| Matchup |
Merrimack (6-4) vs. Franklin Pierce (7-6-1) |
| Date//Time |
Friday-Saturday, March 16-17, 2018 (3:30 p.m. | 12 p.m.) |
| Venue |
Saint John's Preparatory School // Danvers, Mass. (Directions) |
| Multimedia |
Live Stats // Twitter // Instagram |
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – After dealing with the lingering effects of Tuesday's Nor'easter over the last 72 hours, the Merrimack College baseball program will be able to take the field on Friday, hosting Franklin Pierce for a non-conference game at the turf facility on the campus of Saint John's Preparatory School in Danvers, Mass. First pitch between the Warriors and Ravens is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. Merrimack and Franklin Pierce have also added a game at Saint John's for Saturday afternoon, with first pitch set for 12 p.m.
Last Time Out:
- Merrimack extended its winning streak to five games with a three-game sweep at Molloy College two weekends ago
- Senior starter PJ Browne started the opener, working eight innings and striking out 10 Lions. Browne became just the second Warrior in school history to record 200 career punch outs during the outing
- Senior captain Anthony Lupi and freshman Vin Zappulla recorded the victories in the final two games. The series finale went to extra innings, as senior Ricky Smith knocked in the game-winning run and redshirt-junior Garrett Hudson notched his second save of the season
- Merrimack's offense emerged from the weekend with seven regulars hitting above .300, and the squad boasting a .310 batting average through 10 games
'Mack Facts:
- Senior Matt Nicholson has established himself as the team's offensive leader through 10 games. The starting outfielder leads Merrimack in average (.432), home runs (4) and RBI (14), ranking among the top 10 in the NE10 in all three areas. Nicholson's .838 slugging percentage leads the conference
- Browne's 21 strikeouts over 19 innings leads the staff and ranks sixth in the conference
- Merrimack is third in the league in average, and first in slugging percentage (.480). The Warriors rank second in the league with 30 doubles and third with 41 extra-base hits
Scouting the Ravens:
- Franklin Pierce won its first four games of the season, but has gone 3-6-1 over its last 10. Franklin Pierce recently returned for a trip to North Carolina that saw the Ravens go 2-4, picking up victories over Saint Thomas Aquinas and NYIT
- Junior Brad Roberto leads the offense with 25 hits over 64 at-bats, knocking in 10 runs in the process. Senior catcher Stephen Octave has provided pop, knocking in a team-high 14 runs while hitting three of Pierce's 15 homers.
- Senior John Amendola leads the staff with 20 innings pitched, boasting a 2.70 ERA over three starts
Recent Series:
- One of the Warriors' most memorable games last season came against Franklin Pierce. The Navy and Gold snapped a nine-game losing streak to the Ravens by erasing an 8-0 deficit, defeating the perennial regional powers, 11-8, during the program's three-game series
- Franklin Pierce bested Merrimack in the end, ousting the Warriors in the opening round of last season's NE10 Championship
Up Next:
After Saturday's game, Merrimack is currently scheduled to play Stonehill College in a non-conference doubleheader in Westford, Mass. at Xaverian Brothers High School on Sunday afternoon beginning at 12 p.m. An official announcement to confirm those games will be made as soon as possible.
