The No. 1/3 nationally ranked Franklin Pierce University baseball team has been named as the top seed and host of the NCAA Championship East Regional, as announced Sunday night by the NCAA. The Ravens, the Northeast-10 Northeast Division champion, earned an at-large bid in the seven-team, double-elimination tournament, which will run Thursday, May 19 through Monday, May 23 at Dr. Arthur and Martha Pappas Field in Rindge. Franklin Pierce will open pursuit of its seventh regional crown on Friday against either fourth-seeded Felician or fifth-seeded Bridgeport.
It is the second straight season as host for Franklin Pierce, who will host the tournament for the eighth time in the 12 seasons since Pappas Field opened to start the 2005 campaign, as the institution also hosted regional play in 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011 and 2015. The Ravens are a six-time NCAA Regional champion (2013, 2010, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2003), including four regional titles the team won on its home field. For Franklin Pierce, it is the 13th NCAA Championship berth in program history and marks the 12th straight trip to the national tournament.
Each of the other six teams will play its first game on Thursday, with games slated for 11 a.m., 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. Fourth-seeded Felician (33-19) and fifth-seeded Bridgeport (27-22-1) will open the tournament at 11 a.m. on Thursday, with the winner drawing Franklin Pierce (45-6), which receives a Thursday bye. The Golden Falcons and Purple Knights will be followed by second-seeded Southern New Hampshire (45-5) against seventh-seeded Dowling (27-23) at 3 p.m. on Thursday, and third-seeded St. Thomas Aquinas (35-15) against sixth-seeded Molloy (31-21) will be the opening day’s nightcap, at 7 p.m.
From there, three games will be played Friday and Saturday, with one team being eliminated Friday and two on Saturday. Both games on Sunday will be elimination contests as well, which will set the stage for Championship Monday, which will feature either one two games, pending the outcome of the first contest. Game times for Thursday, Friday and Saturday will be 11 a.m., 3 p.m. and 7 p.m., while game times are set for noon and 3:30 p.m. on Sunday and Monday.
Three pitchers combined to allow four runs on just one hit in the top of the eighth inning Thursday night, as the FPU bullpen failed to hold a 3-2 lead in an elimination game on the first day of the Northeast-10 Conference Championship at Dr. Arthur and Martha Pappas Field. After falling behind 6-3, the Ravens loaded the bases with nobody out in the eighth, but managed just one run and went on to drop a 6-4 decision to Saint Rose.
With the loss, Franklin Pierce – the Northeast Division’s top seed – falls to 45-6 and is eliminated from the Championship. Thursday’s losses marked the program’s first back-to-back losses since May 15-16, 2014 at that season’s East Regional.
Trailing 2-1 on Thursday night and nine outs from elimination, Franklin Pierce struck for a 3-2 lead with a pair of runs in the bottom of the seventh inning.
The Ravens bullpen could not hold the newly-found lead however, as Saint Rose responded with four runs in the top of the eighth inning to jump to a 6-3 lead.
Franklin Pierce picked up a run in the bottom of the eighth, but could get no closer.
Sophomore right-hander John Amendola started and threw 95 pitches (71 strikes) over the first 6.1 innings for Franklin Pierce. He allowed two runs on seven hits, did not issue a walk, struck out four and did not factor in the decision.