Gleason, Willey combine to throw two-hitter

RINDGE, N.H. (April 3, 2014) – Junior right-hander Conor Gleason (North Stonington, Conn.) fired eight innings of one-hit ball and struck out nine on Thursday afternoon to lead the way for the No. 30 nationally ranked Franklin Pierce University baseball team in a 7-1 win over Saint Michael's in Northeast-10 Conference Northeast Division play at Dr. Arthur and Martha Pappas Field. Sophomore shortstop Justin Brock (Latham, N.Y.) and junior catcher Matt Walsh (Plymouth, Mass.) each hit home runs in the victory for Franklin Pierce.

With the win, Franklin Pierce improves to 19-11 (6-4 Northeast-10, 3-3 Northeast Division), while Saint Michael's falls to 1-8 (0-3 Northeast-10, 0-3 Northeast Division). The game was originally scheduled to be played at Doc Jacobs Field in Colchester, Vt., but unplayable field conditions forced its relocation to Rindge. As a result, Saint Michael's played as the "home" team in the contest. It was the first of three meetings between the two teams on the season.

Gleason stole the spotlight on the afternoon for Franklin Pierce. He allowed a single back through the middle to junior second baseman Mike Daugherty on the first pitch he threw, but did not allow another hit over the remainder of his outing. He faced 29 batters over eight innings of one-hit, one-run ball and rolled up 11 groundball outs to go with his nine strikeouts. Gleason walked one, hit one, threw three wild pitches and fired 108 pitches on his way to the win (2-0). Junior right-hander Doug Willey (Shelburne, N.H.) took over for the ninth and worked around a one-out single to finish off the two-hitter.

The Ravens opened the scoring with a run in the top of the second inning. With two outs and nobody on, Brock took an 0-1 pitch the other way and slipped his first collegiate home run over the fence down the right-field line, just to the left of the 320-foot marker at the foul pole.

Franklin Pierce doubled the lead to 2-0 with a run in the top of the fourth. With two outs, freshman left fielder Chris LaVorgna (North Haven, Conn.) took an outside pitch the other way, inside the bag at first base and down the right-field line for his fifth double of the season. He would score two batters later on an RBI single off the pitcher's mound and back up the middle by Brock.

Saint Michael's answered immediately with a run in the bottom half of the fourth to cut the lead back to one run at 2-1. With one out, junior left fielder Nick Elderton took a five-pitch walk and then took both second and third on wild pitches. The erratic pitches would prove costly, as senior first baseman Alec Tice followed and lifted a fly ball to deep center field to score the run with a sacrifice fly.

The game went without further scoring until the top of the eighth, when Franklin Pierce plated an insurance run to push the lead to 3-1. With one out, senior designated hitter Marty Dunlap (Dorchester, Mass.) worked a six-pitch walk and was lifted for junior pinch runner Ryan Boswell (New Bedford, Mass.), who moved to second when sophomore first baseman Matt O'Herron (Springfield, Mass.) worked a nine-pitch walk. Saint Michael's went to the bullpen for freshman left-hander Peter Cross, who got LaVorgna to fly out to center field, though the flyout allowed Boswell to tag and go to third. The Ravens then put on a first-and-third play with two outs, as O'Herron broke off of first before Cross came set. Cross stepped off, became preoccupied with O'Herron and never even glanced at Boswell as the latter broke for the plate. Boswell scored on the steal of home as Cross flipped the ball to Daugherty, who threw ball away, allowing O'Herron to move to second.

The Ravens finally broke the game open with four runs in the top of the ninth to create the 7-1 final. Brock led off and lined an 0-2 pitch back up the middle. Daugherty dove and got his glove on the ball, but could not snag it cleanly as Brock reached with a single. Brock stole second and later tagged and went to third as junior right fielder John Razzino (Cranston, R.I.) lifted a ball in foul territory down the right-field line which Tice caught going away from the infield. Freshman third baseman Jay Jabs (Schwenksville, Pa.) was then hit by an 0-2 pitch, putting runners at the corners with two outs for Walsh. The first pitch of the at-bat was right down the middle and Walsh launched a towering home run to left field, which ultimately landed at the foot of the bleachers on top of the berm beyond the left-field fence. The three-run shot was Walsh's second home run of the season.

After the home run, Boswell, who stayed in the game as the designated hitter, lined a single back up the middle and moved to second on a wild pitch. With O'Herron at the plate, Boswell broke for third and easily scored the game's final run as O'Herron bounced an RBI single through the left side of the infield.

Freshman right-hander Dylan Lavery started on the mound for Saint Michael's and threw the first five innings. He allowed just two runs on four hits, but was forced to throw 97 pitches over just the five innings, which led to his early exit. Lavery walked two and struck out four while taking the loss (0-2).

The Ravens return to the field on Saturday, April 5, when they remain home to host American International in a Northeast-10 Conference cross-division doubleheader. First pitch is scheduled for noon 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).