Box Score MANCHESTER, N.H. – Marty Dunlap's RBI single in the top of the 13th inning proved to be the difference as sixth-seeded Franklin Pierce University staved off elimination with a 3-2 win over Southern New Hampshire University in the NCAA Division II Baseball Championship East Regional Saturday night at Penmen Field. The Ravens improve to 35-17, while the Penmen, who had entered Saturday night's game as the lone unbeaten in the field, are now 35-18.
SNHU will now square off with Wilmington (Del.) University in a noon elimination game Sunday, with the winner facing Franklin Pierce approximately 45 minutes after the conclusion of the first contest for the East Region title and a Division II College World Series berth.
In the top of the 13th, Zach Mathieu worked a leadoff walk off Penmen reliever Tyler Gauthier (Lynn, Mass.). Mathieu moved to second on a Nick LaCroix sac bunt and to third on a Ross Lincoln groundout before scoring on Dunlap's single deep in the hole at short that Matt Boulter (Wrentham, Mass.) got a glove on, but the ball skipped into the outfield. John Razzino then singled before Matt O'Herron struck out to end the threat.
Brendan O'Brien (East Bridgewater, Mass.) got into scoring position to lead off the bottom of the 13th as he reached on a throwing error by O'Herron on a grounder and moved to second. After Boulter flied out and Andrew Pezzuto (Hastings-on-Hudson, N.Y.) struck out, Doug Willey was lifted on the mound for Northeast-10 Pitcher of the Year Trevor Graham, who went the distance in a Thursday win over Wilmington. After walking Jamie Wollerman (Hasbrouck Heights, N.J.), Graham got Andy Lalli (Lakeville, Mass.) to ground out to end the four-hour, 17-minute affair.
Both teams scored single runs in the 11th. In the top of the frame Mathieu worked a one-out walk then moved to third on a double by LaCroix that smashed off SNHU third baseman Riley Palmer (Goffstown, N.H.). After a walk, Dunlap lifted a sac fly to right that plated Mathieu.
In the bottom of the inning, SNHU loaded the bases with one out as Bryan Toland (Wildwood, N.J.) singled and moved to second on an error. Zach Goldstein (Merrick, N.Y.) was hit by a pitch, and O'Brien and Boulter walked back-to-back to tie the game. Willey escaped as he got Pezzuto to pop up, while a Wollerman ball to right was scooped up by a sliding LaCroix to keep Franklin Pierce's season alive.
The lone Raven run in the first nine innings was an unearned tally in the fourth. Mathieu reached on a throwing error on a ground ball to second by Goldstein and was in scoring position to lead off. LaCroix moved him over to third on a bunt, and Matt Walsh singled to right to bring in Mathieu.
The Penmen got on the board in the bottom of the eighth as Al Stanton (Sandwich, Mass.) led off with a single that just dropped in. He would be lifted for pinch runner Kyle McGinnity (Northborough, Mass.). Lalli singled to give the hosts two on with no out, but after an out, the pair moved into scoring position on a balk by Raven starter Vladimir Camacho. McGinnity scored on a sac fly to center by Palmer, but Camacho escaped further damage by getting Toland to pop up.
Southern New Hampshire stranded 18 runners on the evening, leaving the bases loaded in the second and 11th and getting a runner to third base in each of the first five innings without cashing in. Franklin Pierce would leave 11 men on base, with five of those coming in extra frames.
Willey earned his first win of the season by tossing 3.2 innings in relief, allowing two hits and one run while fanning four. Camacho went the first eight innings and worked around five hits and four walks to allow just the one run. Joe Flynn also worked a scoreless ninth.
Penmen starter Derrick Sylvester (Franklin, N.H.) went the first nine innings, allowing six hits and the one unearned run while notching a trio of strikeouts. Joe McCarthy (Nashua, N.H.) allowed two hits and one run in his three innings of relief, while Gauthier took the loss for SNHU.
Calvin Graves led Franklin Pierce with three hits while LaCroix and Dunlap each had a pair as the Ravens outhit the Penmen 10-7. Lalli and Jon Minucci (Madison, Conn.) each had a pair of hits for Southern New Hampshire.
