Jabs breaks 4-4 tie with RBI single in seventh

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (March 18, 2014) – Senior designated hitter Marty Dunlap (Dorchester, Mass.) went 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI doubles and scored twice on Tuesday afternoon as the No. 30 nationally ranked Franklin Pierce University baseball team picked up a 7-4 win over Lock Haven in neutral-site, non-conference play at Walter Fuller Field. Junior catcher Austin Botts hit 3-for-3 with a pair of doubles and drove in two runs for Lock Haven in defeat.

With the win, Franklin Pierce improves to 12-6 (0-0 Northeast-10), while Lock Haven falls to 8-4.

Lock Haven, which played as the visiting team on Tuesday, opened the scoring with a run in the top of the second inning. Sophomore second baseman Ryan Koch led off the inning with a double to right field and scored when freshman designated hitter Kolton VonKiel followed with an RBI single to left-center.

Franklin Pierce scored twice in the bottom of the third inning to take a 2-1 lead. Freshman left fielder Chris LaVorgna (North Haven, Conn.) opened the inning with a single back up the middle and moved to second on a single to center field by freshman second baseman Kyle Hood (Arlington, Mass.). After both runners moved up on a flyout to center by sophomore shortstop Justin Brock (Latham, N.Y.), senior center fielder Calvin Graves (Boston, Mass.) drove in the Ravens' first run with an RBI single through the left side of the infield. Junior right fielder John Razzino (Cranston, R.I.) was next and bounced into an RBI fielder's choice with a ground ball to shortstop which saw Graves erased at second.

The Ravens used two more runs in the bottom of the fourth to inflate the lead to 4-1. With one out, sophomore first baseman Matt O'Herron (Springfield, Mass.) reached on an error by Lock Haven freshman shortstop Jamie Eshleman. O'Herron came all the way around from first to score on Dunlap's first double of the afternoon, an RBI two-bagger to center field. Dunlap would score two batters later when Hood went the other way for an RBI triple to right field.

Lock Haven answered right away with two runs in the top of the fifth to close within a run at 4-3. With one out, junior right fielder Ryan Henritzy reached on an infield single and moved to second as senior center fielder Scott Zuback worked a walk. Botts was next and put an RBI single into left field to score Henritzy and move Zuback around to third. Zuback would score from there when senior third baseman Anthony Kyne followed with an RBI groundout to third.

The Bald Eagles would tie the game at 4-4 with a run in the top of the seventh. Sophomore left fielder Gordon Barr led off and reached on an infield single to third base. He took second on a wild pitch and scored three batters later on an RBI double down the right-field line by Botts.

With the game now tied, Franklin Pierce answered with a run in the bottom half of the inning to take a lead it would never relinquish. Hood worked a lead-off walk, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Brock and scored three batters later on an RBI single through the right side of the infield by freshman third baseman Jay Jabs (Schwenksville, Pa.).

The Ravens tacked on two insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth to create the 7-4 final. With one out, O'Herron reached on a throwing error by freshman shortstop Pierce Ranck, who had taken over for Eshleman. O'Herron again came all the way around to score on an RBI double by Dunlap, this one the other way to the gap in right-center. Dunlap went to third on a balk and later scored on a wild pitch.

Franklin Pierce took a staff approach to the pitching duties on Tuesday. Freshman right-hander Evan Honce (Bellport, N.Y.) made his first collegiate start and worked the first two innings. He allowed one run on two hits and walked three. Senior right-hander Joe Flynn (Plymouth, Mass.), working on three days' rest after starting Friday, took over from there and threw the next three innings. He allowed two runs on three hits, walked one and struck out four. Junior right-hander Paul Fahey (Dorchester, Mass.) was next and picked up the win (2-1) while throwing the sixth, seventh and eighth innings. He allowed one run on two hits, threw a wild pitch, did not issue a walk and struck out six. Junior right-hander Doug Willey (Shelburne, Mass.) came on for the ninth and retired three straight after a lead-off single to finish things off and earn his fifth save of the campaign.

On the other side of the ledger, sophomore right-hander Parker Watson started and took the loss (1-1) on the hill for Lock Haven. Over 6.2 innings, he allowed five runs (three earned) on seven hits, walked two and struck out two.

The Ravens are scheduled to play two games in Florida on Wednesday, March 19. First up is a neutral-site, non-conference tilt with Southern Connecticut State at noon at Thomas B. Southard Stadium on the campus of Saint Leo University in Saint Leo, Fla. Later, Franklin Pierce will travel to meet No. 1/1 nationally ranked Tampa at 7 p.m. at University of Tampa Baseball Field in Tampa, Fla.

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).