Syracuse, N.Y. – The Le Moyne College baseball team completed a four-game series sweep of No. 12 Franklin Pierce University with two more victories over the Ravens on Monday afternoon at Dick Rockwell Field.

Five different Le Moyne players launched a home run during game one as the Dolphins earned a 13-3 victory, then Le Moyne won in walk-off fashion during the second half of the doubleheader after the Ravens tied the game in the top of the seventh.

Sophomore catcher Benji Ries (Buffalo, Grove, Ill./Adlai E. Stevenson) provided the walk-off hit in the bottom of the seventh during game two, hammering a double down the left field line which drove in freshman infielder Lukas Egenhauser (Suffern, N.Y./Suffern) from second base.

Graduate center fielder/second baseman Drew Carroll (Clifton Park, N.Y./Christian Brothers Academy (Albany)), fifth-year shortstop Nick Nevins (Poughkeepsie, N.Y./Roy C. Ketcham), senior DH/center fielder Zach Brush (New York Mills, N.Y./Utica Notre Dame), junior catcher Brady Fureno (Canajoharie, N.Y./Fort Plain), and sophomore right fielder Wyatt Patchett (Geneva, N.Y./Geneva) each recorded a home run during game one, while senior right-hander Sam DiGeorge (Canastota, N.Y./Canastota) earned the win by throwing the final 3.0 innings in relief of graduate righty Jacob Maser (Chittenango, N.Y./Christian Brothers Academy (Syracuse)) who held the Ravens to four hits and two runs during the first four frames.

Le Moyne scored 10 runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to take the lead, and DiGeorge allowed just three hits and one run in the final three innings to improve his record to 2-0 this season.

Freshman right-hander AJ Petraitis (Kings Park, N.Y./Kings Park) started game two on the mound for the 'Phins and completed 4.0 innings of work, then sophomore left-hander Jacob Crystal (Cicero, N.Y./Cicero-North Syracuse) recorded five strikeouts in 2.2 innings in relief. Senior right-hander Jed Boyle (Syracuse, N.Y./Corcoran) got the final out for Le Moyne in the top of the seventh and was credited with the win after the Dolphins walked it off in the bottom of the inning.

Le Moyne scored five of their runs in the bottom of the third with the help of an RBI double from graduate first baseman Dewey Roden (Sherrill, N.Y./Vernon-Verona-Sherrill/UMass Lowell), a two-RBI single from freshman left fielder Adam Sullivan (Syracuse, N.Y./Marcellus) and a sacrifice fly from Egenhauser.

Egenhauser reached base with a walk in the bottom of the seventh, then stole second base. Ries then ripped a 2-0 pitch down the left field line to end the game and give Le Moyne their sixth consecutive victory.

"This was a great weekend," said Le Moyne head coach Scott Cassidy '98 following the series. "So many guys contributed on offense, defense, and on the mound. That was a good team we beat this weekend. Our guys grinded out at bats all series and it was capped off with a great moment for Benji driving in the winning run in walk-off fashion," Cassidy added.

The Dolphins improved their record to 15-11 following the series sweep, although the games were scheduled outside of the conference slate and don't count towards either team's NE10 record.
 
Game One:
In the bottom of the first inning, Le Moyne's leadoff hitter and center fielder Drew Carroll jumped on a 1-0 fastball and hammered his first home run of the season to give the Dolphins an early 1-0 lead.

The Ravens got the run back in the top of the second, but Le Moyne regained the lead in the bottom of the frame after Egenhauser singled to shallow left-center field to drive in Patchett from second base.

Maser gave up a two-out walk with nobody on to the FPU cleanup hitter Jose Savinon in the top of the third, but Fureno caught Savinon trying to steal second during the next at bat to end the inning.

Franklin Pierce senior left fielder Jake Miller hit a solo home run in the top of the fourth to tie the game at 2-2, then the Ravens put runners on second and third with zero outs in the top of the fifth against DiGeorge. With the Le Moyne infield in, DiGeorge got a ground ball to the right side for the first out, then an error on a ground ball allowed Franklin Pierce to score a run and take a 3-2 lead. During the next at bat, a ground ball was hit to the left of Keneston at third base. Keneston fielded it, threw to second for the first out, then Egenhauser turned and fired to first for a 5-4-3 double play to end the inning.

