RINDGE, N.H. (April 23, 2017) – For the first time in his collegiate career, sophomore right-hander Zach Hart (Wallingford, Conn.) worked into the ninth inning on Sunday afternoon, providing the Franklin Pierce University baseball team with important innings on the back end of the weekend. Meanwhile, graduate student left fielder Anthony DeDona (Bethpage, N.Y.) keyed the offense by going 3-for-4 with a home run and stealing four bases, as the Ravens picked up a series win with a 6-1 victory over Stonehill in Northeast-10 Conference Northeast Division play at Dr. Arthur and Martha Pappas Field.

With the win, Franklin Pierce improves to 24-12 (14-6 NE10, 10-4 NE Div.), while Stonehill falls to 11-24 (5-11 NE10, 5-9 NE Div.).

Stonehill opened the scoring with a run in the top of the first inning on Sunday. With one out, senior left fielder Ben Monte clubbed the first pitch he saw over the head of the center fielder and off the fence on the fly, just to the left of straightaway center, for a triple. Senior designated hitter Eddie Bowler followed and put the first pitch of his at-bat in play as well, bouncing an RBI groundout to second base.

Hart (3-2) settled in from there though, and wound up pitching deeper than he had so far in his young career. He would toss 104 pitches (67 strikes) over 8.2 innings of work, allowed one run on six hits, walked three and struck out seven to pick up the win in what was essentially a must-have game for the Ravens with the series on the line.

Franklin Pierce made sure the early Stonehill lead would not last, as the crimson and grey collected four runs in the bottom of the second inning to take the lead for good. Senior second baseman Kyle Hood (Arlington, Mass.) started things by taking a six-pitch walk with one out and moved around to third as junior center fielder Harrison Smoske (Burlington, Mass.) followed with a double over the head of the right fielder. Freshman shortstop Joe Napolitano (Port St. Lucie, Fla.) was next and took a 2-1 pitch the other way for an RBI single to right to score Hood. Two batters later, and after Napolitano had stolen second, junior right fielder Adam Chase (Bridgewater, Mass.) cashed in Smoske by yanking a two-out single into left field.

Napolitano took a big turn at third on the play with two outs, before ultimately holding up. The turn drew a hard throw from Monte in left, which was cut off near third base as Napolitano scampered back. As he had taken a big turn of his own at first base, Chase was able to take second on the throw back to the infield. Junior third baseman John Friday (Southborough, Mass.) kept the line moving with an RBI single through the left side to score Napolitano, and then drew a throw to second in the first-and-third situation, which allowed Chase to record a steal of home.

Another run in the bottom of the third pushed the lead to 5-1, which would be plenty for Hart on this Sunday afternoon. With one out and the bases empty, DeDona turned on a 1-1 pitch and cracked a towering solo home run to straightaway right field. The Franklin Pierce dugout came alive in raucous celebration as DeDona's first collegiate homer fell to the ground beyond the right-field fence, with an estimated distance of 350 feet.

The Ravens would later tack on an insurance run in the bottom of the seventh to create the 6-1 final. Friday singled to center leading off and then stole second. He moved up to third on a single through the left side by junior designated hitter Stephen Octave (New Windsor, N.Y.) and later scored on a two-out single to center on the first pitch by DeDona.

Stonehill would eventually put two in scoring position with two outs against Hart in the ninth. Junior right-hander Ryan Covelle (Medford, Mass.) took over and loaded the bases with a hit batsman, but then finished off the game by inducing a comebacker from Stonehill sophomore third baseman William Kelleher.

Freshman right-hander Brandon Jewer (1-3) made the start on the mound for Stonehill in the series finale, but could not escape the third inning. He threw 66 pitches, and only 34 strikes, over just 2.1 innings of work, surrendered five runs on six hits, walked two, hit a batter, balked once and struck out four while taking the loss.

The Ravens return to the field on Wednesday, April 26, when they travel to Saint Anselm for an NE10 Northeast Division contest. First pitch is set for 3:30 p.m. at Sullivan Park in Manchester, N.H. Facing a pivotal stretch of the season, the Ravens will play five straight divisional contests on the road beginning Wednesday.

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).