NORTHFIELD, Vt. - The Norwich University baseball team picked up a crucial Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) sweep on Wednesday afternoon at Garrity Field, taking both ends of a pivotal doubleheader from Rivier University by scores of 2-0 and 3-1.

The Cadets leaned on strong pitching and timely offense throughout the twin bill, limiting the Raiders to just one run across 16 innings while improving their standing in a tightly contested conference race.

Geffen Franus (Leesburg, Va.) led the Norwich offense over the two games, collecting three hits and scoring twice, while John O'Connor (Southington, Conn.), Trevor Lussier (Lyndonville, Vt.), and Jack Medhurst (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) each contributed key moments in the sweep.

Game 1: Norwich 2, Rivier 0

Runs were at a premium in the opener, but Norwich capitalized on an early opportunity to break through in the first inning.  Medhurst reached and later stole third before coming home on a Rivier error to give the Cadets a 1-0 lead.

Norwich added an insurance run in the third.  Franus came around to score on a wild pitch during an O'Connor at-bat, stretching the advantage to 2-0.

That was all the support Carson Rath (Glens Falls, N.Y.) would need.

Rath turned in one of his strongest outings of the season, tossing a complete-game shutout while allowing just two hits and striking out eight over seven innings.  He kept the Raiders off balance throughout the afternoon and did not issue a walk in the win.

Franus doubled and scored one of Norwich's two runs, while O'Connor reached twice and Lussier added a hit.  While the Cadets managed three hits in the contest, they made the most of their chances in a tightly played opener.

Game 2: Norwich 3, Rivier 1

Norwich again struck first in the second game, manufacturing a run in the opening inning.  Franus scored on an RBI single up the middle by Lussier to put the Cadets in front, 1-0.

The Cadets added another run in the second, while Kevin Ohlsen (Shirley, N.Y.) lifted a sacrifice fly to center to bring home Kaden Jones (Newport, Vt.) and make it 2-0.

Rivier answered in the third with an RBI single to cut the lead in half, but Norwich held the Raiders there the rest of the way.

The Cadets added an important insurance run in the seventh.  Ohlsen came around to score on a Franus sacrifice fly, with Medhurst advancing and pressure on the bases helping Norwich push the lead to 3-1.

Norwich matched Rivier with seven hits in the second outing.  Franus led the way with a 2-for-4 effort, a run scored, and an RBI, while Lussier drove in a run and Michael Davide Jr. (Franklin, Mass.) added a double.  Medhurst, O'Connor, Davide Jr., and Michael Sabasteanski (Ashburn, Va.) all recorded hits in the win.

Jon Tetzlaff (Goshen, N.Y.) earned the win after allowing one run over 4.2 innings of work.  Isaac Parker (Jay, Maine) provided 3.1 scoreless innings in relief with five strikeouts, and Peter Idleman (Mequon, Wis.) recorded the final three outs to pick up his second save of the season.

The Cadets will look to carry the momentum into their next outing on Saturday, Apr. 18, in another pivotal GNAC doubleheader, welcoming Lasell University to Garrity Field.  Opening pitch is scheduled for 12:00 p.m.