Recap by student-staff writer Colin Struckman

YAPHANK, N.Y.  (3/1/25) – The Franklin Pierce Ravens baseball team earned a split against the Queens College Knights on Saturday afternoon. They started with a well-rounded 8-3 victory in Game 1, but fell short in Game 2 as the Knights walked it off 13-12 in the bottom of the 7th.

Score: Game 1: Franklin Pierce 8, Queens 3 Game 2: Queens 13, Franklin Pierce 12

Records: Franklin Pierce (6-6, 0-0 NE-10), Queens (4-5, 0-0 CACC)

Location: Yaphank, N.Y.

Date: Saturday, March 1, 2025

Game 1:

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• The Knights struck first in the bottom of the 1st inning with an RBI single to center field to take the 1-0 lead.
• The Ravens countered in the top of the 2nd inning to take the lead. Junior left fielder Joey Acker (Upton, Mass.) scored on a wild pitch to tie the score 1-1. Then, freshman shortstop Jacob Roque (Wilmington, Mass.) smacked a single through the right side of the infield to score senior designated hitter Elias Meredith (Philadelphia, Pa.) to give them the 2-1 lead. The Ravens tacked on another run in the top of the 2nd as senior second baseman Kiobel Lugo (Boston, Mass.) reached on an error by the third baseman to score freshman short stop Jacob Roque and put the Ravens up 3-1.
• The lead didn't last long however as the Knights responded with 2 runs in the bottom of the 2nd inning. An RBI single to center field scored 2 runs to tie the game up at 3.
• The Ravens cracked the game open in the top of the 4th inning. It started with Kiobel Lugo smoking an RBI double to left field to score redshirt sophomore Brycen Tetler (Plymouth, Mass.) and give the Ravens the 4-3 lead. It continued with redshirt junior Shane Hewlette (Deer Park, N.Y.) poking a single through the left side to score sophomore center fielder Jayden Villanueva (Lowell, Mass.) and putting the Ravens up 5-3. The Ravens broke it open later in the inning as junior first baseman Nolan DeAndrade launched a three-run homer to score Shane Hewlette and Kiobel Lugo and give the Ravens the commanding 8-3 lead.
• The Ravens held onto the lead for the remaining 3 innings to secure the win in the first game of the twin bill.

BREAKING DOWN THE NUMBERS:

• The Ravens outhit the Knights 7-6.
• Both teams committed an error.
• Junior pitcher Drew DeLucia (Medway, Mass.) earned the win on the mound for the Ravens. He pitched a solid 6 innings, allowing 5 hits and 3 earned runs, walking 2 batters, and striking out 8.

Game 2:

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• The Ravens hot offense carried over into Game 2. It started in the top of the 2nd inning as Joey Acker launched an RBI double into left field to score senior third baseman Anthony Marcano (Boston, Mass.) and take the 1-0 lead. Then, Elias Meredith ripped a single into left field to score Joey Acker and put the Ravens up 2-0. The Ravens continued to attack as Jayden Villanueva laid down a beautiful sacrifice bunt to score Elias Meredith and give them the 3-0 lead. The bleeding continued for the Knights as Kiobel Lugo clobbered a 3-run homer, scoring Jayden Villanueva and Brycen Tetler to give the Ravens the dominant 6-0 lead. The Ravens capped off the inning with another run as Anthony Marcano grounded out to the shortstop to score Shane Hewlette and give them the 7-0 lead.
• The Knights wouldn't quit easily as they responded for 4 runs in the bottom of the 2nd. They smacked two 2-run homers to cut the deficit to 7-4.
• The Knights continued to make the game interesting in the bottom of the 5th inning. 2 RBI singles made it a 7-6 Ravens lead.
• The Ravens responded in the top of the 6th. Nolan DeAndrade added his 2nd homer of the day as he drilled a solo homer to center field to put the Ravens up 8-6.
• The Knights continued to be a thorn in the Ravens side as they tied the score at 8 with a 2-RBI double down the right field line.
• The Ravens regained their lead in the top of the 7th inning. Joey Acker walked with the bases loaded score Kiobel Lugo to put them up 9-8. Then, redshirt freshman catcher Curt Boyd (Braintree, Mass.) also walked with the bases loaded to score Shane Hewlette and give them the 10-8 lead. They tacked onto their lead later in the inning as Brycen Tetler rifled a single up the middle to score both Joey Acker and Nolan DeAndrade and give them the 12-8 lead.
• Despite the Ravens impressive showing offensively, they couldn't manage to contain the Knights. They struck for 5 runs in the bottom of the 7th inning to walk it off with the 13-12 victory in a back-and-forth affair to close out the twin bill.

BREAKING DOWN THE NUMBERS:

• The Knights outhit the Ravens 15-11.
• Neither team committed an error.
• Freshman pitcher Damien Carter (Milford, Mass.) suffered the loss for the Ravens. He pitched a third of an inning, giving up 3 hits and one earned run, and walking a batter.

NEXT UP FOR THE RAVENS: The Ravens have another road trip next weekend as they take on the Jefferson Rams in non-conference play. The series starts with a double-header on Saturday (3/8) at 12 p.m. and 3 p.m.