SYRACUSE N.Y. (5/12/23) – On Friday afternoon, the Northeast No. 2 seeded Franklin Pierce University remained in the fight and avoided elimination from the Northeast-10's Championship Weekend by defeating No. 4 Bentley University, 8-3 and Southwest No. 1 Le Moyne College, 12-7 at Dick Rockwell Field in Syracuse, New York.

The Ravens advance to the final day of the Championship Weekend, and improve to 32-16 (17-7 NE10) with the win, while the Falcons conclude their 2023 run with a 23-22 (11-13 NE10) overall record.

GAME #1: V. NE – No. 4 Bentley University

Both teams traded runs in the first inning, with Bentley striking first in the top half. The Ravens would score off a sequence directly behind a walk to graduate Brian Hadden (Newburyport, Mas.), which then led to a stolen base off the advance to second by senior Joel Lara (Boston, Mass.). Then, on the off-target  throw to third on the pickoff attempt, Lara scored with Hadden moving up to second to bring the score to 1-1.

The score would become 4-1 Ravens in the bottom of the second inning, as senior shortstop Ian Battipaglia (Cheshire, Conn.) went to work with the bases loaded with an RBI base hit to left field. After the play, Bentley opted for a pitching swap, but then saw a two more runs slide across home on a Joel Lara single down the left field line. The score would remain the same through a scoreless third inning.

Bentley returned to the scoresheet in the fourth inning on a scoring infield single by senior Eddy Beauregard with a runner at third and one out. Their bid to erase the deficit would be short lived, however, as Pierce tacked on another run in the bottom of the fifth with the help of two Bentley errors, expanding their lead to 5-2.

Bentley would keep the game of leapfrog going in the top of the sixth with a single run scored, but would fail to inch any closer from that point onward.

The Ravens completed the offensive effort in the bottom of the eighth, tacking on three more runs to claim the win by the 8-3 score. The first run would score off a Bentley passed ball with the bases loaded, with the second following directly after with an RBI single up the middle by freshman Joey Acker (Upton, Mass.). Finally, senior catcher Max Gebauer grounded into a double play, but would plate the game winning run in the process with fellow senior Joseph Pesce (Lake Mary, Fla.) making his way home from third.

It was senior right hander Hunter Reynolds (Marlborough, Mass.) making the start for the Ravens on Friday, as he worked through five full innings with two runs allowed on four hits and two walks, striking out seven. Esteban Rivera III (Hamden, Conn.) relieved one inning with one Bentley homer surrendered. Sophomore Stephen Bangs (Stoughton, Mass.) earned the save through the final three innings, allowing one hit with three strikeouts.

GAME #2: v. SW – No. 1 Le Moyne College

The Ravens built a four run lead off four hits in the first inning, which started with a two-RBI double to left-center field by graduate Brian Hadden with the bases loaded. To follow, Pierce would then score runs on a Joseph Pesce ground-out to short and a Joey Acker single into right field.

However, the Dolphins almost immediately eliminated the Raven lead with six runs in the bottom half of the first, which included back to back homers from graduates Nick Nevens and Dewey Roden. Both teams would then play through scoreless second and third innings, combining for just five hits with six runners left on base.

The runs continued to appear in bunches as the Ravens raced into the lead with a seven-run top of the fourth. After a pair of walks to lead off the inning, senior Ian Battipaglia pulled the Ravens to within one with an RBI base hit up the middle. Then, fellow senior Jose Savinon (Brooklyn, N.Y.) flipped the score in Pierce's favor with a shot down the left field line, plating two runs for a new 6-5 score. More seniors would step up in the inning as Jake Miller (Waltham, Mass.), Joseph Pesce and Max Gebauer (Guilderland, N.Y.) would each score RBI to help the Ravens along to an 11-6 advantage at the midway point.

It was a short lived start for Pierce senior Chaz Powell (Stamford, Conn.) who allowed six runs (four earned) on four Dolphin hits in the first inning. Senior Danny Gracia (Wilmington, Mass.) earned the victory for the Ravens after yielded just one run on seven hits over nine innings of relief.

Pierce baseball will now play Southwest No. 3 Pace University for the Northeast-10 Conference Baseball Championship on Saturday, with first pitch is scheduled for 11 AM at Dick Rockwell Field. Pace, who has not lost yet in the tournament, needs just one win to secure their first ever conference title, while the Ravens would need two wins against the Setters to claim their 7^th title in program history.