Ravens collect 18 hits in twinbill

RINDGE, N.H. (April 11, 2015) – Junior first baseman Matt O'Herron (Springfield, Mass.) collected five hits across two games on Saturday afternoon, as the No. 3/4 nationally ranked Franklin Pierce University baseball team posted 9-2 and 7-1 wins to sweep a Northeast-10 Conference doubleheader from Saint Rose at Dr. Arthur and Martha Pappas Field. Junior right-hander Miles Sheehan (Madison, Conn.) struck out eight over seven innings to pick up the win in the second game.

With the wins, Franklin Pierce improves to 30-2 (12-1 Northeast-10, 8-1 Northeast Division), while Saint Rose falls to 5-13 (2-5 Northeast-10, 2-3 Southwest Division).

In the first game, the Ravens opened the scoring with a run in the bottom of the first inning. Junior center fielder Maxx Sheehan (San Jose, Calif.) led off with a single to right field, stole second, stole third and scored on a sacrifice fly to right by senior right fielder John Razzino (Cranston, R.I.).

Saint Rose answered immediately, with two runs in the top of the second to take a 2-1 lead. Sophomore shortstop Tyler Ungerland took a six-pitch walk leading off and came all the way around to score when sophomore third baseman Mike Flynn went the other way and drilled an RBI triple into the gap in right-center. Flynn then scored on an RBI groundout to shortstop by freshman left fielder Michael Shine.

Franklin Pierce was stymied through the next four innings by Saint Rose junior right-hander Coby Schwartz, but broke through with three runs in the bottom of the sixth to take the lead for good. With one out, senior catcher Matt Walsh (Plymouth, Mass.) was hit by a pitch and moved to second as O'Herron followed with a single to left-center. The O'Herron single spelled the end of the day for Schwartz, who was replaced by sophomore right-hander Austin Von Herbulis. Von Herbulis inherited a pair of runners, but could strand neither of them. A pair of wild pitches scored Walsh and moved O'Herron around to third. The latter would score from there on a line-drive double off the fence in straightaway left by sophomore designated hitter Chris LaVorgna (North Haven, Conn.). LaVorgna later moved to third on a wild pitch and scored while junior left fielder Kurtis White (Nahant, Mass.) reached on an error by Ungerland at short.

The Ravens broke the game open with five runs in the bottom of the seventh to create the 9-2 final. Saint Rose pitching inflicted most of the damage on itself, as the ball never left the infield while Franklin Pierce sent 10 men to the plate. Two Saint Rose pitchers combined to walk two, hit three batters and surrender a pair of bunt singles. LaVorgna and Maxx Sheehan picked up an RBI each, as they were both hit by pitches with the bases loaded, while Hood and White each worked bases-loaded walks. The remaining RBI in the frame came via a groundout to first by sophomore shortstop Jay Jabs (Schwenksville, Mass.).

Senior right-hander Brendan O'Rourke (Shrewsbury, Mass.) started on the mound in the first game for Franklin Pierce, but he did not have his best stuff on Saturday, as he needed 55 pitches (31 strikes) to toss just 2.2 innings. He allowed two runs on three hits, walked two, hit two batters, struck out three and did not factor in the decision. Senior right-hander Paul Fahey (Dorchester, Mass.) took over with two in scoring position in the third, but stranded both and was lights out for the next 5.1 innings. He threw 61 pitches (41 strikes), did not allow a run or a hit, walked one and struck out eight to pick up the win (4-2) out of the bullpen.

Schwartz tossed the first 5.1 innings on the hill for Saint Rose, before things came unraveled in the sixth. He tossed 91 pitches (50 strikes), was charged with three runs on six hits, walked one, hit a batter, threw a wild pitch and struck out four while taking the loss (0-4).

In the second game, Franklin Pierce opened the scoring with a pair of runs in the bottom of the second inning. Walsh took a six-pitch walk leading off, stole second and later scored on an RBI triple into the gap in left-center by LaVorgna. LaVorgna then scored on an RBI groundout by Hood.

A run in the bottom of the fifth inning extended the lead to 3-0. With one out, Hood roped a single to center, stole second on a failed pickoff move and went to third on a groundout. Then, with freshman third baseman John Friday (Southborough, Mass.) at the plate, Saint Rose senior left-hander Bryan Carr never so much as looked at Hood, who got a walking lead off of third base and turned it into a straight steal of home.

Saint Rose briefly closed the gap to 3-1 with a run in the top of the sixth inning. Freshman shortstop Bray Curreri led off with a double into the gap in right-center, moved to third on a flyout and scored on an RBI groundout by junior left fielder Nick Venier.

The Ravens answered with four runs in the home half of the sixth to break things open and create the 7-1 final. Maxx Sheehan singled up the middle leading off, stole second and wound up on third on the play, as the catcher's throw escaped into center field. He then scored when Jabs followed with an RBI single to right. Jabs moved to second on a sacrifice bunt and scored when O'Herron dropped an RBI double inside the right-field line. O'Herron in turn scored on an RBI double by LaVorgna, who scored on an RBI single through the right side by Hood.

Miles Sheehan threw 86 pitches (54 strikes) over seven-plus innings of work in the second game. He allowed one run on four hits, walked two, threw a wild pitch and struck out eight to pick up the win (5-0).

On the other side, Carr used 82 pitches (57 strikes) to get through six innings. He was charged with seven runs on seven hits, walked one, struck out two and took the loss (0-3).

The Ravens return to the field on Tuesday, April 14, when they remain home to host Saint Anselm in a Northeast-10 Conference Northeast Division contest. First pitch is set 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).