RINDGE, N.H. – Junior Jack Choate (North Grafton, Mass.) fanned 18 in leading the Assumption University baseball team to a 2-0 win over Franklin Pierce in the opening round of the Northeast-10 Conference Tournament on Tuesday evening at Pappas Field. With the victory, the Greyhounds earned the right to host the championship round of the league's annual postseason event beginning on Thursday.

Assumption jumped on the board early by scoring twice in the bottom of the first. Senior Connor Wironen (Leominster, Mass.) reached on a leadoff walk and scored two plays later on a fielder's choice error by the Raven second baseman. Sophomore Jared Berardino (Rowley, Mass.) then hit a two-out single through the left side to double the Greyhound lead.

Following the two-run first for the Greyhounds, a pitcher's duel ensued between Choate and Franklin Pierce's Kyle Roche. Choate struck out 12 of the first 16 batters he faced, as the teams combined for only one hit through the first five innings that took just 60 minutes to play.

Without recording a hit yet, Franklin Pierce (28-15) generated its best opportunity to score in the bottom of the sixth. After Randy Flores walked and stole second with two outs, Graham Smith was hit by a pitch and Ian Battipaglia worked up a 3-2 count. However, Choate was able to get the Raven shortstop to strike out swinging to end the threat.

Both teams got base runners in the late innings, but nobody was able to score. Even though the Ravens got the leadoff batter on in the bottom of the ninth, the Greyhounds' ace induced back-to-back fielder's choice plays to second followed by a popup to junior Christopher Rabias (Chelmsford, Mass.) to end the game in a mere 1 hour and 54 minutes.

Choate, who did not allow a hit until the eighth inning and threw 90 of his 131 pitches for strikes, earned the victory for Assumption and moved to 6-2 overall. In addition to registering 18 strikeouts in nine innings of work, He yielded just one hit and issued two walks. Franklin Pierce's Roche suffered the loss and fell to 5-2 despite surrendering two runs that were unearned and yielding only three hits over 8.1 frames. He fanned nine and walked only two Greyhounds.

Assumption (22-21), which snapped a six-game losing skid, will advance and also host the championship round of the Northeast-10 Tournament beginning on Thursday. The Greyhounds will first face Adelphi at a time to be determined.