Fahey offers 5.1 solid innings in relief

RINDGE, N.H. (April 1, 2014) – Four errors led to three unearned runs on Tuesday afternoon, as the No. 30 nationally ranked Franklin Pierce University baseball team rallied to tie in the seventh inning but ultimately dropped a 5-4 decision to No. 12 Southern New Hampshire in Northeast-10 Conference Northeast Division play at Dr. Arthur and Martha Pappas Field. Junior first baseman Alejandro Diaz drove in the eventual game-winning run with a squeeze bunt in the top of the eighth.

With the loss, Franklin Pierce falls to 18-11 (5-4 Northeast-10, 2-3 Northeast Division), while Southern New Hampshire improves to 18-7 (6-3 Northeast-10, 3-2 Northeast Division). The meeting was the first of three on the season between the two perennial East Region title contenders.

Trailing 4-3 and working against junior right-hander Sam Fuller, the Ravens picked up an unearned run to tie the game in the bottom of the seventh inning. Sophomore shortstop Justin Brock (Latham, N.Y.) led off the inning and reached on an errant throw by SNHU senior third baseman Riley Palmer. Brock stole second and moved to third when senior center fielder Calvin Graves (Boston, Mass.) followed with a single back through the middle of the infield.

SNHU elected to intentionally walk junior right fielder John Razzino (Cranston, R.I.) and turned the game over to their closer, freshman right-hander Benjamin Criscuolo, looking to escape the bases-loaded, nobody out jam. Freshman third baseman Jay Jabs (Schwenksville, Pa.) swung at Criscuolo's first pitch and hit a tailor-made double play ball at the second baseman. Brock scored an unearned run on the play, but the twin-killing proved costly, as it short-circuited the threat. Criscuolo then struck out junior catcher Matt Walsh (Plymouth, Mass.) on four pitches to end the inning with the game still tied, 4-4.

Franklin Pierce immediately gave an unearned run back to the Penmen in the top of the eighth, which turned out to be the game-winning run. With one out, senior pinch hitter Jamie Wollerman hit a slow ground ball just to the first-base side of freshman second baseman Kyle Hood (Arlington, Mass.). Hood got in front of the grounder with ease, but misplayed the ball, allowing Wollerman to reach at first on the error. Sophomore pinch runner Jeremy Tejada took over for Wollerman and moved to second on an errant pickoff throw by Franklin Pierce junior right-hander Paul Fahey (Berlin, Conn.).

Junior catcher Tyler Fortanascio was next and chopped a slow roller down the third-base line. Jabs had no play on either the batter or the runner, as the infield single put runners at first and third with one out. Diaz dropped a squeeze bunt up the first-base line, which Fahey had to come off the mound to field. He had only one play, to first base, and retired Diaz as Tejada came home to score.

For Fahey, the unearned run was the only blemish against him in 5.1 innings of solid relief work. He took over with two outs in the fourth and went the rest of the way, surrendering just three hits. He did not issue a walk, threw one wild pitch, struck out three and rolled up 10 groundouts against two flyouts. As a result of the unearned run in the eighth, Fahey was stuck with an extremely tough-luck loss (4-3).

On the other side of the ledger, Criscuolo also pitched the eighth and the ninth after recording all three outs in the seventh. He wound up logging three shutout innings, allowed one hit, did not issue a walk, hit one batter and struck out six to pick up the win (4-0) out of the bullpen. Criscuolo needed just 28 pitches to mow through his three innings of work.

Earlier in the day, SNHU opened the scoring with a pair of unearned runs in the top of the first inning. Senior center fielder Brendan O'Brien led off the game with a chopper to short and reached on an error as Brock couldn't field the ball cleanly. Two batters later, after O'Brien had stolen second, senior left fielder Al Stanton was hit by a pitch, and then Palmer took a four-pitch walk to load the bases with one out.

Junior second baseman Michael Mastroberti was next, and senior right-hander Ryan Leach (Farmingdale, Maine) got him to ground out to third base for the second out, though O'Brien came home to score on the play. Leach then uncorked a first-pitch wild pitch to junior designated hitter Bryan Toland, which scored Stanton. The pitch spelled the end of the day for Leach, who was lifted in favor of graduate student left-hander Rob Corsi (Oceanport, N.J.). Corsi came back to strike out Toland to end the threat without any further scoring.

The Ravens bounced back immediately with a pair of runs of their own in the home half of the first. Graves was hit by a pitch leading off and moved to third on a first-pitch double the other way into the gap in right-center by junior right fielder John Razzino (Cranston, R.I.). After Jabs hit a line drive straight at Palmer at third, Walsh brought in both runs by dumping a two-run single over the head of Palmer and into left field.

SNHU reclaimed the lead at 4-2 with a pair of runs in the top of the fourth. With one out, Diaz lined a single to left which LaVorgna let get behind him and out to the fence, as Diaz reached at second on a single and an error. Diaz scored from second when Corsi hung an 0-2 curveball to senior right fielder Anthony Aceto, who clubbed it over the head of Graves in center for a ground-rule, RBI double to plate Diaz. Aceto moved to third on a passed ball and scored on an RBI groundout by O'Brien.

Franklin Pierce closed within a run at 4-3 with a run in the bottom of the fifth. With one out, Razzino managed to get just enough of a 1-0 fastball up in the zone to put it just over the fence to the left of the 365-foot marker in left-center field. The solo home run was Razzino's fourth of the season, tying him for the team lead.

Both starters were largely ineffective on Tuesday afternoon and exited after short outings. For Franklin Pierce, Leach recorded just two outs before being removed. He was ultimately charged with a pair of unearned runs. He did not allow a hit, but walked one, hit another, threw a wild pitch and struck out one. For SNHU, junior right-hander Cole Warren lasted a bit longer, but still left before completing five innings. Over 4.1, Warren allowed three runs on four hits, walked two, hit a batter and struck out four while throwing 74 pitches. Neither starting pitcher factored in the decision.

The Ravens return to the field on Thursday, April 3, when they remain home to host Saint Michael's in a Northeast-10 Conference Northeast Division contest. First pitch is set for 3:30 p.m. at Pappas Field 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 baseball apparel can do so at the Department of Athletics' online store (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu/store).