Kemp scores twice, Hathaway fans three over two innings

RINDGE, N.H. (April 21, 2013) – Junior right-hander Trevor Graham (Sebastian, Fla.) allowed just one hit while striking out seven over seven innings, while junior first baseman Zach Mathieu (Derry, N.H.) went 4-for-4 with a double, scored once and drove in two runs on Sunday afternoon, as the No. 29 nationally ranked Franklin Pierce University baseball team finished off a three-game weekend sweep of Stonehill with a 4-3 victory in Northeast-10 Conference Northeast Division play at Dr. Arthur and Martha Pappas Field. Senior center fielder James DeAlto drove in two runs in the losing effort for Stonehill.

With the win, Franklin Pierce improves to 27-12 (17-3 Northeast-10, 10-3 Northeast Division), while Stonehill falls to 20-17 (8-11 Northeast-10, 6-7 Northeast Division). The Ravens improved to 16-1 at the friendly confines of Pappas Field and are now one-and-a-half games clear of the competition -- including one in the loss column -- at the top of the Northeast Division standings. The 27 overall wins are the most in the Northeast-10, as well as the second-most in the East Region, behind only Wilmington (Del.) (30-12). The first NCAA East Region Rankings of the season are expected to be issued by the selection committee in the coming week.

The Ravens opened the scoring right off the bat on Sunday, plating two runs in the bottom of the first inning. With one out, senior shortstop Dan Kemp (Sturbridge, Mass.) found himself in a quick 0-2 hole, but then worked a seven-pitch walk. Behind him, Mathieu went into an 0-2 hole as well, but then lined a single to right field to move Kemp to second. Kemp slowed pulling into second, but broke for third when the ball was bobbled by Stonehill junior right fielder Billy Karalis, who then rushed a throw to third after he collected the ball. The throw was in the dirt and skipped by the third baseman, allowing the first run of the game to score and Mathieu to move up to second. Mathieu then stole third and scored on an RBI infield single by senior right fielder Nick LaCroix (Grafton, Mass.) that went over the mound and bounced off the shortstop's glove behind the bag at second.

Stonehill picked up two runs in the top of the third inning to tie the game at 2-2. With one out, sophomore catcher Matt Anziano worked a seven-pitch walk and took second on a wild pitch in front of freshman left fielder Chris Callahan, who worked a six-pitch walk. After a passed ball moved the runners to second and third, freshman second baseman Chris Hoyt was jammed on a 2-0 pitch, but fought it off into shallow right field for an RBI single, which also moved Callahan to third. Callahan would score from there when senior center fielder James DeAlto followed with an RBI groundout.

Franklin Pierce reclaimed the lead at 3-2 with a run in the bottom of the fifth. With one out, Kemp took a four-pitch walk and came all the way around to score from first when Mathieu laced an 0-2 double into the gap in left-center field for his third hit of the afternoon.

Meanwhile, Graham set about making quick work of the Stonehill lineup for most of the afternoon. His only trouble spot was in the aforementioned top of the third, when he walked two before giving up a single and wound up surrendering two runs, though only one was earned. In all, Graham faced only 25 batters over seven innings of one-hit ball, walked two, threw a wild pitch and struck out seven. Outside of the third inning, he retired 18 of the 19 batters he faced, including setting down the side in order in the first, second, fourth, sixth and seventh innings. The only baserunner on his record outside of the third inning was the lead-off man in the top of the fifth, who reached on an error by Mathieu at first. Of the 14 outs Graham recorded on balls put in play, 12 of them came on ground balls, and he used 93 pitches to complete his seven innings and pick up the win (6-1).

After Graham retired his ninth straight batter to finish off the top of the seventh, the Ravens added what would prove to be an important insurance run in the home half of the inning. The inning started at the top of the order with junior left fielder Calvin Graves (Boston, Mass.), who lined a single back through the middle of the infield and then stole second. He moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by Kemp and scored on an RBI single back through the middle by Mathieu.

Now working against sophomore left-hander Steve Hathaway (Acton, Mass.) in the bottom of the eighth, Stonehill plated a run to create the 4-3 final. With one out, sophomore pinch hitter Christian Baglini walked and then moved to second on a groundout. The next batter was DeAlto, who hit a sinking line drive into left field which Graves thought he had a play on, though his diving attempt would come up short, allowing DeAlto to reach with an RBI double as Baglini came into score.

With the tying run at second and two away, Hathaway squared off with Stonehill's number-three hitter, freshman designated hitter Brian Campbell. After getting ahead in the count 1-2, Hathaway had Campbell diving out of the way on a curveball which started at the latter's shoulder, but dropped over the inside corner for a called strike three to end the inning. Hathaway set down the side in order in the ninth to finish off his first career save.

Stonehill sent sophomore right-hander Neal Horan to the mound to face Graham on Sunday afternoon. Over seven innings, he allowed four runs (three earned) on nine hits, walked six (two intentionally), threw two wild pitches and struck out three while taking the loss (2-1). The six walks proved costly, as two of Franklin Pierce's four runs on the afternoon were scored by batters who reached base via a walk.

The Ravens return to the field on Wednesday, April 24, when they travel to Southern New Hampshire for a Northeast-10 Conference Northeast Division contest. First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Penmen Field in Manchester, N.H.

For more information on Franklin Pierce Athletics, please visit the official website of Franklin Pierce Athletics (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu). Also be sure to follow the Ravens through the Department of Athletics' official Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/FranklinPierceRavens), its YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/franklinpiercesports) and its Twitter feed (http://twitter.com/FPUathletics). Fans wishing to purchase Franklin Pierce baseball apparel can do so at the Department of Athletics' online store (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu/store).