Walsh, Dunlap slug home runs

RINDGE, N.H. (May 1, 2014) – Graduate student left-hander Rob Corsi (Oceanport, N.J.) rang up 13 strikeouts over seven innings of shutout, three-hit ball, while the offense provided a 19-hit barrage on Thursday afternoon as the No. 25 Franklin Pierce University baseball team bounced back with a 13-2 win to forge a doubleheader split with Saint Michael's in Northeast-10 Conference Northeast Division play at Dr. Arthur and Martha Pappas Field. In the first game, early control trouble for the pitching staff and an offense which struggled through the early innings cost the Ravens in a 5-4 loss.

With the split, Franklin Pierce moves to 34-15 (19-6 Northeast-10, 14-6 Northeast Division), while Saint Michael's stands at 7-25 (6-19 Northeast-10, 5-16 Northeast Division). After losing the first game, Franklin Pierce no longer has full control over its destiny, though there are still multiple scenarios which end with a Northeast Division title. The loss will also have unknown ramifications on the team's regional seeding, though the Ravens also have a win over regionally ranked Southern New Hampshire on the week. The most recent rankings, which accounted for games through April 27, had Franklin Pierce in second, behind only Wilmington (Del.), which has not played a game yet this week.

In the Northeast Division of the Northeast-10, there are currently four teams with either five or six losses in division play: Bentley (12-5), SNHU (14-6), Franklin Pierce (14-6) and Stonehill (11-6). The Ravens have only a single game at home against Bentley on Monday, May 5 at 3:30 p.m. remaining, while SNHU has only a Sunday night game at home against Stonehill. Bentley has three home games against Assumption before traveling to Rindge on Monday, while Stonehill hosts Merrimack three times before visiting SNHU.

Head-to-head among the four teams, Franklin Pierce has taken the first two from Bentley and took two of three from Stonehill, but dropped two of three to SNHU. For its part, SNHU dropped two of three to Bentley and has split its first two with Stonehill, while Stonehill took two of three for Bentley. As a result, the Ravens would likely come out ahead in any three- or four-way tie at the top between the four clubs, but would lose a head-to-head tiebreaker should they wind up tied only with SNHU in the top spot.

In any event, should all games get played as scheduled for the remainder of the week, Franklin Pierce will know exactly what hangs in the balance on Monday, as the Ravens/Bentley tilt is currently the final one on the Northeast-10 regular-season schedule. Franklin Pierce, Bentley and SNHU have all clinched spots in next week's Northeast-10 Championship, but none have yet clinched a top-two spot and home-field advantage in the first round.

In the first game on Thursday, Saint Michael's opened the scoring with a pair of runs, without benefit of a hit, in the bottom of the second, as the Purple Knights capitalized on wildness from the Franklin Pierce pitching staff. Working against the Franklin Pierce starter, senior right-hander Ryan Leach (Farmingdale, Maine), senior left fielder Corey Livingston took a five-pitch walk with one out, before sophomore designated hitter Matt Feeney worked an eight-pitch walk to put runners at first and second. Leach got ahead of senior center fielder Nick Nelson, 1-2, but then hit him with a pitch to load the bases. After throwing a first-pitch ball to sophomore right fielder Alex Holt, Leach was lifted after just 32 pitches (14 strikes), in favor of junior right-hander Paul Fahey (Dorchester, Mass.).

Fahey came back to strike out Holt, but then a passed ball allowed Livingston to score the first run of the game. Fahey then hit senior catcher Jason Moore to load the bases and plunked senior second baseman Tyler Wild as well to force home Feeney. The second hit batsman spelled the end of the day for Fahey, who threw just 12 pitches (six strikes), as sophomore right-hander Paul Covelle (Medford, Mass.) took over and struck out junior shortstop Don McGuirl on four pitches to put an end to the inning.

The Purple Knights added two more runs in the bottom of the third to double the lead to 4-0. Senior first baseman Alec Tice opened the inning with a first-pitch, one-hop single off the hip of Covelle on the mound. Covelle fell behind junior third baseman George Buteau, 2-1, and then grooved the next pitch, which Buteau hammered to left-center for a two-run home run of approximately 375 feet, his third of the season.

An unearned run in the bottom of the fourth pushed the lead as high as 5-1. With two outs and nobody on, Wild hit a soft bouncer back to Covelle on the mound, but Covelle failed to get his glove down and the ball went between his legs as Wild reached on the error. McGuirl made the error hurt, as he went the other way with the second pitch of his at-bat for an RBI double into the left-field corner.

The Franklin Pierce bats started to come alive in the top of the sixth, as the Ravens got on the board to cut the lead to 5-1. With one out and nobody on, Walsh got a 3-2 fastball over the plate, turned on it and drove it on a line over the fence in straightaway left field for a solo home run of approximately 360 feet, his team-leading seventh of the season.

