RINDGE, N.H. (March 20, 2022) -- The Franklin Pierce University baseball team returned home for the first time in 2022 on Sunday afternoon, and the arms came out in full force at Pappas Field. The Ravens needed just three pitchers to get through a doubleheader with American International, and surrendered just two runs on six hits en route to a sweep, 10-1 and 4-1. Sophomore right-hander Kyle Roche (Braintree, Mass.) put together the afternoon's keynote, as he authored a three-hit complete game and struck out seven in the second game.

With the wins, Franklin Pierce improves to 9-5, while AIC falls to 6-8. It was the final non-conference tune-up for the Ravens, who host Bentley in a four-game series next weekend to open Northeast-10 Conference play. Franklin Pierce will take on the Falcons on Friday at 3:30 p.m., for a noon doubleheader on Saturday, and again at 1 p.m. on Sunday, all at Pappas Field.

Game 1: Franklin Pierce 10, AIC 1

Solo home runs in each of the first three innings set the tone for the Ravens in the first game. Graduate student Charles Lebron (Brooklyn, N.Y.) got the proceedings started, loudly, in the first, with a two-out solo blast of an estimated 450 feet to straightaway right field, his first of the season. In the second, it was 410 feet down the right-field line for sophomore Randy Flores (Brooklyn, N.Y.), also with two outs and nobody on, for his first of the campaign. It was another two-out solo shot in the third, as sophomore Hunter Wilichoski (Hamilton, Mass.) went 410 feet, just to the left of dead center, for his second of the year.

It was more than enough for graduate student left-hander Patrick Hannon (Willington, Conn.), who smothered the AIC offense over seven scoreless innings and 90 pitches (64 strikes). He allowed just one hit, did not issue a walk, hit two batters and chalked up nine strikeouts on the way to the win. Junior right-hander Danny Gracia (Wilmington, Mass.) tacked on two strikeouts while logging the final two innings, to make it 11 strikeouts for Franklin Pierce pitching in the game.

Meanwhile, the only inning the Raven offense was held off the board was in the fourth. Franklin Pierce tacked on one each in the fifth, seventh and eighth innings, to go with a four-spot in the sixth, and won going away, 10-1. Wilichoski socked his second home run of the game in the seventh, a one-out solo shot of an estimated 425 feet to the power-alley in left-center, giving him some 835 feet worth of homer, give or take, in the contest.

Junior right-hander Ethan Teixeira (1-2) wore an ugly line in defeat for AIC, after using 102 pitches (63 strikes) to get through 5.2 innings. He was touched up for eight runs (four earned) on nine hits, walked three, hit a batter and struck out five.

Game 2: Franklin Pierce 4, AIC 1

The bats were not quite as noisy in the second game, but the Ravens still staked Roche to an early lead, with a run in the bottom of the first. Flores -- who went 6-for-7 with two doubles and a homer in the twinbill -- yanked a double to right-center, then eventually took both third and home on wild pitches.

Franklin Pierce doubled the lead to 2-0 in the last of the fourth, thanks again to some errant pitching. Wilichoski -- who had a 5-for-6 day of his own with three doubles and two dingers -- drove a one-out double to left-center, moved to third on an infield single by sophomore Jose Savinon (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and came across to score on a wild pitch.

The pair would be enough for Roche (3-0), who dispatched the AIC lineup with extreme prejudice. Even with seven strikeouts and a pair of walks, the right-hander needed just 102 pitches (71 strikes) to go the distance in a tidy 2 hours, 17 minutes. Roche faced 30 batters -- just three over the minimum -- and ceded one run on three hits on the way to his first collegiate complete game.

In contrast, freshman left-hander Adrian Quinonez (0-2) needed 94 pitches (60 strikes) just to get through five innings on the hill for the Yellow Jackets. He allowed two runs on four hits, walked two and struck out five, but also uncorked six wild pitches along the way.

The Ravens tacked on a pair of insurance runs in the seventh, including the team's fifth home run of the day. This time, it was the first of the season for junior Joel Lara (Boston, Mass.), who clubbed a 350-foot solo shot to straightaway left field with one out. Sophomore Ian Battipaglia (Cheshire, Conn.) capped the scoring with an RBI double over the head of the center fielder, which scored junior Max Gebauer (Guilderland, N.Y.) all the way from first.