Bison bang out 20 hits in rain-shortened contest
FORT MYERS, Fla. (March 16,
2004) - Franklin Pierce, ranked fourth in this week's
National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Northeast
Regional poll, suffered an 18-6 loss to North Dakota State
University in a game shortened to seven innings because of rain at
the Gene Cusic Classic this morning.
North Dakota State erupted for 15
runs over the final four innings and totaled 20 hits for the game.
Senior shortstop Jeremiah Piepkorn (Sauk Rapids,
Minn.) nearly single-handedly topped the Ravens as
his three-run homer in the fifth broke open a 5-4 game before
adding an RBI double in a five-run Bison sixth and belted another
three-run bomb in a five-run seventh.
Freshman reliever Neil
Cacciola (North Andover, Mass./Wakefield) suffered
the loss, as he was touched for four runs, three earned, on four
hits with two walks and two strikeouts over 1.1 innings. He came on
for junior Ryan Bowling (Cedar Springs, Mich./Muskegon
CC) who allowed four runs, three earned, on seven
hits and a walk with three strikeouts over the first 3.1 innings.
Freshman Garrett Olson
(Norway, Maine/Oxford Hills) was 1-for-2 at the plate
with a pair of walks, a run scored and an RBI. Senior
Dante Blancarte (Amesbury,
Mass./Amesbury) was 1-3 with an RBI and run scored as
was freshman Kim Hart (Gorham,
Maine/Gorham).
After NDSU struck for a pair of
runs in the top of the first, the Ravens rallied with four in the
bottom of the frame to take the lead. Junior Eric
Cavers (Otisfield, Maine/Oxford Hills) and Blancarte
singled and scored when Piepkorn fired a double-play ball into
rightfield. Sophomore Mike Feetham (Quincy, Mass./North
Quincy) drove in Mike Chambers
(Londonderry, N.H./Londonderry) on a fielder's
choice, then scored on an RBI single by Hart.
After closing to within 4-3 with a
single run in the third, the Bison regained the lead for good with
a pair of unearned runs in the fourth. Senior Chris
Baso (Menahga, Minn.) doubled, and then scored when
freshman Chauncey Calhoun (Surprise,
Ariz.) reached on an fielding error. He later scored
on another Franklin Pierce miscue.
Franklin Pierce (5-6) returns to
action with a pair of games tomorrow. The Ravens will face Teikyo
Post University at 9 a.m., before a noon contest against the
University of North Dakota. North Dakota State (6-8) faces Caldwell
College tomorrow at 9 a.m.
| Teams
| 1
| 2
| 3
| 4
| 5
| 6
| 7
| R
| H
| E
|
| NDSU
| 2
| 0
| 1
| 2
| 3
| 5
| 5
| 18
| 20
| 1
|
| FP
| 4
| 0
| 0
| 0
| 1
| 0
| 1
| 6
| 7
| 3
|
BOX
SCORE & PLAY-BY-PLAY
Batteries:
NDSU - Brandon Goltz, Greg Plecki (6), Terry Tchida (7)
and Chris Baso.
FP - Ryan Bowling, Neil Cacciola (4), Matt
Fisher (6), Tom Gilmore (7) and Eric Cavers.
WP: Goltz
LP: Cacciola (0-1)
HR: Jeremiah Piepkorn 2
