EASTON, Mass. (April 23, 2022) -- After working overtime on Friday, the Franklin Pierce University baseball team took care of business early in the first game of a Northeast-10 Conference doubleheader at Stonehill on Saturday afternoon. The Ravens scored in each of the first five innings, including a five-spot in the fifth, to roll to a 12- 3 victory. Stonehill bounced back in the second game at Lou Gorman Field with four early runs to deal Franklin Pierce a 4-1 defeat and force the doubleheader split.

With the split, Franklin Pierce moves to 21-10 (10-5 NE10) and has taken two of the first three in the four-game series, which will wrap up at 1 p.m. on Sunday at Lou Gorman Field. Stonehill now stands at 15-23 (4-11 NE10). Both games on Saturday were seven-inning affairs.

Game 1: Franklin Pierce 12, Stonehill 3

It was an offensive bonanza early on in the first game for Franklin Pierce. The Ravens scored two in the first, two more in the second, another pair in the third, one in the fourth and five in the fifth to put things out of reach. It was a 14-hit attack for the crimson and grey, only two of which went for extra bases, as sophomores Ian Battipaglia (Cheshire, Conn.) and Ryan Lavelle (East Longmeadow, Mass.) each contributed doubles.

Battipaglia's double provided the knockout blow in the fifth, as he drove in two to push the lead from 9-2 out to 11-2. Sophomore Randy Flores (Brooklyn, N.Y.) drove in four in the contest, with a two-run single to center field in the second and then another two-run single, back through the middle of the infield, in the fifth. Lavelle's double drove in a pair in the third. Sophomore Hunter Wilichoski (Hamilton, Mass.) drove in two, with a sacrifice fly in the fourth and an RBI single in the fifth, while graduate student Charles Lebron (Brooklyn, N.Y.) opened the scoring with a two-run single in the first.

The cornucopia of runs came in support of graduate student left-hander Patrick Hannon (Willington, Conn.), who threw 89 pitches (62 strikes) over six innings of work. He allowed three runs (one earned) on six hits, hit three batters and struck out three on the way to the win (5-1)

Senior left-hander Jonathan Rice (1-3) was ambushed on the mound for Stonehill. Over 4.2 innings and 80 pitches (54 strikes), he was tagged for 10 runs (nine earned) on 12 hits, walked one, hit a batter and struck out four.

Game 2: Stonehill 4, Franklin Pierce 1

Stonehill got all it would need with two runs each in the first and second innings in the second game. In the first, a hit batter, a single and an error set the table for sophomore Trey Ciulla-Hall, who rapped a two-run single to left field. In the second, an error, a single and a sacrifice bunt put two in scoring position for senior Noah Lucier, who punched a two-run single back through the middle of the infield.

Franklin Pierce got one back in the fourth, but that was it. Wilichoski led off with a triple into the gap in right-center and then scored on an RBI groundout on the left side by Lebron.

Sophomore right-hander Chaz Powell (Stamford, Conn.) took the ball in the second game for the Ravens and threw 69 pitches (44 strikes) over 4.1 innings. He allowed four runs (three earned) on six hits, hit three batters and struck out two while suffering the loss (3-3).

Senior right-hander Matt Smith (1-3) logged a seven-inning complete game on 103 pitches (64 strikes) for Stonehill. He conceded just one run on four hits, walked two and struck out six.