White hurls Ravens to game one win Ravens rally past Warriors in nightcap

NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. (April 6, 2002) - Franklin Pierce moved above .500 for the first time since March 19 as it swept Merrimack College in a Northeast-10 Conference doubleheader at Warrior Field this afternoon. The Ravens posted a 4-2 win in game one, before rallying for a 7-5 victory in the nightcap.

In game one, Franklin Pierce rode the arm of junior right-hander Jon White (Medford, Mass./Arlington Catholic) to its eighth win of the season. White (4-2) allowed just two earned runs on six hits with 13 strikeouts (one shy of his career-high set earlier this season) and just one walk as he claimed his second complete game of the spring.

Merrimack struck first with a single run in the bottom of the first inning as junior Rocco Mastrangelo ripped a solo homer.

Franklin Pierce answered with three runs in the second frame to take the lead for good. Freshman Bear Dunn (Charlton, Mass./Shepherd Hill) laced a two-run triple and later scored on a sacrifice fly by classmate Mike MacSwain (Stoughton, Mass./Coyle Cassidy).

Merrimack got one run back in the fifth inning when senior Gary Venner scored on a balk after reaching on a fielder's choice.

Franklin Pierce rounded out the scoring with a single run in the seventh. Senior Scott Loiseau (Worcester, Mass./St. Peter Marian) singled and then scored on a sac fly by freshman Eric Cavers (Otisfield, Maine/Oxford Hills).

Dunn hit two-for-four with a triple, a run scored, two RBIs and a stolen base to lead the Ravens. Sophomore Dante Blancarte (Amesbury, Mass./Amesbury) was 2-3 with a run scored and seniorEric Burney (Rockville, Conn./Rockville) also added two hits for FPC.

Mastrangelo finished 1-3 with the homerun for Merrimack, while Vanner batted 1-4 with a run scored. Senior Chris Canestrari suffered the loss (1-4) as he allowed four earned runs on eight hits with eight strikeouts and three walks in 7.1 innings of work.

Batteries:
FP
- Jon White and Eric Cavers.
MC - Chris Canestrari, Hugh Arnold (8th) and Brian Murphy, John Turczynski.

WP: White (4-2)
LP: Canestrari (1-4)
HR: Rocco Mastrangelo

In the nightcap, Franklin Pierce scored three runs in the top of the eighth inning to pull off the doubleheader sweep.

Trailing 5-4, Cavers drove in Loiseau, who reached with a single, with a sacrifice fly to knot the score. Junior Chris Shank (Westminster, Mass./Oakmont Regional) followed with a single two batters later to drive in classmate Paul McAuliffe (Foxboro, Mass./Foxboro). After Shank stole second, Dunn drove him in with a single to leftfield.

Franklin Pierce struck first with a single run in the second inning as junior Dan Close (Leominster, Mass./Leominster) led off the frame with his fourth homerun of the season.

Merrimack took its first lead, scoring a pair of runs in the fourth when Mastrangelo belted his second homer of the afternoon.

Franklin Pierce forged back ahead with three runs in the sixth. McAuliffe drilled an RBI double and Close laced an RBI single and later scored on a wild pitch.

After getting one run back in the sixth, the Warriors regained the lead with a pair in the seventh. Junior David Polcari and senior Peter Barbuto each rapped RBI singles.

Freshman righthander A.J. Hatton (Hudson, Mass./Hudson) earned his first collegiate victory (1-1) for the Ravens as he allowed five earned runs on seven hits with four strikeouts and a walk in 7.1 innings of work. Loiseau picked up his first save of the season as he tossed 1.2 innings of perfect relief with two strikeouts.

Close finished 2-4 with a homer, two RBIs and two runs scored in the nightcap, while Shank and Dunn each added two hits and an RBI. JuniorMike Callahan (Worcester, Mass./St. Peter Marian) also totaled a pair of hits for Franklin Pierce.

Venner hit 2-4 for the hosts in game two with a run scored, while Mastrangelo was 1-4 with the homer and two RBIs. Sophomore Ed Reidel suffered the loss (0-1) as he allowed three earned runs on three hits in one inning of relief work. Merrimack starter Greg Carroll was touched for four earned runs on eight hits with one strikeout and a walk in seven innings. 

Batteries:
FP - A.J. Hatton, Scott Loiseau (8th) and Eric Cavers, Al Medeiros (9th).
MC - Greg Carroll, Ed Reidel (8th), Rocco Mastrangelo (9th) and John Turdzynski.

WP: Hatton (1-1)
LP: Reidel (0-1)
SV: Loiseau (1)
HR: Dan Close (4), Rocco Mastrangelo

Franklin Pierce (9-8, 4-2 NE-10) returns to action tomorrow afternoon when it hosts Southern New Hampshire University for a Conference doubleheader at noon. Merrimack (1-17, 1-7 NE-10) travels to Bryant College tomorrow at 1 p.m.