RINDGE, N.H. (March 26, 2017) – Junior catcher Stephen Octave (New Windsor, N.Y.) and junior left fielder Tim Going (Islip, N.Y.) had back-to-back seventh-inning singles to turn a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 win on Sunday afternoon, as the Franklin Pierce University baseball team opened the day with a victory over No. 24 nationally ranked Le Moyne. Later in the day at Dr. Arthur and Martha Pappas Field, the Ravens fell victim to graduate student right-hander Sean Pisik, who spun a seven-hit complete game in a 5-2 Le Moyne win.

With the split of the Northeast-10 Conference doubleheader, Franklin Pierce moves to 9-7 (1-1 NE10) on the year, while Le Moyne stands at 13-8 (1-1 NE10). Le Moyne played as the home team in both contests, as the games were relocated from the Dolphins' home field due to unplayable conditions.

While there were plenty of hits to go around, the first game turned into a pitcher's duel, as both Franklin Pierce senior right-hander Cody McPartland (Sound Beach, N.Y.) and Le Moyne senior right-hander Damian Powers did their best to limit the damage. McPartland (4-0) would throw 113 pitches (73 strikes) over 7.1 innings, allowed one run on eight hits, walked two, balked once and struck out eight. Powers (0-3) answered with 112 pitches (77 strikes) over eight innings, allowed two runs (one earned) on eight hits, did not issue a walk, hit a batter, threw a wild pitch and struck out nine.

Le Moyne opened the scoring with the only blemish against McPartland, which came in the bottom of the fifth inning. With one out, senior catcher Gabe Levanti hit a bouncer up the middle, which Franklin Pierce senior shortstop Lucas Luopa (Keene, N.H.) managed to flag down deep behind the bag at second. Luopa attempted a spin-o-rama throw from there, but it was well late and off-target, as Levanti reached with a single. Another infield single followed, this one deep in the hole at short by sophomore right fielder David DiNorcia, which moved Levanti to second.

Sophomore shortstop Josiah Gray was next, turned on an 0-1 pitch and pulled a sharply-hit ground ball over the bag at third and down the left-field line for an RBI double to get the Dolphins on the board. McPartland avoided any further damage by rolling up back-to-back groundouts to strand runners at second and third.

The Ravens would strike back and take the lead for good with a pair of runs in the top of the seventh. Senior designated hitter Chris LaVorgna (North Haven, Conn.) opened the frame with a first-pitch single into left-center and moved to second on a wild pitch. Two batters later, junior right fielder Adam Chase (Bridgewater, Mass.) hit a seemingly-routine ground ball to second base for what should have been the second out. Instead, Le Moyne freshman second baseman Nicholas Jacques spiked the throw to first, and junior first baseman Brian Cox could not pick the ball, leaving runners at the corners with one away.

Octave and Going then made the error count. Octave sliced a line drive up the middle, tailing into right-center field, for an RBI single to score LaVorgna, while Chase went first-to-third. Going followed and pulled an RBI single through the left side of the infield to plate Chase and give Franklin Pierce a 2-1 lead which would hold up the rest of the way.

After McPartland got the first out of the eighth inning, and junior left-hander Adam Goss (Waterford, Conn.) hit the only batter he faced, junior right-hander John Amendola (Wallingford, Conn.) took over on the hill for Franklin Pierce. He allowed just one baserunner, which reached on an error, and struck out three over the final 1.2 innings to nail down his first collegiate save.

In the second game, Pisik (5-0), as well as the Franklin Pierce approach to hitting him, were the story of the contest. Despite allowing seven hits, walking one and hitting another, the right-hander needed just 100 pitches (74 strikes) to dispatch the Ravens and throw his first complete game of the season.

Of the 34 batters the Ravens sent to the plate against Pisik, 14 swung at the first pitch. Of the 14 first-pitch swings, 10 were put in play, resulting in just one hit and nine outs. On the day, Pisik recorded 13 fly ball outs, eight of which came on the first pitch of the at-bat.

In all, Pisik was charged with two runs on seven hits. He walked one, hit a batter and struck out nine on the way to the win.

Le Moyne got Pisik all the runs he would need in the bottom of the fourth inning, when they struck for three runs with two outs. The inning started at the top of the order for the Dolphins, and Franklin Pierce graduate student right-hander Tanner Bird (Adams, Mass.) struck out the first two batters of the frame, before things came unraveled. Sophomore catcher Camillo Spinoso lashed a first-pitch single to left field, before junior left fielder JT Pittman took a five-pitch walk.

Levanti was next and dumped a soft, line-drive single into center field, which could have simply plated Spinoso to open the scoring. Instead, Franklin Pierce junior center fielder Harrison Smoske (Burlington, Mass.) -- likely rushing in what would have been an unlikely attempt to throw out the runner at the plate -- overran the ball, which escaped out towards the warning track in deep center. As a result, Spinoso, Pittman and Levanti all came around to score, opening up a 3-0 Le Moyne lead.

To its credit, Franklin Pierce answered immediately with a pair of runs in the top of the fifth to cut the gap to 3-2. Octave led off the inning and hit a sharp ground ball towards the hole on the left side. Levanti was able to snag it with a diving stop while ranging to his left at third, but his one-hop throw to first was not picked by Cox, on what would have been a bang-bang play. Going was next and put a ground ball deep in the hole on the left side. Gray tracked it down, but was so deep in the hole, his only play was to second base, with Octave narrowly beating the throw, which put runners at first and second with nobody out.

Three batters later, Luopa put a single back up the middle to plate Octave. Junior third baseman John Friday (Southborough, Mass.) then followed and looped a singled into shallow center field to score Going and cut the deficit to one run.

The backbreaker came in the bottom half of the fifth, as Le Moyne immediately reclaimed the two runs, once again striking with two outs. Facing the bottom of the order, Bird tracked down a foul pop-up himself on the first-base side, and then induced a ground ball to record two outs on just three pitches. However, he then issued a five-pitch walk to the ninth-place hitter in the Le Moyne lineup, junior center fielder Timothy Corapi.

The free pass would prove to be Bird's undoing, as Cox followed and unleashed an uppercut swing on a 1-0 pitch, lofting a towering fly ball to deep right field. The shot narrowly cleared the barrier, just to the right of straightaway right field, as Chase crashed into the fence in pursuit. The baseball splashed down into the snow bank beyond the field for a two-run home run of an estimated 340 feet, Cox's first homer of the season.

Bird (1-2) would depart after five innings and 77 pitches (47 strikes). He allowed five runs (three earned) on three hits, walked two, hit a batter and struck out five.

Franklin Pierce created just two baserunners -- one of which was erased on a double play -- over the final four innings after the Cox home run. Pisik retired the final eight batters he faced to finish off the win.

The Ravens return to the field on Wednesday, March 29, when they remain home to host Saint Anselm in the NE10 Northeast Division opener for both squads. First pitch is set for 3 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).