Weagle dominates in season debut

FORT MYERS, Fla. (March 16, 2003) - Franklin Pierce, receiving votes in both the Collegiate Baseball magazine and National Collegiate Baseball Writers of America (NCBWA) preseason polls, got another solid pitching performance in posting a 2-1 victory over Caldwell College in non-conference baseball action at the Gene Cusic Collegiate Classic tonight.

Junior right-hander Matt Weagle (Charlton, Mass./Shephard Hill), rated the No. 4 Pro Prospect in Division II by Baseball America, was dominant in his first start of the spring as he allowed just one earned run on five hits with no walks and ten strikeouts in the nine-inning complete game effort.

Caldwell used a pair of infield hits off slow rollers to get its lone run of the game in the bottom of the first. Junior Rich Farruggia scored the Cougars lone run when he stole home on an attempted pickoff play at first base after benefiting from one of the infield singles.

Franklin Pierce scored both of its runs in the third inning as freshman Shawn Hayes (Charlton, Mass./Holy Name) led off the inning with a single and scored on an double from senior Paul McAuliffe (Foxboro, Mass./Foxboro) two batters later. McAuliffe scored the Ravens go-ahead run on a single by junior Dante Blancarte (Amesbury, Mass./Amesbury).

McAuliffe, Blancarte and Hayes each hit 2-3 in the game to lead the Ravens offense. Junior right-hander John Bird suffered the loss as he yielded two earned runs on seven hits with a walk and two strikeouts in eight innings of work for the Cougars. 

 BOX SCORE

Batteries:
FP - Matt Weagle and Eric Cavers.
CC - John Bird, Kegales (9) and Landon Viessey.

WP: Weagle (1-0)
LP: Bird (0-1)
HR: None

Franklin Pierce (2-1) returns to the diamond first thing in the morning to face New Jersey Institute of Technology for a doubleheader Monday beginning at 9 a.m. Caldwell (0-1) battles Minnesota-Duluth tomorrow afternoon in a doubleheader at 4 p.m.