LaVorgna adds 3-for-4 with a walk, scores twice

RINDGE, N.H. (April 9, 2014) – Junior right-hander Conor Gleason (North Stonington, Conn.) worked through early struggles with his control on Wednesday afternoon and finished with 11 strikeouts over seven innings of three-hit ball as the No. 29 nationally ranked Franklin Pierce University baseball team posted a 9-2 win over Saint Anselm in Northeast-10 Conference Northeast Division play at Dr. Arthur and Martha Pappas Field. Sophomore first baseman Matt O'Herron (Springfield, Mass.) went 4-for-4 and scored three runs to lead a 16-hit Franklin Pierce attack.

With the win, Franklin Pierce improves to 22-11 (9-4 Northeast-10, 4-3 Northeast Division), while Saint Anselm falls to 9-20 (3-9 Northeast-10, 3-5 Northeast Division). The game was originally scheduled to be played in Manchester, N.H., but was relocated to Rindge thanks to unplayable field conditions at Sullivan Park. As a result, Saint Anselm played as the home team on Thursday.

Saint Anselm opened the scoring in the bottom of the first inning, capitalizing as Gleason struggled with his command out of the gate. Sophomore center fielder Ken Morrisino worked a six-pitch walk leading off and then moved to second as freshman shortstop Nick Bragole followed with a five-pitch walk.

There would be some controversy on the next play, as senior right fielder Dan Lagasse attempted to drop down a sacrifice bunt on the first pitch he saw. Gleason came off the mound to field the bunt, but his throw to first was errant and pulled freshman second baseman Kyle Hood (Arlington, Mass.) -- who was covering first on the bunt play -- off the bag, though Hood slapped a tag on Lagasse as the latter reached the vicinity of first base. The base umpire initially ruled Lagasse safe, but head coach Jayson King implored him to ask the plate umpire for help. After the two umpires consulted, the call was overturned and Lagasse ruled out as the runners moved up to second and third on the sacrifice.

With the bullpen already starting to work in the first inning, Gleason got the next hitter, junior first baseman Joe Morin, to hit a sharp groundball right back to the mound. Morrisino's first move at third was toward the plate, which allowed Gleason to easily retire the lead runner while Morin reached on a fielder's choice. Senior designated hitter Matt Wojichowski was next and pulled the fifth pitch of his at-bat for a line-drive single into right field. Junior right fielder John Razzino (Cranston, R.I.) charged hard, fired an on-target throw to the plate and nearly threw out Bragole, but the tag at home came just too late to stop the game's first run from scoring.

After the shaky first inning, Gleason began to settle in on the mound. He issued two more walks in the second, but then did not give out another free pass until the seventh. He began to pile up the strikeouts in the third and struck out two batters each in the third, fourth, fifth and sixth innings. Beginning with the final batter of the second, Gleason retired 12 straight until a two-out triple in the sixth. In all, he threw 132 pitches over seven innings of work, allowed one run on three hits, walked five, threw a wild pitch and struck out 11 on the way to the win (3-0).

After Gleason escaped the first with minimal damage, Franklin Pierce evened things immediately with a run in the top of the second inning. With two outs and the bases empty, freshman left fielder Chris LaVorgna (North Haven, Conn.) turned on a 1-2 pitch and lined a double over the head of freshman left fielder MacNeill Finnegan, who appeared to misjudge the ball off the bat. O'Herron followed with a groundball deep in the hole at shortstop. A diving stop by Bragole saved a run for the moment, but he had no shot to throw out O'Herron, who reached with an infield single which left runners at the corners. With two outs, the Ravens put on a first-and-third play, as O'Herron took off for second on a delayed steal. Saint Anselm sophomore catcher Allan McQuarrie faked a throw through to second, then attempted to throw out LaVorgna leading off of third, but threw the ball into left field instead. LaVorgna came home to score an unearned run on the error.

The Ravens took a 3-1 lead with a pair of runs in the top of the third inning. Sophomore shortstop Justin Brock (Latham, N.Y.) led off the inning and took a 1-2 pitch the other way, in the air to right field. With a steady wind blowing out to right, the ball carried beyond the fence in straightaway right for a solo home run, Brock's second of the season, both opposite field shots.

Another pair of runs in the top of the fourth pushed the lead to 5-1. LaVorgna led off with a five-pitch walk and moved to second on a single back through the middle by O'Herron. Three batters later, senior center fielder Calvin Graves (Boston, Mass.) laced a ball back up the middle which looked like a surefire RBI single. However, Graves hit the ball too hard for the base umpire, who was stationed behind the mound with runners on base, to get out of the way. As the ball hit the umpire before getting past the infielders, the ball was dead on contact and Graves was, by rule, awarded a single to load the bases. Razzino followed and cashed in two runs with a single of his own back up the middle.

Another run in the sixth and three in the seventh broke the game open for Franklin Pierce and pushed the lead as high as 9-1. In the sixth, O'Herron led off with a double into the gap in right center and eventually scored on a sacrifice fly to right by Graves. In the seventh, LaVorgna, O'Herron and Hood all had RBI singles.

Saint Anselm got back on the board with a run in the bottom of the ninth on an RBI groundout by sophomore catcher Allan McQuarrie to create the 9-2 final.

Sophomore left-hander Tom Hudon started on the mound for Saint Anselm. Over six innings, he threw 90 pitches and was touched for six runs (five earned) on 11 hits, walked one, threw a wild pitch and struck out five while taking the loss (2-3).

The Ravens return to the field on Thursday, April 10, when they travel to Assumption for a Northeast-10 Conference Northeast Division contest. First pitch is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. at Rocheleau Field in Worcester, Mass. Franklin Pierce next plays at home on Saturday, April 12, when it hosts Merrimack for a doubleheader at noon.

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).