Shank set the tone with win in game one Ravens rally for title in nightcap

RINDGE, N.H. (May 17, 2002) - Franklin Pierce captured the 2002 ECAC Division II Championship with a two-game sweep of Westminster (Pa.) College in the best-of-three game series at Crystal Field this afternoon. Franklin Pierce claimed a 7-2 decision in game one, before rallying for a 6-5 victory in the nightcap.

In game one, Franklin Pierce jumped out to a 5-0 lead after one inning of play and junior right-hander Chris Shank (Westminster, Mass./Oakmont Regional) kept Westminster's offense at bay to earn Most Outstanding Player honors for the Championship. Shank (9-2) allowed two earned runs on eight hits with 11 strikeouts and two walks in eight innings of work. The 11 strikeouts gives him 108 for the season - two better than the previous school-record of 106 set by former Raven Justin Blood in 2000. Shank's 235 career strikeouts matches the school's all-time record set by Blood from 1999-2001.

Freshman catcher Eric Cavers (Otisfield, Maine/Oxford Hills) sparked the offense as he hit three-for-four with a double, a run scored and an RBI. Junior centerfielder Paul McAuliffe (Foxboro, Mass./Foxboro) finished 3-5 with a double, a triple, two runs scored and an RBI. Junior second baseman Mike Callahan (Worcester, Mass./St. Peter Marian) hit 2-4 with a double, a run scored and two RBIs.

Sophomore shortstop Nathan Statzer was the lone Westminster batter with multiple hits as he finished 2-5 with a pair of doubles and a run scored. Freshman Kevin Gesacion hit 1-3 with an RBI, while junior Kevin Humberston was 1-4 with an RBI.

Junior right-hander Kevin Culp suffered the loss (4-4) as he was touched for seven runs, five earned, on 12 hits with seven strikeouts and a walk in 5.2 innings of work.

Franklin Pierce jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the bottom of the first as senior Scott Loiseau (Worcester, Mass./St. Peter Marian) and McAuliffe led off the frame with back-to-back triples to get things started. McAuliffe scored on a Dante Blancarte (Amesbury, Mass./Amesbury) groundout and Callahan drove in Dan Close (Leominster, Mass./Leominster), who reached on an error, with a double down the leftfield line. Cavers followed with an RBI single to score Callahan and later scored on a single from Greg Basile (Suffield, Conn./Suffield).

The Ravens added two more runs in the sixth when McAuliffe and Blancarte belted back-to-back doubles with one away. Blancarte scored on an RBI single from Callahan.

Westminster finally got to Shank for a pair in the eighth. After a Stanzer double put runners on second and third with no outs, Gesacion drove in pinch runner Anthony Griffith with the Titans first run. Stantzer scored one batter later on a Humberston ground out.

Batteries:
WC: Kevin Culp, Matt Pournaras (6th), Michael Mackin (8th) and Ben Yeckel.
FP: Chris Shank, Gary Laakso (9th) and Eric Cavers..

WP: Shank (9-2)
LP: Culp (4-4)

In the nightcap, Basile's single through the left side of the infield drove in Callahan with the winning run in the bottom of the ninth to cap an Franklin Pierce rally from two runs down over the final three innings.

Callahan's scored unearned as he reached on an error to lead-off the inning and he reached third on freshman Mike MacSwain's (Stoughton, Mass./Coyle Cassidy) single up the middle with one out which set the tables for Basile's game-winning single.

Westminster scored an unearned run without a hit in the first to take an early lead. Statzer drew a leadoff walk, then stole second and reached third on a throwing error by the Franklin Pierce catcher with one away. Humberston drove him in with a sacrifice fly to centerfield.

Franklin Pierce knotted the score in the second as Cavers scored on a delayed double steal with Basile. The stolen base for Cavers matched the school record for steals in a season with 15.

The Ravens jumped ahead, 3-1, in the third when McAuliffe singled up the middle with one away and Blancarte followed with his 13th homerun of the season to right centerfield.

Junior B.G. Davison belted an RBI single in the fourth inning for the Titans and they regained the lead in the fifth with a pair of runs. Statzer doubled with one out and scored on a Humberston ground out, then Gesacion, who singled, scored on a single by Culp.

Westminster increased its lead to two runs (5-3) in the seventh, when sophomore Neils Jorgensen scored from second base on a wild pitch that slipped past the backstop.

The Ravens began mounting their comeback in the bottom of the seventh as McAuliffe laced a one-out single to left and scored on a double by Close. Franklin Pierce knotted the score at 5-5 in the eighth as MacSwain scored on a wild pitch to set the stage for the ninth.

Blancarte led the Ravens offense as he was a perfect 3-3 at the plate with an intentional walk and was hit by a pitch to go along with a homer and two RBIs. Basile finished 2-3 with an RBI, while McAuliffe was 2-4 with two runs scored. Close finished 2-5 with a pair of doubles and an RBI and robbed Humberston of a potential go-ahead solo homer in the top of the ninth.

Junior right-hander Jon White (Medford, Mass./Arlington Catholic) earned his school-record tenth win of the season (10-3) for Franklin Pierce as he retired the only batter he faced after coming on with two runners on the the top of the ninth. White relieved sophomore Matt Weagle (Charlton, Mass./Shepherd Hill), who allowed five runs, four earned, on ten hits with seven strikeouts and six walks in 8.2 innings of work.

Culp hit 2-4 with an RBI for Westminster, while Gesacion finished 2-4 and sophomore Brian Goettler was 2-3. Humberston chipped in two RBIs, while Statzer belted his third double of the afternoon in a 1-3 effort with two runs scored in the nightcap.

Junior Matt Pournaras suffered the loss (4-4) in relief, allowing the one unearned run in the ninth on two hits. Sophomore starter Pat Boyle yielded five earned runs on nine hits with eight strikeouts and three walks in 7.2 innings of work.

Franklin Pierce wraps up its 2002 season with a 31-17 record, marking the first time in program history it has reached the 30-win plateau. Westminster finishes with a 23-9 clip.

Batteries:
WC: Pat Boyle, Bryan Hilbert (8th), Matt Pournaras (8th) and Ben Yeckel.
FP: Matt Weagle, Jon White (9th) and Eric Cavers..

WP: White (10-3)
LP: Pournaras (4-2)
HR: Blancarte (13)