MANCHESTER, N.H. – The Saint Anselm College baseball team was downed by nationally-regarded Franklin Pierce University in game one of a four-game Northeast-10 Conference Northeast Division series on Friday, 16-3.

The Hawks drop to 7-24 on the season and 3-6 in NE10 contests while the Ravens, who are receiving votes in the most recent National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association and the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Division II National Polls, improves to 21-9 overall and 8-1 in conference contests.

Senior Matt Collins (Beverly, Mass.) led the Hawks with two hits in the contest while senior Brady Doran (Seneca, S.C.), senior Mike Pierro (North Andover, Mass.), junior Zack Clough (Newbury, Mass.), and sophomore Ryan Scialabba (Cheshire, Conn.) collected one hit apiece.

Sophomore Adam Betty (Lowell, Mass.) suffered the loss on the mound for the Hawks. The sophomore allowed five runs, four earned on six hits while fanning five in 5.0 innings of work. Graduate student Shawn Morrow (Melrose, Mass.), senior Mark Monahan (Quincy, Mass.), freshman Logan Bessette (Waterbury, Conn.), and senior Joe Sgobbo (Yorktown Heights, N.Y.) all saw action in relief on Friday.

The Ravens wasted little time jumping on the scoreboard as Ian Battipaglia worked a leadoff walk and would score the game's opening run in the next at-bat as Joel Lara doubled down the left field line, allowing Battipaglia to cross the plate from first.

After advancing to third on a fly out, Lara would score on a ground out from Joesph Pesce to double the Ravens lead in the first inning.

Franklin Pierce managed to get runners on the corners with two outs in the top of the second inning and would push across one run on a fielding error, giving the visitors a 3-0 lead.

The Hawks responded with a pair of runs on the fourth home run of the season for Pierro. Senior Mike Borrelli (Salisbury, Mass.) led off the inning with a walk and scored on the big fly to center field.

Betty nearly got out of the top of the third inning unscathed but Adam Dadinos sent a two-run home run over the right field fence to extend the lead to 5-2 for the Ravens.

Saint Anselm brought the tying run to the plate in the bottom half of the third inning after a single from Clough and a walk from Collins. However, Kyle Roche managed to get a pair of strikeouts to close the third inning and get out of the jam.

The Hawks once again got runners to second and third again in the bottom of the fourth inning on a single from Scialabba and a walk from senior Will Panarello (Barrington, R.I.). Roche would get another pair of strikeouts to strand the runners.

Franklin Pierce extended the lead with three runs in the top of the sixth inning. After loading the bases, Jose Savinon was hit by a pitch to plate one run before Pesce singled home a pair, extending the lead to 8-2.

The Ravens added four runs in the top of the seventh, three in the top of the eighth, and one in the ninth to take game one of the series by a 16-3 score.

The teams will be back in action on Saturday, Apr. 15 with a conference doubleheader from Sullivan Park. Game one of the twinbill is slated for a 12 p.m. start.