Ravens complete series sweep of Saint Rose
by Ryan McCombs
On Sunday, April 7th, Franklin Pierce’s four-run seventh inning propelled them past Saint Rose in a tumultuous game filled with emotion.
After defeating Saint Rose 6-0 earlier in the day, Franklin Pierce looked confident and loose going into the latter half of Sunday’s doubleheader. The crowd of 208 was lucky to catch the Ravens on a warm, sunny day. Franklin Pierce’s starting pitcher, Evan Glew, hoped to continue the Raven’s pitching dominance on the day.
The Ravens took an early lead in the bottom of the first when designated hitter, Ural Forbes, drove in Ricky Perry with a two-out double, which drew a loud response from the crowd. The Golden Knights didn’t strike back until the third when two Ravens’ errors put runners on first and third. Designated hitter Kenny Fils-Aime drove in the tying run on a ground rule double that was a few feet away from being a three-run home run. Glew escaped the inning by striking out back-to-back batters, the first of who was Nicolas Teitter, who was called out on strikes and had some colorful language for the home plate umpire as he returned to the dugout. He was given a warning from the umpire, but it was only a sign of things to come.
The game remained quiet until the fifth inning, where the Golden Knights picked up a run off the bat of Patrick LaDouce. The damage would have been worse if not for a terrific run-saving snag by Glew on the mound. Saint Rose added another run in the 6thto make their lead 3-1, which prompted a pitching change for the Ravens. The Ravens only allowed one hit for the rest of the game.
Then came the bottom of the seventh. Dylan Jones opened the scoring by doubling home two runs to tie the game at 3. A few batters later, Brad Roberto’s double gave the Ravens a 4-3 lead. The Golden Knights, wary of his power, intentionally walked Ural Forbes to load the bases.
The inning seemed to end when Jonel Ozuna grounded into a double play, leaving the lead at 4-3. Ravens’ head coach Mike Chambers took exception to that. The Golden Knights’ first baseman had taken his foot off the bag, meaning Ozuna was safe at first and the Ravens had scored another run. The umpires met and changed the call, which sent the Saint Rose bench, and head coach Wayne Jones, into a frenzy. “I’m going to go ballistic!” Jones yelled at the umpire. The scoring stopped there, and after an uneventful last two innings, the Ravens walked away with a 5-3 victory, capping off their sweep of Saint Rose.
The Ravens carried their momentum into Wednesday when they defeated Saint Anselm 9-3.
