Close, Chambers Power Ravens to first Markey Division title in
program history
WALTHAM, Mass. (May 5,
2003) - Franklin Pierce, ranked third in this week's New
England Intercollegiate Baseball Association (NEIBA) New England
Division II poll, clinched its first division title in program
history with a doubleheader sweep of Bentley College in
Northeast-10 Conference baseball action at DeFelice Field this
afternoon.
Franklin Pierce (25-13, 18-9 NE-10)
finishes in a tie atop the NE-10's Markey Division with College of
Saint Rose (28-13, 18-9 NE-10). The Ravens earn one of two top
seeds for the upcoming Conference Tournament and the subsequent bye
into this weekend's double-elimination Final Four hosted by Pepin
Division Champion UMass Lowell (26-10, 21-5 NE-10) at LeLacheur
Park after having claimed the head-to-head series with Saint Rose.
The Ravens will face the winner of Wednesday's first round game
between second-seeded Stonehill College (24-13-1, 15-9 NE-10) from
the Pepin Division and Markey Division third-seed Southern
Connecticut State University (19-16, 15-9 NE-10) on Friday at 4
p.m. Franklin Pierce has never appeared in the double-elimation
portion of the NE-10 Tournament, having been eliminated in the
first round each of the last two seasons.
In game one, Franklin Pierce jumped
out to a quick first-inning lead and got another strong start from
freshman Mike Farrell (Russell,
Mass./Gateway) to get the day off to a good start.
Farrell posted his second-straight
win (2-1) as he allowed just on earned run, scattering six hits and
two walks with six strikeouts in his second complete-game in a
week.
The top half of the Ravens lineup
accounted for eight of their ten hits on the day. Senior
Mike Callahan (Worcester, Mass./St. Peter
Marian), junior Dante Blancarte
(Amesbury, Mass./Amesbury) and sophomore
Eric Cavers (Otisfield, Maine/Oxford
Hills) each finished 2-for-4 in the game with a run
scored. Callahan added a double and an RBI, while Blancarte also
registered an RBI. Freshman Mike Chambers (Londonderry,
N.H./Londonderry) continued to swing a hot bat,
especially in clutch situations, as he was 1-2 with a double and
two RBI.
Senior Jamie Gath was the lone
Bentley player to register multiple hits as he hit 2-3 with a
double and run scored. Sophomore Jason Cooper hit 1-3, while
freshman Gabriel Vicente drove in the Falcons lone run.
Sophomore right-hander Tim Bryant
went the distance for the Falcons, getting hit for five earned runs
on ten hits with three strikeouts and a walk to take the loss
(1-6).
Franklin Pierce got all the runs it
would need with a four-spot in the top of the first. The first five
Raven batters recorded hits, with Blancarte and Callahan
sandwiching RBI singles around an RBI ground-rule double from
senior Dan Close (Leominster,
Mass./Leominster). Chambers drove in the final run of
the inning with a sacrifice fly to leftfield that scored Close with
one out.
Bentley got a run back in the third
inning when Gath double with one away and scored on a sac fly to
left from Vicente after Cooper singled to center. The Ravens got
that run back in the sixth when Callahan doubled and scored two
batters later on a Chambers two-bagger.
| Teams
| 1
| 2
| 3
| 4
| 5
| 6
| 7
| 8
| 9
| R
| H
| E
|
| FPC
| 4
| 0
| 0
| 0
| 0
| 1
| 0
| 0
| 0
| 5
| 10
| 4
|
| BC
| 0
| 0
| 1
| 0
| 0
| 0
| 0
| 0
| 0
| 1
| 6
| 1
|
BOX
SCORE
Battery
FP: Mike Farrell and Eric Cavers
BC: Tim Bryant and Jamie Saccardo
WP: Farrell (2-1)
LP: Bryant (1-6)
In the nightcap, Franklin Pierce
broke open a 1-1 tie with six runs in the fourth en route to the
division-clinching win. The Ravens pounded out 16 more hits for a
total of 26 in the twinbill.
Close hit 4-5 with a triple, stolen
base and three runs scored. Chambers was 2-5 with a double and
three RBI, while Callahan and Cavers each also registered two hits
and a steal apiece. Blancarte chipped in two hits and two RBI,
while senior Paul McAuliffe (Foxboro,
Mass./Foxboro) drove in a pair.
FreshmanTyler Cummings
(South Paris, Maine/Oxford Hills) was credited with
his fifth win of the season (5-4) as the Ravens most effective of
four pitchers used in the game. He pitched 2.2 innings of one-hit
shutout baseball with two strikeouts.
Freshman Chad Mastin hit 3-4 for
Bentley in the nightcap with a run scored, while senior Jamie
Saccardo finished 2-4 with an RBI and run scored.
Freshman Jake Perkins suffered the
loss (1-3) as he surrendered all ten runs, eight earned, on 16 hits
with two walks and four strikeouts.
Bentley opened the scoring in the
first with a single run when Saccardo singled to center after Methe
had reached base with a one-out single to right. Franklin Pierce
immediately knotted the score in the top of the second when Close
singled and later scored on a throwing error by the Bentley third
baseman.
The Ravens then scored six runs on
eight hits, including three bunt singles and another infield hit,
in the fourth to break the game open. Chambers laced a two-run
single down the leftfield line and McAuliffe belted a two-run
double to spark the rally. Blancarte and Cavers each chipped in
with RBI singles.
Franklin Pierce increased its lead
to 8-1 in the fifth as Callahan singled and later scored on a
groundout by senior Josh Coughlin (Keene,
N.H./Keene). Bentley plated two runs in the sixth and
one in the seventh to creep within 9-4, but the Ravens rounded out
the scoring with a single run in the eighth and Cummings held the
Falcons bats in check the rest of the way.
Bentley (9-24, 8-19 NE-10) rounds
out its regular season with a non-conference game at Division I
Northeastern University on Thursday.
| Teams
| 1
| 2
| 3
| 4
| 5
| 6
| 7
| 8
| 9
| R
| H
| E
|
| FP
| 0
| 1
| 0
| 6
| 1
| 0
| 1
| 1
| 0
| 10
| 16
| 0
|
| BC
| 1
| 0
| 0
| 0
| 0
| 2
| 1
| 0
| 0
| 4
| 8
| 3
|
BOX
SCORE
Battery
FP: Bryan Borowski, Jake Tenney (3), Greg Basile (4),
Tyler Cummings (7) and Eric Cavers
BC: Jake Perkins, Eric Mojica (9) and Jamie Saccardo
WP: Cummings (5-4)
LP: Perkins (1-3)
