NCAA East Regional Championship Central (Adelphi)
NCAA East Regional Championship Central (Southern New Hampshire)

GARDEN CITY, N.Y. (May 16, 2019) – With a nail-biting win in its back pocket from Thursday afternoon, the Franklin Pierce University baseball team will look to come out of the winner's bracket on Friday, on the second day of the NCAA Championship East Regional, hosted by Adelphi University. The eighth-seeded Ravens will square off with fifth-seeded NYIT, with a spot in Saturday's final round on the line. First pitch is set for 9 a.m. at William J. Bonomo Field in Garden City, N.Y.

Franklin Pierce (29-22) has been among the best the East Region has to offer over the last decade-and-a-half. The Ravens did not make their first NCAA Championship appearance until 2003, but have now qualified for 15 national tournaments over a span of 17 years. With their seven regional titles (2016, 2013, 2010, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2003), the Ravens have captured just shy of half of the regional crowns since they made their NCAA Championship debut. The Ravens were national semifinalists in 2003, 2006 and 2010. Franklin Pierce holds a 44-33 (.571 winning percentage) all-time record in NCAA Championship play.

Meanwhile, the NYIT (33-14) baseball program returned to the Division II level last year, after 37 years of competing at the Division I level. As a result, the Bears are making first trip to the national tournament at the Division II level since 1980, and their third appearance all-time, as they also qualified for the 1978 tournament. NYIT also added an appearance in the Division I NCAA Championship in 1983, so the Bears are making their fourth overall NCAA appearance, and their first in 36 years. All-time, including their win Thursday, the Bears are 3-6 (.333) in NCAA Championship play, including 3-4 (.429) at the Division II level. 

NCAA Baseball Championship East Regional
Hosted by Adelphi University
William J. Bonomo Field – Garden City, N.Y.
(Seeds in parentheses)

Thursday, May 16
Game 1: (8) Franklin Pierce def. (1) Adelphi, 4-3
Game 2: (5) NYIT def. (4) Wilmington (Del.), 10-7 (10 innings) 

Friday, May 17
Game 3: Franklin Pierce vs. NYIT – 9 a.m.
Game 4: Adelphi vs. Wilmington – Noon (loser eliminated)
Game 5: Game 3 Loser vs. Game 4 Winner – 3 p.m. (loser eliminated) 

Saturday, May 18
Game 6: Game 3 Winner vs. Game 5 Winner – Noon
*Game 7: Game 6 rematch
* Game 11 only necessary if Game 5 Winner wins Game 6.

Scouting the Ravens

Franklin Pierce is into Friday's winner's bracket game after hanging on for dear life to finish out a 4-3 win over top seed and host Adelphi on Thursday afternoon at Bonomo Field. The Ravens led 4-1 heading into the ninth, but Adelphi pulled within a run and had the tying run at third base, before senior left-hander Evan Glew (North Andover, Mass.) got sophomore catcher Jack Ryan to fly out deep down the right-field line. The tying run stranded at third was one of 14 men left on base by Adelphi in the game. Junior first baseman Jonel Ozuna (New York, N.Y.) provided a two-run double in the top of the second to get things started for Franklin Pierce.

All-NE10 First Team, D2CCA All-East Region Second Team selection and senior left fielder Brad Roberto (San Diego, Calif.) has been the clear leader at the plate for Franklin Pierce all season. In his final go-around at the collegiate level, the Golden State native has put together a .346/.475/.505 slash line over 188 at-bats (65-for-188), which have largely been split between the leadoff spot and the three-hole. Roberto has tallied 10 doubles, four triples and four home runs, scored 45 times and driven in 33 runs. He has drawn 47 walks against just 24 strikeouts. The Ravens have also gotten a .311/.389/.451 slash line over 193 at-bats (60-for-193) out of Ozuna, who has contributed 17 doubles, two triples and a pair of home runs while scoring 26 runs and driving in 43.

Scouting the Bears

On the other side of the ledger, NYIT opened with a dramatic win of its own on Thursday, as the Bears upended fourth-seeded Wilmington (Del.). NYIT erased a 3-0, first-inning deficit and built up a 6-3 lead through four innings. The Bears led 7-3 entering the last of the ninth, only to see Wilmington rally to tie with a four-spot, thanks in large part to a pair of NYIT errors. The Bears were not to be deterred though, as junior center fielder John LaRocca stroked an RBI single and freshman right fielder EJ Cumbo clubbed a two-run double in back-to-back, two-out at-bats in the top of the 10^th, as NYIT claimed a 10-7 win in extras.

