Senior right-hander Paul Covelle fired a four-hit shutout and senior left fielder Kurtis White clubbed a sixth-inning grand slam on Tuesday night as the No. 1/3 nationally ranked Franklin Pierce University baseball team posted a 6-0 win over Assumption in the first round of the Northeast-10 Conference Championship at Dr. Arthur and Martha Pappas Field. Junior third baseman Jay Jabs became the school’s all-time leader in home runs with a solo shot in the fourth inning, the 31st of his career.
With the win, Franklin Pierce — the Northeast Division’s top seed — improves to 45-4.
With the win, Franklin Pierce will host the double-elimination portion of the Northeast-10 Championship as well, Thursday through Saturday at Pappas Field. The Ravens will open the weekend portion of the tournament against Pace at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday,
Covelle (9-1) dispatched Assumption all on his own on Tuesday night, as he needed just 110 pitches (81 strikes) to shutout the Greyhounds. He allowed just four hits, did not issue a walk, threw a pair of wild pitches and struck out nine along the way, while facing 32 batters, just five over the minimum. Covelle needed 20 pitches to get through the top of the first by stranding runners at first at second, but then allowed just four baserunners and used just 90 pitches for the remaining eight innings. It was Covelle’s fourth complete game of the season and the first shutout of his career.
The Ravens got Covelle the only run he would need in the bottom of the first inning. With one out, senior shortstop Justin Brock took a four-pitch walk, moved to second on a wild pitch and scored on a two-out, second-pitch single back up the middle by junior designated hitter Chris LaVorgna.
In the fourth, Jabs worked his way into a 1-2 count and a nine-pitch at-bat. He would unload on said ninth pitch of the at-bat and drive a home run of approximately 395 feet, just to the left of straightaway right field, his team-leading 13th home run of the season.
The home run was the 31st career long ball for Jabs, which allowed him to take sole possession of the top spot in the Franklin Pierce record books. He had previously shared the record with Derek Ingui and Mal Higgins, who each hit 30 career home runs for the Ravens.
In the bottom of the sixth, Kurtis White drove a 1-1 pitch an estimated 355 feet to straightaway right field, narrowly clearing the fence for his third home run of the season, a grand slam which all but put the game away.