White pitches Ravens into Regional title game with complete-game victory

LOWELL, Mass. (May 16, 2003) - Third-seeded Franklin Pierce is one win away from a berth in the 2003 NCAA Division II World Series after claiming a 3-2 decision in ten innings over fourth-seeded University of New Haven in game four of the Northeast Regional at LeLacheur Park this afternoon.

Franklin Pierce (29-15), playing in its first NCAA Tournament, will face top-seeded and host UMass Lowell (32-11) Saturday at 11 a.m. The River Hawks, who avoided elimination twice today with a win over Dowling (29-11) this morining and New Haven (27-12) tonight, must defeat Franklin Pierce twice to advance to the World Series for the third-straight year.

Senior right-hander Jon White (Medford, Mass./Arlington Catholic) went the distance in posting his program record matching 20th career victory. White (6-4) allowed two earned runs on ten hits with three strikeouts and two walks in his first career ten-inning outing. He was also aided by a pair of pickoffs, one to end a fourth inning rally, to increase his season total to a Conference-best nine - one shy of his own single-season record set last season.

"White pitched a great game for us today," said fifth-year Head Coach Jayson King. "He is so deserving of what happened today. It was a gutty performance and I didn't expect anything less from him."

Freshman Shawn Hayes (Charlton, Mass./Holy Name) sparked the offense by hitting 3-for-4 with an RBI and stolen base. Hayes also gunned down a potential go-ahead run for the Chargers with a relay throw from left in the eighth.

ClassmateElliott Shea (Jaffrey, N.H./Conant) continues to swing a hot bat, by hitting 2-4 with two runs scored to extend his team-best hitting streak to seven games. Senior Josh Coughlin (Keene, N.H./Keene) was also 2-4 with a run scored.

Junior right-hander Chris DiRoma suffered the loss (6-3) despite going the distance for New Haven. He allowed three runs, just one earned, on eight hits with seven strikeouts and three walks.

Junior Joe Cantone led the UNH offense by hitting 3-4 with an RBI. Senior Doug Vroman was 2-5 with a triple and run scored, while sophomore Ryan Kosiba was also 2-4 with an RBI.

Shea sparked the Ravens tenth inning with a leadoff single up the middle and Hayes followed with a bunt single down the first base line. SophomoreEric Cavers (Otisfield, Maine/Oxford Hills) added a bunt single of his own between the mound and first base, but the go-ahead run came around when DiRoma threw the ball away on an ill-advised attempt at tossing out Cavers.

The bunt single was the first of the game by the top six batters in the Ravens lineup as the six were a combined 1-26 for the afternoon. The bottom third, on the other hand, hit a combined 7-12.

White came out and got the first two batters on groundballs before allowing a single up the middle by sophomore Ed Coloumbe. White then got Davis to ground to second ending the game.

"I knew if we could get a run I could finish the game off," said White on coming out for the ninth. "It feels good to go out and have a good performance at an event like this."

Franklin Pierce took an early lead with a pair of runs in the second. Coughlin reached on a fielder's choice before Shea added a two-out single. Hayes followed with a single to center to drive in Coughlin and Shea also scored when the New Haven throw to third bounced into the dugout.

New Haven cut the lead in half in the fourth when freshman Kyle Davis doubled and scored when Kosiba reached on a fielder's choice.

The Chargers knotted the score in the eighth. Vroman led off the frame with a triple down the leftfield line, but White nearly worked out a jam for the third consecutive inning by retiring the next two batters. Cantone then followed with an RBI single to right center, but then ran UNH out of the rally when he was gunned down at the plate attempting to score from first on a Kosiba single.

"We'll be ready for either team tomorrow," said King. "No matter who it is, they're going to have to beat us twice and I like our chances." 

BOX SCORE

Battery
FP: Jon White and Eric Cavers
UNH: DiRoma and J. Place

WP: White (6-4)
LP: DiRoma (6-3)