RINDGE, N.H. (5/7/23) - Senior infielder Ian Battipaglia (Cheshire, Conn.) drove in three runs, including a two-run homer in the bottom of the seventh inning to assist the Franklin Pierce baseball team in holding off AIC, 8-6 in their 2023 regular season finale on Sunday afternoon from Pappas Field.

The Ravens enter Northeast-10 Conference Tournament play with a 30-15 (17-7 NE10) record following the win, while the Yellow Jackets drop to 23-23 (13-11 NE10) overall with the loss.

After a scoreless opening frame, Pierce got on the board first with a pair of runs in the second inning, beginning with a perfectly coordinated double steal with runners at the corners by freshman Joey Acker (Upton, Mass.) and senior Jose Savinon (Brooklyn, N.Y.). Acker then claimed third on another steal, and was brought home on a sacrifice fly-out to right field by Jake Miller (Waltham, Mass.) to give the Ravens a 2-0 edge.

Play would continue through a scoreless third inning before the Ravens furthered their lead in the fourth, scoring a single run on a fielder's choice by Acker which once again scored Savinon, unearned. However, in the blink of an eye, the Yellow Jackets pulled themselves back into the action with two runs in the top of the fifth inning, courtesy of a two-run homer to left field by Josh Frometa.

Franklin Pierce would add a run in the bottom portion of the fifth as Joseph Pesce (Lake Mary, Fla.) hit a two-out single and to score Ian Battipaglia, restoring the two-run lead for the hosts. However, over the course of the sixth and seventh innings, the Yellow Jackets would claim the two runs needed to draw even with the Ravens, scoring on an RBI double from Yeudy Ramirez and a Josh Frometa solo homer, his second long ball of the day. Then, for the third time on the afternoon, the Ravens pulled back ahead by two runs behind Battipaglia's big two-run swing, clearing the right field fence to bring the score to 6-4 Pierce.

The two clubs traded two runs apiece in the eighth inning, with AIC once more tying the game on Frometa's third homer of the game, which also scored baserunner Michael Cruz for a 6-6 score. On the Pierce end, junior Hunter Paquette (North Walpole, N.H.) connected for a single into right-center field, and then advanced two extra bags on the throw to score senior Max Gebauer (Guilderland, N.Y.) for the go-ahead run, notching his first collegiate RBI. Following a pitcher swap by AIC, Ian Battipaglia would plate the game-winning run on a sacrifice fly-out to center field, scoring Paquette for the eventual 8-6 triumph.

On the mound, Raven starter Danny Gracia (Wilmington, Mass.) opened with 4.2 innings of work, allowing two runs on four hits with two walks and four strikeouts. Esteban Rivera III (Hamden, Conn.) provided 2.1 innings of relief, allowing two runs on six AIC hits, also striking out four batters in the process. Kyle Salvati (Mount Sinai, N.Y.) also saw relief time on the mound, tossing 0.2 innings with one run allowed and one walk.

Earning the win for the Ravens was graduate Brian Hadden (Newburyport, Mass.), who completed the final inning with one run allowed on two hits, fanning two batters. Hadden improved to 2-1 on the season following the victory.

Round one of the NE10 Championship Tournament will begin this coming Tuesday, May 10^th with Franklin Pierce scheduled to host a matchup at 7:00 p.m. from Pappas Field, with official seedings and matchups yet to be determined.