Laakso earns first collegiate win;
Blancarte grand slam break game open
RINDGE, N.H. (April 18,
2002) - Franklin Pierce jumped out to an 8-1 win after
three innings en route to a 17-8 victory over Fitchburg State
College in non-conference baseball action at Crystal Field this
afternoon.
Franklin Pierce jumped out to a
quick 4-0 lead after one inning of play. Junior Dan
Close (Leominster, Mass./Leominster) sparked the
frame with a two-run triple off the wall in left. Sophomore
Dante Blancarte (Amesbury,
Mass./Amesbury) and freshman Bear Dunn
(Charlton, Mass./Shepherd Hill) each added sacrifice
flies to score the third and fourth runs.
Fitchburg State scored an unearned
run in the third inning to cut the lead to 4-1 when junior Steve
O'Brien drove in senior Steve Bowker, who reached on a leadoff
error.
Franklin Pierce answered with four
more in the bottom half of the frame. Sophomore Teddy
Guardiani (Providence, R.I./Hudson (Mass.) Catholic)
provided the big hit with a two-run single and junior
Mike Callahan (Worcester, Mass./St. Peter
Marian) added an RBI double.
Sophomore Steve Schultz sparked a
three-run fourth inning with his first of two homeruns on the
afternoon, a two-run shot to left-center. Sophomore Manny Torres
followed that up with a solo shot which cut the Franklin Pierce
lead to 8-4.
The Ravens broke the game wide open
in the fourth through sixth innings with nine runs. In the fourth,
the first four batters reached before Blancarte ripped his first
grand slam of the season (fourth career).
Schultz's three-run homer in the
seventh helped the Falcons cut the deficit to the final 17-8.
Blancarte finished the afternoon
with a season-high six RBIs, while Guardiani hit three-for-five
with a season-best three RBIs. Junior Paul McAuliffe
(Foxboro, Mass./Foxboro) was 3-5 with two doubles and
three runs scored, while Close finished 2-3 with a triple, two runs
scored and two RBIs.
Freshman right-hander
Gary Laakso (Athol, Mass./Athol) earned
his first collegiate victory (1-0) in relief of Close. Laakso
allowed four earned runs (all in his final inning pitched) on four
hits with five strikeouts and a walk in three innings of work.
Close surrendered four runs, three earned, on five hits with five
strikeouts and three walks in four innings.
Schultz was 2-2 on the afternoon
with the two homers and five RBIs, while O'Brien was 3-5 with a
double, a run scored and an RBI to lead the FSC offense.
Freshman Michael Heck suffered the
loss, surrendering 12 earned runs on 11 hits in three-plus innings
pitched.
Franklin Pierce (16-13, 9-7 NE-10)
opens a crucial four-game weekend series against the College of
Saint Rose with a doubleheader in Albany, N.Y., on Saturday at
noon. The two teams close out the weekend with a twinbill at
Crystal Field on Sunday at noon. Fitchburg State (9-18) hosts Mass
College of Liberal Arts for a doubleheader Saturday at noon.
| Teams
| 1
| 2
| 3
| 4
| 5
| 6
| 7
| 8
| 9
| R
| H
| E
|
| Fitchburg
| 0
| 0
| 1
| 3
| 0
| 0
| 4
| 0
| 0
| 8
| 12
| 5
|
| FP
| 4
| 0
| 4
| 4
| 2
| 3
| 0
| 0
| x
| 17
| 15
| 1
|
Batteries:
FSC - Michael Heck, Jason Freeman (4th), Trevor
Wilson (7th) and Brian McCarthy
FP - Dan Close, Gary Laasko (5th), Anthony
Leonelli (8th), Bryan Borowski (9th) and Eric Cavers.
WP: Laasko
(1-0)
LP: Heck (0-5)
HR: Schultz 2 (5); Torres (4); Blancarte (5).