NYIT is led at the plate by Cumbo, who was the East Coast Conference Player of the Year and a D2CCA All-East Region First Team selection. He boasts a slash line which belongs in a video game, at .448/.515/.676 over 145 at-bats (65-for-145), with 11 doubles, two triples and six home runs. Cumbo has scored 35 times, driven in 40, and stolen a team-high 20 bases in 23 attempts. LaRocca is an All-East Region Second Team selection and has added .374/.462/.561 over 171 at-bats (64-for-171), with 12 doubles, four triples and four home runs. He has scored a team-best 51 runs, driven in 38, and added 14 stolen bases in 17 attempts.

On the Mound

The Ravens are expected to give the ball to senior right-hander and All-NE10 Third Team pick Zach Hart (Wallingford, Conn.), who will be making his third career postseason start and seventh all-time postseason appearance. It will be his second career NCAA Championship start, as he fired seven innings of four-hit ball with eight strikeouts in an elimination game against Le Moyne at the East Regional a year ago. All-time, in his seven career postseason appearances, Hart has logged 17.2 innings, allowed five runs on 15 hits, walked four and struck out 16 on the way to a 2-0 record with three saves.

On the season, Hart has made 13 appearances, including nine starts, and logged 61.1 innings. He has allowed 15 runs (14 earned) on 54 hits, walked 16 and struck out 60 (8.80 per nine innings) to put together a 2.05 ERA and a 5-0 record with three saves.

Friday will mark Hart's first career appearance against NYIT.

The most likely counter for NYIT is junior left-hander Joseph Murphy, who would be making his second career postseason start. He took the ball in an elimination game against Bridgeport in the ECC Championship last Friday. Murphy logged the first four-plus innings, allowed three runs on six hits, walked two, hit a batter and struck out four while taking the loss.

An All-ECC Second Team selection, Murphy has made 12 appearances, including eight starts, on the season, totaling 56.0 innings. He has surrendered 20 runs (15 earned) on 40 hits, walked 30 and struck out 58 (9.32 per nine innings) on the way to a 2.41 ERA and an 8-3 record.

Murphy made a relief appearance in a 7-0 loss to Franklin Pierce on March 9, 2018, in Cary, N.C. He retired all four batters he faced, including one strikeout.

Earlier this Season

Franklin Pierce and NYIT met in Myrtle Beach, S.C., on February 23. Junior right-hander Moises Robles and freshman left-hander Dean Fazah combined to no-hit Franklin Pierce in a 7-2 NYIT victory, though the Bears did issue eight walks, commit three errors, balk twice, throw two wild pitches and hit a batter along the way.

The Ravens and Bears have met just twice all-time, as NYIT only returned to the Division II level in 2018, and the teams have met once a year since. In 2018, John Amendola fired six scoreless innings with eight strikeouts, as the Ravens hammered out 11 hits on the way to a 7-0 win in Cary, N.C.

Previously in the NCAA Championship

Franklin Pierce and NYIT have never met in the NCAA Championship. The 2019 East Regional marks the first time the two teams have been in the tournament field in the same season, as NYIT's other three NCAA appearances came before Franklin Pierce elevated its athletic programs to the NCAA level.

Headed to the Game?

If you plan on making the trip to Long Island on Friday, directions to Adelphi University and maps of the Garden City campus can be found here: https://visit.adelphi.edu/travel-info/

Ticket prices are set as follows: 

Adults - $8
Children/Seniors - $5
Students (with valid ID) - $3

Per NCAA policy, no complimentary admissions will be issued.

How to Follow Along

If you prefer to follow the action from home, from work or from elsewhere, live stats and video will be available. 

Live stats: https://aupanthers.com/sidearmstats/baseball/summary
Video: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/adelphi/

Up Next

The winner of Friday's contest will advance to the final round of this weekend's four-team tournament and will play next at noon on Saturday. The victors will have two chances to win one game on Saturday, to advance on to next week's East Super Regional.

The loser of Friday's game will turn around and face elimination at 3 p.m. Friday. They will face the winner of Friday's noon elimination game, which features Adelphi and Wilmington.

At the other East Regional site on Thursday, host and second seed Southern New Hampshire defeated seventh-seeded Assumption, 4-3, while third seed LIU Post held a 6-2 lead over sixth-seeded Felician in the seventh inning at press time.

For more information on Franklin Pierce Athletics, please visit the official website of Franklin Pierce Athletics (https://www.fpuravens.com). 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 (https://www.fpuravens.com/store).