RINDGE, N.H. (April 2, 2017) – Senior right-hander Cody McPartland (Sound Beach, N.Y.) fired a five-hit shutout and struck out 10 in the front end of a doubleheader on Sunday afternoon, as the Franklin Pierce University baseball team picked up a 4-0 win over Assumption in Northeast-10 Conference Northeast Division play. Junior right-hander John Amendola (Wallingford, Conn.) followed with a three-hit shutout and nine strikeouts in the nightcap, as the Ravens completed the sweep with a 5-0 win at Dr. Arthur and Martha Pappas Field.

With the wins, the Ravens improve to 12-7 (4-1 NE10, 3-0 NE Div.), while Assumption falls to 8-11 (1-3 NE10, 0-2 NE Div.). The two teams will wrap up the three-game series on Monday at 3 p.m. at Pappas Field.

The pitching was the story of the day for the Ravens on Sunday. In the first game, McPartland (5-0) faced 31 batters -- just four over the minimum -- and used 114 pitches (81 strikes) to dispatch Assumption. He surrendered five hits in his second complete game of the season, which was also his first shutout of the campaign. He issued three walks along the way, but piled up 10 strikeouts, which was his third double-digit strikeout performance of the year.

Amendola (2-2) was just as electric in the second game, as he faced 33 batters and threw 109 pitches (73 strikes) to blank the Greyhounds with his second complete game and second shutout of the spring. He issued three walks as well, and also hit a batter, while tallying nine strikeouts and allowing just three hits to go the distance in under two hours (1:59).

In the first game, Franklin Pierce jumped out front for good with a trio of runs in the bottom of the first inning. Junior third baseman John Friday (Southborough, Mass.) took a four-pitch walk with one out to start things, and then moved to second when senior designated hitter Chris LaVorgna (North Haven, Conn.) pulled a single through the left side of the infield.

Junior first baseman Dalton Davis (Birmingham, Ala.) was next, and was all over a first-pitch fastball, driving it the other way into the gap in left-center field. Friday scored easily, while LaVorgna motored all the way around from first to make it 2-0. Davis then scored two batters later, when junior catcher Stephen Octave (New Windsor, N.Y.) went the other way and dumped an RBI single into right-center.

After five scoreless innings, the Ravens eventually tacked on an unearned insurance run in the bottom of the seventh to create the 4-0 final. With one out, senior shortstop Lucas Luopa (Keene, N.H.) and Friday came up with back-to-back singles before things got weird. It appeared one runner or the other missed a sign, as Friday broke from first on the pitch, but Luopa did not break from second.

After being hung out in no-man's land, Luopa elected to take off in a delayed attempt to steal third, as Assumption junior catcher Andrew Jaehnig threw behind him at second. Sophomore shortstop Hunter Tralli took the ball and then rushed the throw to third, firing it into the dirt short of the bag. The throw skipped past junior third baseman Mike Schmidt and out of play, which allowed Luopa to score.

Graduate student right-hander Kevin O'Connor (2-2) took the mound in the first game for Assumption. He threw 105 pitches (65 strikes) over seven innings, allowed four runs (three earned) on nine hits, walked one, hit a batter and struck out seven.

In the second game, Franklin Pierce scored the only run Amendola would need in the bottom of the first inning. Friday clubbed a one-out triple the other way into the gap in right-center field and then scored on an RBI groundout by Davis.

The Ravens doubled the lead to 2-0 in the home half of the second. Junior right fielder Adam Chase (Bridgewater, Mass.) cracked a leadoff single to first and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by freshman designated hitter Dylan Jones (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.). Junior center fielder Tim Going (Islip, N.Y.) followed and got a first-pitch fastball on the inner half of the plate. He was able to put an inside-out swing on the ball and slice it the other way down the right-field line for an RBI double to plate Chase.

Franklin Pierce later tacked on two in the seventh and one in the eighth to create the 5-0 final. In the seventh, Going took a four-pitch walk leading off, but was erased at second as junior center fielder Harrison Smoske (Burlington, Mass.) later reached on a fielder's choice. Smoske would score when Luopa followed and socked a first-pitch fastball over the fence in left for a two-run home run of an estimated 345 feet, his first homer as a Raven.

In the eighth, Davis reached at second on a throwing error by Tralli at short. Octave was next and dropped a bunt single down the third-base line. Freshman right-hander Ben Lambert fielded the ball, but his throw to first was well late and sailed away down the right-field line, which allowed Davis to come home to score.

Junior right-hander Mike Curtis (2-3) took the ball in the second game for Assumption. He fired 103 pitches (61 strikes) over seven innings, allowed four runs on five hits, walked four, hit a batter and struck out five.

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).