of the 10th inning to give Franklin Pierce an 11-10 win over Chestnut Hill.

With the wins, Franklin Pierce improves to 3-0 (0-0 Northeast-10) on the season.

Graham was the story of the evening in Myrtle Beach, piling up a career-high 14 strikeouts in his first start for Franklin Pierce. He was perfect through 3.1 innings, struck out eight of the first nine he faced and recorded 11 of his first 12 outs via the strikeout. He allowed only two runs (both unearned) on one hit and two walks on his way to the win (1-0).

The Ravens did most of their damage in the bottom of the fifth inning, when they scored eight runs while sending 13 men to the plate. Senior left fielder Eric Romano (North Branford, Conn.) had the biggest blow of the inning with a two-run single, as there were only four hits in the frame, thanks to five walks and a hit batter by WVWC pitching.

Earlier in the game, Franklin Pierce scored three in the second and three in the third, in addition to single runs in the fourth and sixth innings. Senior right fielder Nick LaCroix (Grafton, Mass.) had a two-run single in the third, while junior center fielder Calvin Graves (Boston, Mass.) had a two-run single in the second.

In the day's first game, against Chestnut Hill, Franklin Pierce staked itself to a 6-3 lead after seven and took a 7-5 lead into the ninth before the bullpen imploded, allowing four runs to give the Griffins a 9-7 lead. The sequence of Ravens pitchers is not entirely known at press time, though the first attempted chronology is in the not-yet-finalized box score linked with this story.

Trailing by two headed for the last of the ninth, Franklin Pierce got a leadoff double from junior first baseman Zach Mathieu (Derry, N.H.), who eventually scored on an error, and a one-out single from LaCroix, who later scored the tying run on a first-and-third delayed double steal.

Chestnut Hill reclaimed the lead at 10-9 with a run in the top of the 10th, but again the Ravens rallied, this time for the victory. Freshman second baseman Justin Brock (Latham, N.Y.) led off with a single, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Graves and scored on an RBI single by junior shortstop Dan Kemp (Sturbridge, Mass.). Kemp would later steal both second and third, setting the stage for Walsh's game-winning single.

Sophomore left-hander Steve Hathaway (Acton, Mass.) made his first start since the 2011 Northeast-10 Championship in Saturday's first game. He surrendered three runs (one earned) on three hits, walked two and struck out four over five innings and did not factor in the decision.

Stats from all spring trip games should be considered unofficial until the team returns to campus.

The Ravens will return to the field on Saturday, Feb. 23, for the fourth of their five scheduled games at The Ripken Experience, with a non-conference game against Chestnut Hill. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m.

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).