Third straight one-run game between teams

MANCHESTER, N.H. (April 16, 2014) – On a frigid Wednesday night at Penmen Field, junior right-hander Conor Gleason (North Stonington, Conn.) and senior right-hander Derrick Sylvester locked horns in the best Northeast-10 Conference pitching duel thus far in 2014, as the former piled up 11 strikeouts, while the latter added nine strikeouts and rolled up 14 groundball outs. Ultimately, a controversial infield hit and a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the eighth inning proved to be the difference in the Northeast Division contest, as the No. 26 nationally ranked Franklin Pierce University baseball team suffered a 2-1 defeat at the hands of No. 12 Southern New Hampshire.

With the loss, Franklin Pierce falls to 25-13 (12-6 Northeast-10, 7-5 Northeast Division), while Southern New Hampshire improves to 29-8 (16-3 Northeast-10, 11-2 Northeast Division). SNHU clinched a win in the regular-season series between the two teams with Wednesday night's win, which was the third straight one-run game between the two squads. The two will meet again on Tuesday, April 29 at Pappas Field in Rindge.

In a season where Franklin Pierce pitching already had 12 starts of seven innings or longer through its first 37 games, Gleason had perhaps the best swing-and-miss stuff yet on Wednesday night, though he had stretches where he struggled with his command. In all, he would log 7.2 innings, allowed two runs (one earned) on just one hit, issued six walks (one intentional) and hit a batter against the 11 strikeouts, before getting stuck with the loss (3-1).

From the other dugout, Sylvester matched Gleason step for step, as the SNHU senior threw 122 pitches over eight innings of one-run, four-hit ball on the way to the win (7-1). He issued just a pair of walks against his nine strikeouts and recorded only one flyball out, which came on the final pitch he threw, as he kept the ball almost exclusively on the ground for his infielders.

Despite four walks and a hit batter through seven innings, in addition to one runner reaching on an error, Gleason took a no-hit bid into the eighth inning of a 1-1 game at Penmen Field. SNHU started the home half of the eighth at the top of the order with senior center fielder Brendan O'Brien, who got ahead in the count 2-0 before winding up in a nine-pitch battle. O'Brien fouled off four straight pitches, including three with the count full, before hitting a soft groundball behind the mound, which Franklin Pierce sophomore shortstop Justin Brock (Latham, N.Y.) fielded on the run in front of the bag at second base.

Brock's throw to first was low, but picked cleanly by sophomore first baseman Matt O'Herron (Springfield, Mass.). With both dugouts hooting and hollering in support of the play, a call of "safe" came from base umpire Richard Galvin, who was met immediately by a look of disbelief from O'Herron and an extended earful from a demonstrative head coach Jayson King, who had made his way out of the first-base dugout. The protestations were to no avail, however, as O'Brien stood safe at first leading off the eighth with the night's first hit off of Gleason.

The Penmen called on freshman shortstop Manny Cruz to drop down a sacrifice bunt, but Cruz bunted through the first pitch and popped the second foul before eventually striking out looking on the fourth pitch. O'Brien then stole second to move into scoring position with one out, while senior left fielder Al Stanton was at the plate. The count went full on Stanton before he was locked up by a 3-2 off-speed pitch for a six-pitch strikeout.

With two outs and a runner on second now, Gleason temporarily lost the strike zone, as he issued three straight balls to senior third baseman Riley Palmer, before the dugout called for the intentional fourth ball to send Palmer to a vacant first base. Gleason was able to put junior second baseman Mike Mastroberti in a 1-2 hole, but Mastroberti took ball two, fouled off a 2-2 pitch and took consecutive two-strike pitches up high to walk, load the bases and force the end of Gleason's night after 137 pitches.

Junior right-hander Doug Willey (Shelburne, N.H.), Franklin Pierce's premier bullpen arm, came on to attempt to record the final out of the eighth. Willey was able to get ahead of junior first baseman Alejandro Diaz at 1-2, but Diaz wasted the first 1-2 pitch foul before taking three straight balls out of the zone to coax a seven-pitch walk and force home the eventual game-winning run. Willey struck out junior pinch hitter Kyle McGinnity on four pitches to end the inning and keep the deficit at one run.