Carroll led off the bottom of the fifth for Le Moyne with a walk, then advanced to second base on a balk during Nick Nevins' at bat. Nevins swung at a low pitch and sent a high fly ball towards the right field foul pole. The ball stayed fair and sailed over the wall to give Le Moyne a 4-3 lead on Nevins' fourth home run of the season.

Keneston drew a one-out walk with nobody on, then Brush smoked a line drive that hit the top of the fence in left center and bounced over to give Le Moyne their second two-run home run of the inning.

Patchett followed that up by battling to a 3-2 count before taking a pitch the other way and depositing a line drive into the right-center field gap for a double.

Sullivan drew a walk, then with two outs in the inning Fureno smashed a home run over the left field fence to extend Le Moyne's lead to 9-3.

Le Moyne's incredible inning continued as Carroll, batting for the second time in the fifth, hit a low 1-2 breaking ball hard through the left side of the infield for a base hit.

Nevins drew a five-pitch walk to move Carroll into scoring position, then Roden swung at the first pitch he saw and hammered a high fly ball that hit the wall in right-center field. Carroll and Nevins both scored on the play to make it 11-3 in favor of the Dolphins.

Keneston stepped to the plate next and ripped an 0-2 breaking ball into the left-center field gap to drive in Roden and give the Dolphins their sixth extra-base hit of the fifth inning.

DiGeorge recorded a 1-2-3 inning in the top of the sixth with the help of an outstanding defensive play from Carroll in center field. Junior third baseman Julien Monks led off the sixth for FPU and hit a 1-2 pitch to deep left-center field. Carroll ranged to his right, approached the wall and rose high in the air to catch the ball and rob Monks of a home run.

Patchett drove a solo home run over the right field wall to lead off the bottom of the sixth, giving the Dolphins a 13-3 lead.

Franklin Pierce loaded the bases with one out in the top of the seventh, but Keneston caught a line drive at third then stepped on the bag to record a double play and end the game.
 
Game Two:
The Ravens struck first in the top of the first following a leadoff double from senior center fielder Joel Lara, a wild pitch, and a ground ball to the right side from Joseph Pesce.

Petraitis recorded a 1-2-3 inning in the top of the second, then Le Moyne loaded the bases with two outs in bottom of the frame, but FPU starting pitcher Danny Garcia recorded a strikeout to end the inning and maintain his team's 1-0 advantage.

The Ravens doubled their lead in the top of the third, then Le Moyne took their first lead in the bottom of the inning.

Nevins led off the bottom of the third with a double down the right field line, then Roden smashed a double over the center fielder's head to drive in Nevins and trim the Dolphins' deficit to 2-1.

Keneston drew a walk, and Patchett was hit by a pitch with one out in the inning, loading the bases for Le Moyne.

After a pitching change, Sullivan ripped a single through the right side of the infield, and the ball rolled through the legs of the FPU outfielder. All three baserunners scored on the play, and Sullivan advanced all the way to third. Egenhauser lifted a fly ball to left field during the next at bat, allowing Sullivan to tag up and score, extending the Le Moyne lead to 5-2.

Franklin Pierce got a run back in the top of the fourth, but Petraitis got a fly ball and a ground out to end the inning.

The Dolphins loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom of the fourth, but FPU relief pitcher Brian Hadden got a fly ball to end the inning.

Crystal took the mound to begin the fifth and retired the first six batters he faced, including two strikeouts during the top of the sixth.

Franklin Pierce junior Hunter Wilichoski delivered a pinch-hit two-run home run to tie the game in the top of the seventh inning. Crystal struck out the next two batters, then walked Pesce. Boyle entered the game and struck out FPU's three-hitter to end the inning and prevent further damage.

With one out in the bottom of the seventh, Egenhauser worked a 3-1 count then took an inside fastball for ball four. Egenhauser took off for second base on the first pitch of Ries' at bat, and slid in safely to give Le Moyne a runner in scoring position.

Ries jumped on a fastball just below the waist on the inside part of the plate and ripped it down the left field line to drive in Egenhauser and complete the series sweep in dramatic fashion.

The Le Moyne College baseball team will begin NE10 competition on Friday, April 7 when they welcome Southern Connecticut State for a four-game weekend series at Dick Rockwell Field.