Ravens plate winning run on error in the eighth
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. (March
30, 2004) - Franklin Pierce, ranked No. 8 in this week's
National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Division
II Northeast Region poll, scored the winning run on a throwing
error in the top of the eighth inning to post a 3-2 decision over
Merrimack College in Northeast-10 Conference baseball action at
Warrior Field this afternoon.
Franklin Pierce erased deficits of
1-0 and 2-1 and sophomore Mike Chambers (Londonderry,
N.H./Londonderry), who drew a one-out walk, scored
the winning run in the eighth when Merrimack senior shortstop
Bryan Green (Boxford, Mass./Masconomet)
threw the ball away on an attempt to turn an inning-ending double
play.
Freshman Garrett Olson
(Norway, Maine/Oxford Hills) paced the Ravens offense
as he hit 3-for-4 to extend his team-leading hitting streak to
eight games. Senior Dante Blancarte (South Berwick,
Maine/Amesbury (Mass.)) was 1-3 with an RBI, while
sophomore Randy Fenton (Worcester,
Mass./Doherty) finished 1-3 with a run scored.
Freshman Vinny Pennell (Spencer, Mass./David
Prouty) extended his season-best hitting streak to
six games with a 1-3 effort.
Junior right-hander
Keith Brouillard (Westport,
Mass./Somerset) improved to 3-0 on the season as he
pitched 4.1-innings of two-hit shutout relief with three strikeouts
and two walks. Freshman Neil Cacciola (North Andover,
Mass./Wakefield) went the first 4.2 innings, allowing
two runs, just one earned, on three hits with two strikeouts and
four walks.
Freshman Brian DeMasse
(Reading, Mass./Reading) was the hard-luck loser for
Merrimack as he allowed three runs, just two earned, on eight hits
with three strikeouts and two walks in 7.1 innings of
work.
Green hit 2-5 with a run scored to
lead the Warriors on offense, while senior Shawn Lawton
(Andover, Mass./Andover) was 1-3 with an RBI.
Merrimack took a 1-0 lead with two
out in the bottom of the first when Green singled and scored on an
RBI single by Lawton down the leftfield line.
The Ravens answered with a run in
the third when Fenton led off with a single and scored on a two-out
single to left from sophomore Elliott Shea (Jaffrey,
N.H./Conant). The Warriors regained the lead in the
fourth when junior Taylor Elder (Merrimack,
N.H./Merrimack) was hit by a pitch and scored on an
error by Cacciola on a fielder's choice.
The Ravens knotted the score again
in the fifth when Blancarte singled to left to score junior
Eric Cavers (Otisfield, Maine/Oxford
Hills).
Franklin Pierce (9-14, 4-2 NE-10)
and Merrimack (4-11, 1-4 NE-10) are slated to play a doubleheader
in Rindge on Thursday beginning at 2 p.m.
BOXSCORE
& PLAY-BY-PLAY
