Graves finishes 3-for-4

RINDGE, N.H. (April 17, 2014) – The pitching staff of the No. 26 nationally ranked Franklin Pierce University baseball team issued eight walks, four of which directly led to runs on Thursday night, as Assumption came to Dr. Arthur and Martha Pappas Field and posted a 7-2 win over Franklin Pierce in non-conference play. Assumption senior left-hander Bill King scattered 10 hits and two runs on his way to the complete-game victory.

With the loss, Franklin Pierce falls to 25-14 (12-6 Northeast-10, 7-5 Northeast Division), while Assumption improves to 12-14 (6-10 Northeast-10, 3-5 Northeast Division). The two teams will square off again in a doubleheader on Saturday at Assumption to wrap up the three-game Northeast Division season series, which opened April 10 with a 5-2 Franklin Pierce win. First pitch on Saturday is scheduled for noon at Rocheleau Field in Worcester, Mass.

For the Ravens, the loss dropped their record at Pappas Field to 8-5 in 2014, eclipsing the total number of losses the team suffered at home in the last two seasons combined. The last time Franklin Pierce lost as many as five games at home was the 2010 squad, which went 23-5 at the friendly confines, though two of those losses came in the postseason. The last Franklin Pierce team to lose five regular-season games at Pappas Field was the 2008 team, which went 10-8 at home in the regular season, before running off an 8-1 mark while hosting and winning both the Northeast-10 Championship and the NCAA Championship Northeast Regional.

Franklin Pierce opened the scoring with single runs in both the first and second innings on Thursday, but it would be the team's only offense of the night. In the first, senior center fielder Calvin Graves (Boston, Mass.) led off with an infield single, stole second, moved to third on a groundout and scored on an RBI single into right-center by junior right fielder John Razzino (Cranston, R.I.). In the second, senior designated hitter Marty Dunlap (Dorchester, Mass.) opened the inning with a single to left, moved to second on a bunt single by sophomore first baseman Matt O'Herron (Springfield, Mass.) moved to third as freshman third baseman Jay Jabs (Schwenksville, Pa.) bounced into a double play and scored on an RBI single to left by freshman second baseman Kyle Hood (Arlington, Mass.). The Franklin Pierce bats would manage just five more hits over the remaining seven innings.

Assumption tied the game at 2-2 with a pair of runs in the top of the fifth inning. Freshman shortstop Matt Murphy worked an eight-pitch walk leading off, stole second and scored on an RBI double pulled down the left-field line by senior center fielder Bret Clark. Clark moved to third on a sacrifice bunt and scored on a sacrifice fly to right by senior right fielder Ysander Figueroa.

The fifth would be the last inning of the night for the Franklin Pierce starter, junior right-hander Brendan O'Rourke (Shrewsbury, Mass.). Over five innings of work, he allowed two runs on three hits, walked four, struck out seven and would not factor in the decision.

Graduate student left-hander Rob Corsi (Oceanport, N.J.) worked around a leadoff walk to throw a scoreless sixth, but then worked into trouble in the top of the seventh. Murphy took his second leadoff walk of the night, this one of the six-pitch variety, and then stole second. He moved to third as Clark followed and dumped a single the other way inside the right-field line. The hit spelled the end of Corsi's outing, as the Ravens turned the ball over to senior right-hander Ryan Leach (Farmingdale, Maine), who got sophomore second baseman Michael Panza to line out to shallow right on his first pitch for the first out of the inning.

With runners at first and third and one out, Clark took off for second as Leach toed the rubber. Leach subsequently stepped off and flipped to Hood on the first-base side of second, but then a mental breakdown cost Franklin Pierce on the play. Hood ran Clark partway back towards first, but then flipped to O'Herron, who had to turn his back to the plate to chase down the runner. O'Herron slapped the tag on Clark, but by then it was too late to get Murphy coming home, as the latter scored the go-ahead run.

Assumption tacked on four insurance runs to create the 7-2 final, as it sent 10 men to the plate in the top of the ninth. Sophomore catcher Tom Paine led off and reached on an infield single before Murphy dropped a bunt single up the third-base line. After a sacrifice bunt moved the runners to second and third, Leach missed low and in to Panza with a pitch which junior catcher Matt Walsh (Plymouth, Mass.) got a glove on, but could not corral. The pitch escaped to the backstop, which allowed Paine to score and Murphy to move to third. Leach wound up issuing a five-pitch walk to Panza, which put runners at the corners with one out.

Figueroa picked up his second RBI of the night, as he bounced what could have been an inning-ending double play to Hood on the first pitch. Hood flipped to sophomore shortstop Justin Brock (Latham, N.Y.) at second for one, but Brock's relay on to first was in the dirt and O'Herron couldn't scoop it, leaving Figueroa safe with an RBI fielder's choice as Murphy scored. Leach then issued a four-pitch walk to junior designated hitter Billy Johnson and a six-pitch free pass to senior third baseman Michael Smith to load the bases with two outs. Freshman first baseman Jake Byrne made the free bases hurt, as he pulled a 1-2 pitch through the left side of the infield for a two-run single.

Corsi was ultimately hit with the loss (2-2), as he was charged with the run in the seventh inning, which gave Assumption the lead for good. Over one-plus innings, Corsi allowed one run on one hit, walked two and struck out two. Over the final three innings, Leach was tagged for four runs on three hits and three walks, all in the ninth. Leach added three strikeouts while throwing 61 pitches (33 strikes).

On the other side of the ledger, King tossed 134 pitches (85 strikes) on the way to the complete-game win (2-2). He allowed two runs on 10 hits, walked three and struck out four.

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).