MANCHESTER, N.H. – Senior John Healy (Cranston, R.I.) did not allow an earned run through 7.1 innings as the Saint Anselm College baseball team tied Franklin Pierce, 1-1, Wednesday afternoon in both its home and Northeast-10 Northeast Division opener at Sullivan Park.
The Hawks are now 8-13-1 on the season, including 0-0-1 in the Northeast Division, while the Ravens are 12-9-1, 0-0-1.
Healy, who lowered his ERA to 0.90, went 7.1, allowing just one unearned run on seven hits, while striking out six and walking one.
Healy worked out of his first jam in the second when the Ravens had runners on second and third with two outs and he induced an inning-ending groundout from R.J. Going.
The Hawks capitalized in the third when they pushed across the game's first run. Senior Jeffrey Criscuolo (Durham, Conn.) doubled to the gap in left center to lead off the inning and then moved to third when sophomore Tito Lluberes (Lawrence, Mass.) dropped a sacrifice bunt down the third base line, but the throw from Dan Hennigan pulled Zach Mathieu off the bag at first and allowed Lluberes to reach. Franklin Pierce starter Ryan Thompson then issued a wild pitch that brought Criscuolo to the plate and moved Lluberes to second.
Junior Andrew Chandler (Westford, Mass.) followed with a sac bunt that pushed Lluberes to third with one out. Classmate Richie Manzi (Plymouth, N.H.) drew a walk and then stole second with the count at 2-1 on fellow junior Robert Kelly (Aurora, Colo.). With first base open, Thompson intentionally walked Kelly to load the bases. Vladimir Camacho entered the game for Thompson and got out of the inning with a pop-out to second and groundout to first.
Healy avoided more trouble in the sixth. After Hennigan flied to right to lead off the frame, Dan Kemp, James Roche and Mathieu followed with singles to load the bases. Healy struck out Nick Lacroix with a high fastball and then induced a foul pop to right from Matt Walsh to escape the jam.
In the bottom of the seventh, the Hawks had a pair of runners in scoring position, but Camacho ended the threat with a strikeout.
In the eighth, the Ravens tied it when Hennigan walked and reached second on Kemp's sac bunt. Hennigan took too wide of a turn around second and wound up caught in no-man's land before making a dash for third. The throw to get him sailed out of play and Hennigan was awarded home to tie it, 1-1. Junior James Farrington (W. Milford, N.J.) relieved Healy and induced a groundout to third by Roche before striking out Mathieu to end the inning.
Each team would put a runner on in the ninth, but did not threaten to score. The Hawks took the field for the top of the 10th, but the umpiring crew gathered and called the game due to darkness.
Farrington worked the final 1.2 shutout innings, allowing one hit, while striking out three.
Criscuolo and Manzi each went 2-for-3, while junior Rett Ostafin (Port St. Lucie, Fla.) was 1-for-4.
The Hawks return to action Saturday, March 31 at noon when travel to take on Bentley in doubleheader action. The next home game for the Hawks is Thursday, April 5 at 3:30 p.m. when they play host to Assumption College at Sullivan.
