EASTON, Mass. (April 24, 2022) -- The Franklin Pierce University baseball team looked set to cruise in the finale of a four-game Northeast-10 Conference series at Lou Gorman Field on Sunday afternoon, as four in the third and sixth in the fifth allowed the Ravens to open up a 12-6 lead halfway through. Four in the seventh for home-standing Stonehill would make things interesting though, and the Skyhawks got the tying run on base in the ninth, before Franklin Pierce ultimately hung on for a 13-11 victory.

With the win, Franklin Pierce improves to 22-10 (11-5 NE10) and takes three of four in the weekend series. With the loss, Stonehill falls to 15-24 (4-12 NE10). With two weeks left in the regular season, the Ravens are in second place in the NE10's Northeast Division, three games in back of first-place Southern New Hampshire. The Penmen will be in Rindge for a four-game series at Pappas Field next weekend, April 29 through May 1.

With the game tied 6-6 through four innings, Franklin Pierce appeared to seize control of the proceedings with six runs in the top of the fifth. A trio of walks loaded the bases with nobody out for junior Jethro Hurt (New York, N.Y.), who struck out, but then the Ravens went to work from there. A single up the middle by sophomore Ryan Lavelle (East Longmeadow, Mass.) brought in the inning's first run, and then junior Graham Smith (Wilmington, Mass.) singled to center to chase home another. Sophomore Randy Flores (Brooklyn, N.Y.) made it three straight singles with a base hit through the right side to score two and push the lead to 10-6. After Smith and Flores executed a double steal, junior Joel Lara (Boston, Mass.) dropped down a bunt single -- one of four hits in the game for the center fielder -- to drive home Smith, and then Flores scored on a wild pitch to cap the inning.

Stonehill refused to go quietly though, as the Skyhawks closed the gap back to 12-10 with a four-spot in the last of the seventh. It was runners at the corners and nobody out after a double, a wild pitch and a walk to open the frame, and then junior Blaine Lidsky put a single inside the left-field line to score a run. Two batters later, graduate student Brandon Taylor launched a two-run triple into the gap in right-center to make it a three-run game. Taylor would eventually score on an RBI single through the left side by freshman Taylor Gaspar.

Smith provided an RBI infield single in the top of the ninth to plate an important insurance run. Stonehill got one back in the home half of the ninth, courtesy of a sacrifice fly by Gaspar, but the tying run was left on base when junior Conor Kiely bounced into a fielder's choice to put an end to the three hour and 17 minute expedition.

With all the runners conga-lining around the bases, neither starting pitcher was long for the game on Sunday, nor would either factor in the decision. For the Ravens, junior right-hander Danny Gracia (Wilmington, Mass.) threw 73 pitches (44 strikes) over 3.2 innings, allowed five runs (three earned) on four hits, walked two and struck out one. For Stonehill, it was two-plus innings on 40 pitches (24 strikes) for freshman left-hander Max Brulport, who surrendered four runs (three earned) on five hits, walked two and struck out one.

Senior right-hander Jake Ursillo (North Haledon, N.J.) was less-than-effective, as he ceded five runs over 2.2 innings of relief, but picked up the win (4-2) anyway, thanks to the six-spot from the offense in the fifth. Freshman right-hander Ryan Douglas (1-4) allowed four runs on three hits and three walks over two innings out of the bullpen to suffer the loss. Sophomore right-hander Hunter Reynolds (Marlborough, Mass.) came on to start the eighth and allowed one run on two hits while finishing things off to chalk up his second save of the year.