RINDGE, N.H. – The Saint Anselm College baseball team dropped both games of its doubleheader to regionally-ranked Franklin Pierce University on Saturday by scores of 12-5 and 11-7.

The Hawks fall to 14-20 on the season and 7-9 in Northeast-10 Conference Northeast Division play while the Ravens improve to 19-9 overall and 8-4 in conference tilts. Saint Anselm is back in action with a pair of weekend doubleheaders at Saint Michael's College on Saturday, Apr. 23 and Sunday, Apr. 24.

Graduate student Salvatore Pezzolla (East Greenbush, N.Y.) paced the Saint Anselm offense with six hits in nine at-bats. Pezzolla also drove in a team-high four runs across the doubleheader. Senior Kyle Maurice (Exeter, N.H.) batted an even .500 (3-6) on the day and registered a hit in each game to extend his hitting streak to 15 games which ties the longest streak of the season. Juniors Mike Borrelli (Salisbury, Mass.) and Brady Doran (Greenville, S.C.) each added home runs and three runs batted in for Saint Anselm on Saturday.

Juniors Dylan Bedder (New Providence, N.J.) and Harry MacKinlay (Norwell, Mass.) drew starts for Saint Anselm. Bedder allowed five runs on three hits in the game one loss while MacKinlay, who was making his first collegiate start, recorded a no-decision after giving up two runs on seven hits in six innings of work. Including Bedder and MacKinlay, the Hawks used eight pitchers in the doubleheader.

The Hawks have hit 38 home runs this season, tying them for third all-time with the 1994 squad. The 2022 squad trails only last season's team who hit 40 home runs in 29 games and the program leader for single season home runs, the 2001 squad, who hit 45 long balls in 44 games played.

GAME ONE: Franklin Pierce 12, Saint Anselm 5

A one-out triple by sophomore Zack Clough (Newbury, Mass.) set up Pezzolla who singled on the seventh pitch of the next at-bat to score Clough and give the Hawks an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first.

A single and three walks brought home the first run for the Ravens which brought Jose Savinon to the plate. He singled to right field to plate two runs but a double play and a strikeout would close the inning with Franklin Pierce leading, 3-1.

After a leadoff walk, Joel Lara hit a two-run homer to left center field to extend the Ravens lead to 5-1 in the bottom of the second.

Clough worked an eight-pitch walk with two outs in the top of the third and quickly advanced to second on a wild pitch. Pezzolla followed with another single, once again plating Clough and keeping the Hawks within striking distance, trailing 5-2.

After a three-up and three-down in the bottom of the third and the top of the fourth, Franklin Pierce regained its four-run lead as Graham Smith doubled down the right field line to score Ryan Lavelle who walked to lead off the frame.

Franklin Pierce would blow the game open with six runs in the bottom of the fifth which pushed the lead to 12-2. The Ravens needed just two hits to push across the six runs as the Hawks committed two errors and walked four batters.

In the top of the six, the Hawks cut into the lead a bit with a three-run homer by Borrelli. He brought home Pezzolla who led off with a single before Maurice was hit by a pitch. That marks Borrelli's fifth big fly of the season.

The Hawks would get a leadoff walk in the top of the seventh from junior Will Panarello (Barrington, R.I.) but a pair of fly outs and a line out closed game one with the Ravens winning, 12-5.

GAME TWO: Franklin Pierce 11, Saint Anselm 7

Saint Anselm managed to put runners on second and third with two outs in the top of the first but a fly out stranded the runners and kept the contest scoreless.

Franklin Pierce notched its first hit of game two with two outs in the bottom of the first but Ian Battipaglia was caught stealing to close the inning.

Senior Mike Pierro (North Andover, Mass.) reached via a walk with one out in the Hawks half of the second and was quickly brought home on Doran's fifth home run of the season which gave Saint Anselm an early 2-0 lead.

The Hawks added another run in the top of the fourth as Pierro led off the inning with a bang, taking the first pitch of the fourth over the left center field fence, extending the lead to 3-0.

The Ravens cracked the scoreboard in the bottom of the inning with an RBI double by Battipaglia, scoring Smith from first who led off the Ravens half with a walk.

Pezzolla opened the fifth inning with a solo home run which pushed the score to 4-1. For Pezzolla, he has homered in three of the Hawks last four games and now has four long balls on the season.

Saint Anselm continued to slowly add to its lead as a Pezzolla single scored senior Matt Collins (Beverly, Mass.) who reached on a walk and advanced to second on a ground out, which gave the Hawks a 5-1 lead in the top of the sixth.

Battipaglia doubled to open the bottom of the sixth and later scored on a single by Charles Lebron, cutting into the Hawks lead at 5-2.

Franklin Pierce would send 12 batters to the plate in the bottom of the seventh and score seven runs on six hits. A two-run home run by Randy Flores got the Ravens down one before a RBI double by Battipaglia tied the score and a single by Hunter Wilichoski gave the hosts the lead. A sacrifice fly by Max Gebauer scored one run which set up Savinon who stole home to add another. The inning was capped on a single by Lara, which brought across one more, closing the inning with Franklin Pierce leading, 9-5.

Battipaglia gave the Ravens some extra insurance in the bottom of the eighth with a two-run homer, pushing the Hawks deficit to six with only three outs to play with.

Maurice drove his 19th career home run in a Hawks uniform over the left center field fence before Doran singled to score Borrelli who reached on a dropped third strike which pushed the score to 11-7. The Hawks got runners to second and third two outs but a pop out closed the contest.