White hard-luck loser in game one; Ravens claw to win in nightcap

FORT MYERS, Fla. (March 20, 2003) - Franklin Pierce, ranked No. 21 in this week's National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Division II poll, split its fourth-straight doubleheader of the season this time against University of Minnesota-Duluth at the Gene Cusic Classic tonight.

Both games finished with 3-2 finals with the Ravens dropping the first game, before claiming the nightcap. In game one, Franklin Pierce squandered another solid outing from All-Region right-hander Jon White (Medford, Mass./Arlington Catholic). The senior allowed just one earned run on eight hits with two walks and three strikeouts in the seven-inning complete game effort. White (1-1) has allowed just one earned run over his first 14 innings of work this spring.

SeniorDan Close (Leominster, Mass./Leominster) was the lone bright spot offensively as he led a struggling offense by hitting two-for-three with a walk and an RBI.

Minnesota-Duluth senior left-hander Brandon Broxey held the Ravens bats in check as he yielded two runs, just one earned, on six hits with three walks and 11 strikeouts in the complete game effort.

The Bulldogs staked out a 2-0 lead in the top of the first as junior Tim Battaglia and sophomore Nathan Cermak each laced RBI singles.

The Ravens got just one back in the bottom half of the frame with senior Mike Callahan (Worcester, Mass./St. Peter Marian) getting an RBI single with the bases loaded and two out.

UMD got a crucial insurance run in the sixth as Cermack scored on an RBI single from junior Dan Genung.

The Ravens threatened to send the game into extra innings in the bottom of the seventh as senior Josh Coughlin (Keene, N.H./Keene) walked and scored when sophomore Eric Cavers (Otisfield, Maine/Oxford Hills) reached on an error. Franklin Pierce then left the tying run on third and the winning run on first as the next batter struck out. 

 BOX SCORE

Batteries:
UMD - Brandon Broxey and Nathan Cermak
FP - Jon White and Eric Cavers

WP: Broxey
LP: White (1-1)
HR: None

Franklin Pierce responded to dropping back-to-back games for the first time this season by limiting Minnesota-Duluth to just three hits in the nightcap in posting a 3-2 victory.

Sophomore Bryan Borowski (Clarksburg, Mass./Drury) turned in his second-straight strong outing to open the spring and earned his first career victory. The right-hander allowed just two earned runs on two hits with three walks and five strikeouts in 5.1 innings of work. He gave way to sophomore Jake Tenney (Surry, N.H./Monadnock), who allowed just one walk with three strikeouts and closed the door with 1.2 innings of no-hit relief to notch the first save of his career.

Senior Paul McAuliffe (Foxboro, Mass./Foxboro) hit 2-2 with a double, a run scored and a walk, while freshmanNick Panza (Colonie, N.Y./Colonie Central) was 2-3 with an RBI for the Ravens offense.

Franklin Pierce got all its runs in the fourth when junior Dante Blancarte (Amesbury, Mass./Amesbury) and Callahan rapped back-to-back RBI singles, before Panza laced an RBI single of his own two batters later.

The Bulldogs scratched back to within one in the sixth. Sophomore Joe Korneta belted a two-run double to chase Borowski, and then Tenney came on and sandwiched two strikeouts around a walk to retire the side.

Battaglia suffered the loss for UMD as he allowed three earned runs on four hits with three walks and four strikeouts in 3.2 innings. 

 BOX SCORE

Batteries:
FP - Bryan Borowski, Jake Tenney (6) and Eric Cavers, Pat Geary (6).
UMD - Tim Battaglia, Shawn Tremaine (4) and Mike Hanson.

WP: Borowski (1-0)
LP: Battaglia
SV: Tenney (1)
HR: None

Franklin Pierce (5-4), which received it first national ranking in program history this week, travels across the Florida peninsula tomorrow for a key Northeast Regional game against Molloy College in Homestead at 1:30 p.m.