WALTHAM, Mass. (April 29, 2017) – With the regular-season schedule winding down, the Franklin Pierce University baseball team entered Saturday afternoon very much in need of a doubleheader sweep to complete the three-game weekend sweep of host Bentley in Northeast-10 Conference Northeast Division play. The team responded on multiple fronts at DeFelice Field to get the job done. In the first game, senior right-hander Cody McPartland (Sound Beach, N.Y.) went all nine innings to take care of business in a 2-1 win. In the second game, junior right fielder Adam Chase (Bridgewater, Mass.) cracked four doubles and scored three times to lead a 21-hit attack in a 12-5 victory.

With the wins, Franklin Pierce improves to 28-12 (18-6 NE10, 14-4 NE Div.), while Bentley falls to 9-26 (7-13 NE10, 7-9 NE Div.). It is the fourth straight season the Ravens have swept the three-game season series from the Falcons.

In the first game on Saturday, Franklin Pierce put McPartland out front early on, with a run in the top of the first inning. Chase singled to left field with one out, but was erased at second as junior third baseman John Friday (Southborough, Mass.) reached on a fielder's choice. Friday moved to second on a wild pitch and came home to score on an RBI single back up the middle by junior catcher Stephen Octave (New Windsor, N.Y.).

The Ravens got an important insurance run in the top of the fifth to push the lead to 2-0. The inning started at the top of the order with freshman designated hitter Dylan Jones (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.), who cracked a leadoff single to center. He moved to second on a single back up the middle by Friday, went to third on a single to center by Octave and scored on an RBI single to right by junior first baseman Dalton Davis (Birmingham, Ala.).

Bentley picked up its only run of the game in the bottom of the sixth to create the 2-1 final. Junior third baseman Peter Bocchino opened the inning with a single to center field, moved up to second on a sacrifice bunt and later scored when freshman center fielder Luke Figueira whacked an RBI single to right.

The Falcons would get only one runner into scoring position the rest of the way, and it came with two outs in the ninth. McPartland immediately put the threat to rest though, as he got freshman second baseman Jake Pierce to bounce back to the mound to end the ballgame.

McPartland (6-0) went the distance for the third time this season on 106 pitches (82 strikes). He allowed one run and scattered nine hits, did not issue a walk, hit two batters and struck out eight on the way to the win.

On the other side of the ledger, senior left-hander Evan Walsh (1-4) went the distance on 124 pitches (74 strikes) in defeat for Bentley. He surrendered two runs on eight hits, walked three, threw a wild pitch and struck out five.

Franklin Pierce got things started in a hurry in the second game as well, with a pair of runs in the top of the first inning. Jones -- who caught the second game -- opened the proceedings with a single to right and moved to second as Chase reached on an error by Bocchino at third. After a groundout moved the runners up, Octave cashed them both in with a two-run single through the right side of the infield.

Another run in the top of the second made it a 3-0 game. Junior center fielder Harrison Smoske (Burlington, Mass.) legged out an infield single leading off, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt, stole third and then scored when Chase drilled an RBI double into left field.

Bentley cut the gap to 3-2 with a pair of runs in the home half of the second. Bocchino took a walk leading off and moved around to third when freshman catcher Christopher Butler followed with a double over the head of graduate student left fielder Anthony DeDona (Bethpage, N.Y.). Bocchino scored on a sacrifice fly to center field by sophomore right fielder Austin Farry, which also moved Butler over to third. Butler then trotted home to score on an RBI single through the left side of the infield by senior shortstop Justin Ashworth.

Franklin Pierce got one run back in the top of the third to push the lead out to 4-2. DeDona was hit by a pitch with two outs, stole second and came around to score on an RBI single back up the middle by senior second baseman Kyle Hood (Arlington, Mass.).

Bentley struck for a 5-4 lead with a trio of runs in the bottom of the fourth. With two outs and nobody on, Farry started things with a single through the left side. He moved to second on a single to center by Figueira, and then a walk to Ashworth loaded the bases and spelled the end of the day for the Franklin Pierce starter, junior right-hander Ryan Covelle (Medford, Mass.), after just 3.2 innings.

Graduate student right-hander Tanner Bird (Adams, Mass.) took over from there and uncorked a wild pitch, which scored Farry and moved everybody else up a base. Junior designated hitter Liam Matheson followed with a single to center field to cash in both runs and give the Falcons the lead.

Franklin Pierce reclaimed the lead, this time for good, with three runs of their own in the top of the sixth inning. With one out and nobody on, the Ravens struck for three straight hits, as Jones singled to right, Chase doubled down the left-field line and Friday went back up the middle for an RBI single to tie the game. The Friday single brought the end of the afternoon for Bentley's starter, sophomore right-hander Luke Dawson. Sophomore right-hander Daniel Riley took over and immediately saw Franklin Pierce take the lead, as Octave reached on an infield single to drive home Chase. After a hit batsman loaded the bases, Hood took a six-pitch walk to force home Friday to make it 7-5.

The Ravens tacked on two runs in the eighth and three more in the ninth to break the game open and create the 12-5 final. In the eighth, back-to-back two-out singles by Smoske and freshman shortstop Joe Napolitano (Port St. Lucie, Fla.), plus a stolen base, set the table for Jones, who cashed them both in with a two-run single through the left side. In the ninth, Chase started things with his fourth double of the game, while junior left fielder Tim Going (Islip, N.Y.) lashed an RBI single to left and Smoske put a two-run single back up the middle to cap the scoring.

Covelle went just the first 3.2 innings on the mound for Franklin Pierce and did not factor in the decision. He was hit for five runs on six hits, walked two and struck out three. Bird (4-2) picked up the win out of the bullpen for his 3.1 innings of work. He allowed three inherited runners to score, but did not surrender a run of his own, allowed two hits, did not issue a walk, hit a batter, threw two wild pitches and struck out two.

For Bentley, Dawson (2-4) needed 102 pitches (66 strikes) just to get through 5.1 innings. He was ultimately tagged with seven runs (six earned) on 11 hits, walked one, hits a batter and struck out five while taking the loss.

The Ravens return to the field on Tuesday, May 2, for their final regular-season showdown with divisional rival Southern New Hampshire. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. at Penmen Field 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).