O'Rourke, Fahey combine for four-hit shutout, 10 strikeouts

RINDGE, N.H. (May 15, 2015) – With the season on the line for both sides in an all Granite State matchup, the offense of the No. 1/3 nationally ranked, top seed and host Franklin Pierce University baseball team broke out in a big way on Friday night, with a 13-hit attack en route to an 8-2 win over No. 20 and third-seeded Southern New Hampshire in an elimination contest on the third day of the NCAA Championship East Regional at Dr. Arthur and Martha Pappas Field. Senior catcher Matt Walsh (Plymouth, Mass.) went 2-for-4 and drove in four runs in the win for Franklin Pierce.

With the win, Franklin Pierce improves to 48-3 and its season will live to see another day. With the loss, SNHU's season comes to a close at 31-14.

Franklin Pierce advances to play on Sunday, when it will take the field at 1 p.m. against fourth-seeded Wilmington, regardless of the outcome of Saturday night's final game, which begins at 10:30 p.m. and features Wilmington and sixth-seeded St. Thomas Aquinas. If Wilmington wins on Saturday night, Franklin Pierce would have to defeat the Wildcats twice on Sunday. If St. Thomas Aquinas wins on Saturday night, the Ravens would have to defeat Wilmington and St. Thomas Aquinas once each, in that order, to claim the East Regional crown.

Franklin Pierce -- which has had first-inning success all season -- found its first first-inning run of the weekend on Saturday night with a run in the top of the first. Junior center fielder Maxx Sheehan (San Jose, Calif.) worked a six-pitch walk leading off, stole second and then scored on an RBI single hit on a line into left field by Walsh.

The Ravens struck for two more two-out runs in the top of the second inning, while chasing SNHU graduate student right-hander David Gibson from the game in the process. With one out, sophomore second baseman Kyle Hood (Arlington, Mass.) ripped a single into left field and stole second. He would score two batters later when junior shortstop Justin Brock (Latham, N.Y.) looped an RBI single into shallow right field. Brock then stole both second and third and scored on an RBI single laced back over the mound and out into center field by Sheehan, which chased Gibson from the game.

Sophomore left-hander Mike Robert came on to get the final out of the second and retired the Ravens in order in both the third and fourth. In the meantime, SNHU got one run back in the bottom of the third inning. Junior first baseman Lorenzo Papa led off with a four-pitch walk and went first-to-third on a double pulled inside the bag at third and down the left-field line by junior right fielder Ryan Gendron. Papa then scored on a sacrifice fly lifted deep into the gap in left-center by senior catcher Tyler Fortanascio.

Franklin Pierce got to Robert in the top of the fifth, as it plated a run to reclaim the three-run lead at 4-1. Brock got things started with a line-drive single to right and then stole second again, the third of his four steals on the night. After sophomore third baseman Jay Jabs (Schwenksville, Pa.), Brock moved to third when senior right fielder John Razzino (Cranston, R.I.) beat out a broken-bat chopper on the left side for an infield hit. With the bases full, Walsh was hit by a pitch to force home Brock from third.

SNHU cut the lead to 4-2 with a run in the bottom of the sixth. Sophomore shortstop Manny Cruz opened the frame with a second-pitch single back through the middle, which got senior right-hander Paul Fahey (Dorchester, Mass.) throwing in the Franklin Pierce bullpen. After sophomore center fielder Carson Helms took a five-pitch walk, senior right-hander Brendan O'Rourke (Shrewsbury, Mass.) was lifted in favor of Fahey, who took over with two on and no outs and immediately created a controversial situation.

Out in front of graduate student designated hitter Mike Montville at 0-1, Fahey induced a towering pop fly back behind the shortstop. As Brock drifted back and started to camp under the ball, home plate umpire David Speranza signaled for the infield fly. Brock was called off by Sheehan in center field, but the latter could not catch the ball and both baserunners took off. There appeared to be disagreement among the teams -- and perhaps the umpires as well -- as to whether or not the infield fly rule had been applied. After a lengthy discussion by the four umpires, Montville was ruled out on the infield fly -- much to the chagrin of the SNHU bench, which protested vehemently -- while Helms advanced to second and Cruz took third on the Sheehan error. Cruz would ultimately score on a passed ball.

The controversy proved moot, as the Franklin Pierce offense tacked on two runs in the seventh and two more in the eighth to create the 8-2 final. In the seventh, Razzino singled through the left side with one out and later went to second while junior first baseman Matt O'Herron (Springfield, Mass.) reached on an error, and then things got wild from there. Sophomore designated hitter Chris LaVorgna (North Haven, Conn.) lashed a single to center field and head coach Jayson King waved Razzino around third. Helms charged and uncorked a throw in the general direction of home plate in an attempt to gun down Razzino. In his haste though, Helms put way too much on the throw, as it sailed over the cutoff man, over the catcher and then over the backstop and out of play, which allowed O'Herron to score on the play as well.

In the eighth, Sheehan beat out an infield single with two outs, moved to second on a single to center by Jabs and went to third on a five-pitch walk to Razzino which loaded the bases. Walsh came up with the bases loaded again and cashed in a pair of runs this time with a two-run single into center field.

O'Rourke threw 77 pitches (45 strikes) over five innings, plus two batters in the sixth, on the hill for Franklin Pierce. He ultimately allowed two runs (one earned) on three hits, walked four and struck out six while picking up the win (11-0). Fahey fired 46 pitches (30 strikes) over the final four innings, faced the minimum, did not allow a run, surrendered just one hit, did not issue a walk and struck out four to pick up his first save of the season.

Gibson was the first of five pitchers for SNHU on the night and exited after just 34 pitches (23 strikes) and 1.2 innings. He was charged with three runs on four hits, walked one, struck out four and took the loss (5-3).

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).