COLCHESTER, Vt. (May 7, 2022) -- The bats were alive and well on Saturday afternoon, as the Franklin Pierce University baseball team wrapped up the regular season with a pair of double-digit run totals in a Northeast-10 Conference doubleheader sweep at Saint Michael's. The Ravens hammered out 30 hits on the day, en route to wins of 13-0 and 12-9 at Doc Jacobs Field.

With the wins, Franklin Pierce improves to 28-14 (16-8 NE10), while Saint Michael's concludes its season at 4-33 (3-21 NE10).

The wins allowed the Ravens to lock up the Northeast Division's second seed in next week's NE10 Championship. Franklin Pierce will host third-seeded Assumption in a first-round game on Tuesday, May 10. Game time is set for 6 p.m. at Pappas Field in Rindge.

Game 1: Franklin Pierce 13, Saint Michael's 0

The first game was a seven-inning affair, but the Ravens needed only three innings to seize control. Franklin Pierce sent 14 men to bat in the top of the third inning and plated nine runs, on just four hits, as Saint Michael's contributed five errors, three walks and a hit batsman to the cause. Three of the four hits drove in runs, as sophomore Ian Battipaglia (Cheshire, Conn.) cranked a two-run double, graduate student Charles Lebron (Brooklyn, N.Y.) provided an RBI double, and junior Graham Smith (Wilmington, Mass.) chipped in an RBI single. Lebron drove in another run in the frame as well, by drawing a bases-loaded walk.

Franklin Pierce would later add two each in the sixth and seventh innings to win going away, 13-0, with a 14-hit attack. Saint Michael's committed more errors (5) than it had hits of its own (4) in the game.

The offensive barrage came in support of sophomore right-hander Chaz Powell (Stamford, Conn.), who threw 75 pitches (53 strikes) over five scoreless innings. He allowed four hits, walked one and struck out seven on the way to the win (4-3). Junior left-hander Ray Seward (Clinton, Conn.) threw a perfect sixth and sophomore right-hander Hunter Wilichoski (Hamilton, Mass.) followed with a perfect seventh to finish off the combined four-hit shutout.

Senior right-hander Ozzie Rodriguez (0-4) took the ball and could not escape the third inning for Saint Michael's. He threw 71 pitches (38 strikes) over just 2.2 innings of work. He ceded nine runs, though just three of them were earned, but did himself no favors either, with five walks and a hit batter against just one strikeout.

Game 2: Franklin Pierce 12, Saint Michael's 9

The second game was eventful early, as Saint Michael's used a six-spot in the home half of the first to jump to a 6-1 lead. Franklin Pierce responded though, and had staked out a 7-6 lead by the middle of the third, with three apiece in the top of the second and third frames. The Purple Knights jumped back out front, 9-8, through five innings, and then the Ravens struck for the lead for good, with two runs in the top of the sixth.

With one out, junior Joseph Pesce (Lake Mary, Fla.) reached on an infield single. Two batters later, junior Joel Lara (Boston, Mass.) socked his fourth home run of the season, a two-run shot to left-center field.

Franklin Pierce added two more in the top of the eighth inning to pick up some insurance and ultimately create the 12-9 final. Junior Max Gebauer (Guilderland, N.Y.) reached on an error with one out, and Lara followed with a single to right field. Sophomore Randy Flores (Brooklyn, N.Y.) was next and went back up the middle with an RBI single to plate Gebauer and move Lara around to third. Lara scored from there on an RBI groundout by Smith.

Sophomore right-hander Andres Auffant (Center Moriches, N.Y.) started the second game for the Ravens, but did not record an out, as each of the seven men he faced reached base, via three hits, two walks and a pair of errors. He was ultimately charged with six runs (three earned), and luckily wound up with a no-decision after the Franklin Pierce offense kicked it into gear. Senior right-hander Zack Brundage (Wellington, Fla.) eventually got the win (1-0) in relief, as he threw three innings of one run ball, with one hit and one strikeout. Junior right-hander Ryan Mueller (Lynbrook, N.Y.) threw the final two innings, allowed two hits and struck out three to notch his first save of the season.

On the other side of the ledger, freshman right-hander Jarret Muzzy threw the first three innings and was tagged for seven runs (six earned) on 10 hits and three walks, but escaped without a decision. Fellow freshman right-hander Maverick King (0-3) took the loss after he ceded five more runs (two earned) on eight hits, walked one and struck out four over 4.1 innings of relief.