Freshman right-hander Benjamin Criscuolo took over for Sylvester to start the top of the ninth and was greeted rudely by senior designated hitter Marty Dunlap (Dorchester, Mass.), who lashed a first-pitch single through the left side of the infield and was lifted for junior pinch runner Ryan Boswell (New Bedford, Mass.). Freshman left fielder Chris LaVorgna (North Haven, Conn.) was next and got in an 0-2 hole, but rifled the fourth pitch of the at-bat towards the middle of the infield.

The scorcher nearly ate up Mastroberti at second on one hop, but he was somehow able to smother the ball, pick it up, step on second to force Boswell and throw on to first to double up LaVorgna and short-circuit the Ravens' rally. Freshman third baseman Jay Jabs (Schwenksville, Pa.) popped up to Mastroberti in shallow center field to end the game, as Criscuolo nailed down his eighth save of the season.

Earlier in the game, Franklin Pierce opened the scoring with a run in the top of the first inning. Senior center fielder Calvin Graves (Boston, Mass.) led off with a seven-pitch at-bat and went the other way for a line-drive single into right field. With Graves in motion off of first, O'Herron bounced out to Mastroberti at second to move Graves to scoring position. Sylvester and the SNHU middle infield neglected to pay enough attention to Graves on second with one out, as the speedster stole third easily with junior right fielder John Razzino (Cranston, R.I.) at the plate. Razzino ultimately bounced out to Cruz at shortstop to drive home Graves with the game's first run.

SNHU evened things at 1-1 with an unearned run without benefit of a hit in the bottom of the fourth. Cruz led off with a six-pitch walk and then Gleason hit Stanton with the first pitch of his at-bat to quickly put runners at first and second with nobody out. The Penmen asked Palmer to lay down a sacrifice bunt, but he popped the first pitch up on the third-base side of the mound. The ball did not have much hangtime, which left both runners with difficult decisions and forced Gleason to make a diving, barehanded snag to retire Palmer.

Stanton had ventured off of first far enough to attempt a double play, but Gleason's throw to first was high, glanced off the glove of freshman second baseman Kyle Hood (Arlington, Mass.) covering and went to the fence beyond the first-base line, which allowed Cruz to take third with one out. The error loomed large, as Mastroberti followed and lifted a third-pitch sacrifice fly down the right-field line to score Cruz.

The Penmen also threatened against Gleason in the bottom of the fifth. Junior designated hitter Bryan Toland hit a routine grounder to third, but Jabs bounced the throw across the diamond. The ball took an awkward hop over the head of O'Herron at first, which allowed Toland to reach at second on the throwing error. SNHU sent junior Dylan Wisthoff to the plate as a pinch hitter, and he dropped down a sacrifice to move Toland to third, before senior right fielder Anthony Aceto worked a seven-pitch walk to put runners at the corners with one out. O'Brien then hit a sharp ground ball back towards the mound on an 0-2 pitch. Toland was caught in no man's land as Gleason snared the one-hopper, which led to an easy tag play at the plate for the second out. After a wild pitch moved Aceto to third, Cruz bounced to Jabs at third to end the threat.

Franklin Pierce had its best chance to take the lead in the top of the seventh, but could not complete a two-out rally. With two outs and nobody on, LaVorgna lined a first-pitch single into right field. LaVorgna was running on the 1-2 pitch to Jabs, who went the other way for a double down the left-field line. Despite LaVorgna being in motion on the pitch, the slow outfield grass at Penmen Field and Stanton's hustle to cut the ball off in left field conspired to force King to throw up the stop sign for the runner at third base. Hood followed with a six-pitch walk to load the bases, but Brock swung at the first pitch he saw and hit a grounder to third. Palmer initially bobbled the ball, but had plenty of time to corral it and step on third to force out Jabs and end the inning. The top of the seventh was the only multiple-hit inning in the game for either side.

The Ravens return to the field on Thursday, April 17, when they return home to host Assumption in a non-conference contest. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Pappas Field.

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).