19 in a row in the win column for Franklin Pierce

RINDGE, N.H. (April 26, 2015) – Two runs in the bottom of the first inning were enough for senior right-handers Conor Gleason (North Stonington, Conn.) and Travis Landry (Loudon, N.H.) on Sunday afternoon, as they combined to author a four-hit shutout to lead the No. 1/3 nationally ranked Franklin Pierce University baseball team to a 4-0 win over Assumption in Northeast-10 Conference Northeast Division play at Dr. Arthur and Martha Pappas Field. Senior catcher Matt Walsh (Plymouth, Mass.) went 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles and scored twice to lead the offense.

With the win, Franklin Pierce improves to 38-2 (20-1 Northeast-10, 16-1 Northeast Division) and has won 19 in a row, extending the team's program-record winning streak. With the loss, Assumption falls to 8-27 (4-15 Northeast-10, 4-13 Northeast Division). Franklin Pierce swept the three-game weekend series from Assumption.

The win also allowed Franklin Pierce to clinch a home game in the first round of the Northeast-10 Championship, which is scheduled for Tuesday, May 5. The time of the game and the Ravens' opponent is still to be determined.

With the three-game sweep on the weekend, the team's magic number to clinch the top seed in the Northeast Division is down to two games. Any combination of Franklin Pierce wins and Southern New Hampshire losses totaling two would allow the Ravens to clinch a share of the division title, while three would give them outright possession. Franklin Pierce has the tiebreaker, should the two finish tied at the top of the division.

Franklin Pierce's remaining regular-season games include a Tuesday trip to Saint Anselm and a three-game road series at Bentley on Friday and Saturday. Meanwhile, SNHU defeated Bentley in 10 innings on Sunday, hosts Merrimack later on Sunday and travels to Stonehill for a three-game series on Friday and Saturday.

On Sunday afternoon, Franklin Pierce plated the only two runs it would need in the bottom of the first inning. Junior center fielder Maxx Sheehan (San Jose, Calif.) worked a nine-pitch walk leading off and moved to second on a single to right by sophomore third baseman Jay Jabs (Schwenksville, Pa.), before a Walsh single to right loaded the bases two batters later. Later, with two outs, an RBI infield single by sophomore designated hitter Chris LaVorgna (North Haven, Conn.) deep in the hole on the left side of the infield scored Sheehan and kept the bases loaded. Sophomore second baseman Kyle Hood (Arlington, Mass.) then took a five-pitch walk to force home the second run.

The Ravens extended the lead to 3-0 with a run in the bottom of the third. Walsh led off and ripped a 1-1 pitch over the head of the third baseman and down the left-field line for a double. He moved to third on a single through the right side of the infield by junior first baseman Matt O'Herron (Springfield, Mass.) and scored on an RBI infield single by junior left fielder Kurtis White (Nahant, Mass.).

Another run in the bottom of the seventh created the 4-0 final. Walsh led off with a double again, this one was smoked the other way, was out of the reach of the right fielder and one-hopped up against the fence near the right-field line. Walsh moved to third on a ground out and scored when Hood clubbed an RBI double into the gap in left-center.

Meanwhile, Gleason made one of his best starts in recent memory, as he worked into and out of trouble in the second and fourth innings and wound up throwing 105 pitches (59 strikes) over 7.2 shutout innings. He allowed three hits, walked four, hit a batter and struck out 12 to pick up the win (2-0). Landry took over with the bases loaded and two outs in the top of the eighth and got a ground ball back to the mound to strand all three. He then worked around a two-out single in the ninth and recorded one strikeout to nail down his third save of the season.

For Assumption, senior right-hander Zack LaRosa went the distance in defeat. He threw 122 pitches (80 strikes) over eight innings, allowed four runs on 12 hits, walked three, struck out four and took the loss (2-2).

The Ravens return to the field on Tuesday, April 28, when they travel to Saint Anselm for a Northeast-10 Conference, Northeast Division contest. First pitch is set for 3:30 p.m. at Sullivan Park in Manchester, N.H.

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).