MANCHESTER, N.H. (4/14/23) - The Franklin Pierce University baseball team racked up 15 runs on 17 hits in a 16-3 victory over Saint Anselm College on Friday afternoon, kicking off the weekend series with the Hawks as Sullivan Park.

With the win, Pierce baseball improves to 21-9 (8-1 NE10) with their fourth straight win, and fifth in their last six. Saint Anselm, with the loss, falls to 7-24 (3-6 NE10).

It was a depth-displaying day for the Ravens, who went right to work in the top of the first inning with a pair runs. After a lead-off walk to junior Ian Battipaglia (Cheshire, Conn.), senior Joel Lara (Boston, Mass.) brought him all the way home from first with a RBI double down the left field line, scoring the first of two. Moments later, Lara would then score himself on a sacrifice ground-out to second by senior Joseph Pesce (Lake Mary, Fla.), giving Pierce the 2-0 edge.

The Ravens stretched their lead to 3-0 in the top of the second as Julien Monks (Cambridge, Mass.) was hit by a pitch to leadoff the frame, and later came around to score on a Saint Anselm error. Saint Anselm would answer in the bottom half of the frame with two runs of their own thanks to a two-run homer to center field by senior Mike Pierro, slashing the Raven lead down to 3-2.

However, Pierce matched Saint Anselm's response with their own two-run bomb in the top of the third, courtesy of freshman Adam Dadinos (East Hartford, Conn.), for his second homer against the Hawks and of the season. The Ravens' 5-2 lead would then hold firm through two scoreless innings.

The offense kicked back up for Pierce in the top of the sixth, as they added another three runs to push their lead to 8-2. With the bases loaded, the first run would score after sophomore Jose Savinon (Brooklyn, N.Y.) was hit by a pitch. The other two would score shortly after on a two-RBI single into left field by Joseph Pesce.

In the top of the seventh, Pesce would cap off three-consecutive RBI singles by the Ravens, also including Savinon and Lara, to put the score well out of reach at 12-2. 

After a Saint Anselm score in the seventh, the Ravens continued to bombard the Hawks and added another run on an RBI-double from Julien Monks. Following a wild pitch that scored Max Gebauer (Guilderland, N.Y.), Ian Battipaglia supplied an RBI single to center field to plate Monks and push Pierce's lead to 15-3.

One final run would score for the Ravens in the ninth, finalizing the 15-3 winning effort.

Junior Kyle Roche (Braintree, Mass.) earned his 12^th win of this season, tossing a season-high 10 strikeouts with two earned runs in five solid innings on the mound. Junior right-hander Hunter Wilichoski (Hamilton, Mass.) and sophomore Esteban Rivera III (Hamden, Conn.) completed the day for Pierce, combining for four strikeouts with no earned runs allowed.

The Ravens and Hawks continue their four-game series tomorrow (4/15) with a Saturday twin bill beginning at Noon, with game two of the doubleheader scheduled for a 3:00 p.m. first pitch.