Waltham, MA (3/28/25) - The Franklin Pierce baseball team split their two games against the No. 24 ranked Bentley Falcons on Friday, losing game one 11-3 and winning game two 13-7. 

Scores:  

Game 1: Franklin Pierce 3, Bentley 11. 

Game 2: Franklin Pierce 13, Bentley 7. 

Records: Franklin Pierce 11-15 (3-3 NE10), Bentley 17-9 (6-3 NE10) 

Location: DeFelice Field, Waltham, MA 

Date: March 28th, 2025 

Game 1: 

HOW IT HAPPENED 

• The Ravens stole the game's first run in the top of the first. Senior infielder Kiobel Lugo (Boston, MA) stole second base and then advanced to third on an error. Junior infielder Ivan Arias (Boston, MA) then stole home to put the Ravens in front 1-0. 

• The Falcons were quick to respond in the bottom of the first, scoring 3 runs. Stan DeMartinis RBI-singled to left to put the Falcons on the board, then Jared Berardino RBI-singled to right, and then Patrick Purcell walked with the bases loaded, giving the Falcons a 3-1 lead. 

• Bentley would extend on their lead in the fourth. Nick Pappas singled to center, scoring Stan DeMartinis. After that, Patrick Purcell singled to left, scoring Jared Berardino, putting the Falcons up 5-1.  

• In the fifth, the Ravens clawed back as Ivan Arias hit a sacrifice fly to score senior outfielder Elias Meredith (Philadelphia, PA), making it 5-2 Bentley. 

• The Falcons then took command in the seventh. Jared Bernardino started off the inning with an RBI single. Jimmy Mitchell then walked with the bases loaded, scoring Curt Heath. Patrick Purcell then struck an RBI single to right. Jake Maydak then reached on a fielder's choice, scoring Nick Pappas, to give the Falcons a 9-2 lead. 

• The Ravens added their last run in the eighth as junior infielder Colin Hoffman (Longmeadow, MA) grounded out to short, but scored Kiobel Lugo.  

• The Falcons then added two more runs to their total in the bottom of the eighth. Curt Heath grounded out to second, scoring Tommy Bolton, and then David VanderZouwen walked, and Brendan Sencaj scored on a wild pitch, sealing the 11-3 win for Bentley. 

BREAKING DOWN THE NUMBERS 

• The Falcons had a great day at the plate, outhitting the Ravens 14-6. 

• Pat Heber was a major contributor for the Falcons, striking out ten Ravens, allowing only five hits and two runs in 6 and 2/3 innings.  

• Niklas Pavia, the sophomore righty from Bolton, MA, had a rougher time at the rubber, giving up 10 hits, 5 runs, and 4 walks, while recording 6 punchouts. 

Game 2: 

HOW IT HAPPENED 

• The Ravens struck hard to start game two. Redshirt freshman catcher Curt Boyd (Braintree, MA) hit his first collegiate home run to put the Ravens ahead 1-0. 

• Then in the third, senior infielder Anthony Marcano (Boston, MA) crushed a three-run jack, scoring Kiobel Lugo and Ivan Arias, making it 4-0 Franklin Pierce. 

• In the top of the fourth, Ivan Arias hit an RBI double to left, scoring Elias Meredith and junior outfielder Joey Acker (Upton, MA), making it 6-0 Ravens. 

• In the top of the fifth, Elias Meredith hit a two-run inside-the-park home run, scoring Joey Acker. Later in the inning, Kiobel Lugo crushed a two-run bomb scoring Ivan Arias, giving the Ravens a 10-0 lead. 

• Jared Berardino drove in Bentley's first run of game two in the bottom of the fifth, grounding out into a double play, scoring Tommy Bolton. Then, Nick Pappas hit a single down the third base line, scoring Brendan Sencaj, to make it 10-2 Ravens. 

• In the seventh, Anthony Marcano hit his second home run of the afternoon, scoring Ivan Arias and extending the Ravens' lead to 12-2. 

• In the bottom of the seventh, Nick Pappas crushed a 3 RBI double to left, scoring Parker Coleman, Mark Axelson, and Brendan Sencaj. Then Curt Heath hit an RBI single to score Nick Pappas. After that, Tommy Bolton singled to left, scoring Curt Heath, cutting the Ravens' lead to five.  

• However, the Falcons' comeback would stop there as the Ravens would grab one more run off an RBI single by Anthony Marcano that scored Joey Acker, and they would hang on for a 13-7 victory. 

BREAKING DOWN THE NUMBERS 

• The Ravens' bats got hot in game two, as they outhit the Falcons 16-9. 

• Anthony Marcano had a field day in game two, going 4 for 5 with two home runs and 6 RBIs.  

• Junior right-hander Kyle Salvati (Mount Sinai, NY) grabbed the win for the Ravens, allowing 0 hits, 8 walks, and striking out 4 batters in four innings. 

• Connor Gileau was charged with the loss for the Falcons, only pitching two innings, giving up 3 runs and 3 walks while striking out 2 batters. 

UP NEXT FOR THE RAVENSL The Ravens will complete their four-game series against the Falcons on Sunday, March 30th. First pitch for game one will be at 12:00 in Waltham, MA.