MANCHESTER, N.H. - - Franklin Pierce's Trevor Graham shut down the Wilmington University baseball team in the first round of the NCAA East Region Tournament, 7-0, striking out 10 batters in a complete game shutout at Southern New Hampshire University's Penmen Field on Thursday afternoon.
In a matchup of conference Pitchers of the Year, Graham outdueled Wilmington's (40-13 overall) David Hatt, snapping the Wildcats 13 game winning streak in the first game of the NCAA East Region Tournament. Franklin Pierce (33-16), the sixth seed in the region tournament, scored single runs in the first and third innings before breaking out for three in the fourth in upsetting the top seeded Wildcats.
Hatt earned his first loss of the 2013 season, pitching the first seven innings of the contest, giving up six runs (three earned) on four hits, picking up three strikeouts in falling to 7-1 overall. Tim Racek struck out two batters in a perfect eighth inning while Peter Monahan struck out one Raven while allowing a run on one hit in the ninth.
Graham threw the first six innings while not allowing a hit for the Ravens, before the Wildcats' Josh Hampton connected on a line drive single through the left side to lead off the bottom of the seventh. But the Hampton hit was quickly erased as a double play ruined the solid start to the inning. For the game, the Wildcats hit into three double-plays on the afternoon, ruining any chance of a Wildcat comeback.
Hampton's single was the first of three hits for the Wildcats, as Sam Goines and Jon Castro also singled late in the game for the top seeded Wildcats. The Wildcats were also hit three times at the plate, including a walk by Joe Marciano, putting four other players on base throughout the contest. But the Wildcats were unable to get anything going, leaving four runners on base while striking out 10 times.
The Ravens scored three in the fourth inning, loading the bases before Dan Kemp doubled down the left field line, past a diving Hampton at third to score a pair of runs. Franklin Pierce added single runs in the seventh and ninth innings to close on the 7-0 score.
Franklin Pierce moves onto the winner's bracket on Friday, playing the 3:00 p.m. game against the loser of the No. 3 New Haven and No. 4 Southern New Hampshire contest set to start on Thursday at 7 p.m.
The Wildcats will begin its comeback bid in the NCAA East Regional Tournament with the first contest on Friday, squaring off against No. 2 St. Thomas Aquinas in an elimination contest starting at 11 a.m. The Spartans fell to No. 5 Pace, 3-0, in the opening round on Thursday.