The Ravens picked up another run in the top of the seventh to make it a 5-2 game. Freshman third baseman Jay Jabs (Schwenksville, Pa.) led off with a single to right, but was forced out at second base as sophomore shortstop Justin Brock (Latham, N.Y.) hit a tailor-made double-play ball to third, but Buteau mishandled the transfer at second base. Brock was in motion on a 2-2 pitch to senior center fielder Calvin Graves (Boston, Mass.), who went the other day and put an RBI double inside the right-field line.

Franklin Pierce got the tying run to the plate in both the eighth and ninth innings, but plated just a pair of unearned runs in the ninth to create the 5-4 final. Freshman second baseman Kyle Hood (Arlington, Mass.) worked a seven-pitch walk leading off, before Brock laced a line-drive single to left. Hood came all the way around to score and Brock wound up at second on the play, as Livingston failed to field the ball cleanly in left field. After Brock moved to third on a wild pitch, Graves popped up to second on the second pitch and freshman left fielder Chris LaVorgna (North Haven, Conn.) flew out to center, also on the second pitch, to quickly record two outs, with the potential tying run still at the plate. The Ravens sent junior Rob Chooljian (Hampton, N.H.) to the plate as a pinch hitter and he hit a sharp groundball down the line at third. Buteau made a backhanded pick and, with a catcher running, had plenty of time to make the throw across the diamond, but threw the ball away to prolong the game as Brock came home to score. Walsh was next and had a go at a first-pitch fastball, as he tried to drive it the other way. Walsh got just under the ball though, which allowed Holt to run it down near the right-field line to finish off Franklin Pierce.

Leach lasted just 1.1 innings on the mound, allowed two runs without surrendering a hit, walked two, hit two and struck out one while taking the loss (5-2). After Fahey and Covelle both exited after ineffective relief appearances, junior right-hander Brendan O'Rourke (Shrewsbury, Mass.) threw 59 pitches (41 strikes) over an unexpected, four-inning relief appearance on just three days' rest following his start on Sunday. O'Rourke did not allow a run, gave up three hits, walked one and struck out four.

Freshman right-hander Dylan Lavery took the ball and threw 126 pitches (74 strikes) over the first seven innings for Saint Michael's. He allowed two runs on five hits, walked two, balked once and struck out seven on the way to the win (2-3). Junior right-hander Will Corkum took over with one out and the tying run at the plate in the top of the eighth. He worked the final 1.2 innings, surrendered a pair of unearned runs on one hit, walked one and threw a wild pitch while picking up his second save of the season.

Franklin Pierce opened the scoring in the second game with two runs in the top of the first inning and never looked back. Graves opened the game with a second-pitch single back up the middle, moved to second on a balk and went to third on a single to center by LaVorgna. Graves scored on a wild pitch before junior right fielder John Razzino (Cranston, R.I.) worked an eight-pitch walk to put runners at first and second. LaVorgna tagged and moved to third on a flyout to left-center which took the left fielder into the gap. Senior designated hitter Marty Dunlap (Dorchester, Mass.) followed and dropped down a safety squeeze bunt up the third-base line which drove home LaVorgna.

The Ravens added two more runs in the top of the second to double the lead to 4-0. Jabs led off, yanked a single through the right side of the infield and then went first-to-third on a single back up the middle by Hood, who was forced out at second as Brock bounced into an RBI fielder's choice to score Jabs. Brock stole second and moved to third on the play as well, as Saint Michael's senior catcher Chris Puliafico threw the ball away. Brock then scored on an RBI single through the right side by Graves.

Three more runs in the top of the third broke the game open and pushed the lead to 7-0. Walsh led off with a single through the left side of the infield, before Dunlap got ahead in the count and put a charge into a 2-0 pitch. Dunlap cracked his first home run of the season into the power alley in left-center, a two-run shot of an estimated 380 feet. Two batters later, Jabs singled to right field, went first-to-third on a hit-and-run single to right by Hood and scored as Brock bounced into an RBI fielder's choice.

Franklin Pierce tacked on two runs in the fourth, two in the fifth, one in the seventh and one in the ninth to push the lead as high as 13-0. Sophomore first baseman Matt O'Herron (Springfield, Mass.) had a two-run single in the fourth. In the fifth, freshman right fielder Adam Routhier (Goffstown, N.H.) had an RBI double while LaVorgna drove in a run with a single. Chooljian clubbed an RBI double down the right-field line in the seventh and junior left fielder Mike Skilton drove in a run with a groundout in the ninth.

Meanwhile, Corsi dispatched the Purple Knights with relative ease, as he threw 98 pitches (62 strikes) while firing seven shutout innings. He allowed just three hits, walked one, threw a wild pitch, rolled up seven groundouts and piled up a career-best 13 strikeouts on the way to the win (4-2).

Working against sophomore right-hander Tim Norton (Berlin, Conn.) in the bottom of the ninth, Saint Michael's picked up two runs to create the 13-2 final. Puliafico drove in both runs with a two-out, two-run single inside the left-field line.

Sophomore right-hander Curt Echo started the second game for Saint Michael's and exited after throwing 70 pitches (47 strikes) over 3.1 innings. He was charged with nine runs (eight earned) on 11 hits, walked one, hit a batter, balked once, threw a wild pitch and struck out two while taking the loss (2-4).

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).