Panza sacrifice fly scores winning run in the tenth as Ravens win fifth-straight home opener

RINDGE, N.H. (April 10, 2004) - After the two teams combined for 16 runs over the first inning and a half, Franklin Pierce, ranked seventh in this week's National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Northeast Region poll, scored the 17th run in the bottom of the tenth for a 9-8 victory over Bentley College in Northeast-10 Conference baseball action at Crystal Field this afternoon.

Franklin Pierce, which posted its fifth straight victory in a home opener, erased a 4-0 Bentley lead after a half inning with eight runs in the bottom of the first. However, after the Falcons rallied to knot the score at 8-8 in the top of the second, neither team scored again until sophomore Nick Panza (Albany, N.Y./Colonie Central) drove in freshman Garrett Olson (Norway, Maine/Oxford Hills) with the winning run on a pinch-hit sacrifice fly to shallow rightfield.

Olson had reached base with one out when he was hit by a pitch and classmate Kim Hart (Gorham, Maine/Gorham) followed with a double down the rightfield line to put two runners in scoring position with one away. After falling behind 3-and-1 to sophomore pinch-hitter Shawn Hayes (Charlton, Mass./Holy Name), the Falcons opted to intentionally walk him to load the bases and set up a force play at any base. Panza followed with a shallow liner to right that was just deep enough to score Olson with the winning run.            

Sophomore Elliott Shea (Jaffrey, N.H./Conant) was the lone Franklin Pierce batter with multiple hits as he finished 2-for-4 with two stolen bases and a run scored. He has now stolen a Conference-leading 15 bases this season on as many attempts. Junior catcher Eric Cavers (Otisfield, Maine/Oxford Hills) was 1-4 with a home run, two runs scored and two RBI at the plate. Behind the plate, he caught one Bentley runner stealing to end the Falcons tenth and picked another runner off at first.

Freshman Neil Cacciola (North Andover, Mass./Wakefield) picked up his first collegiate win (1-2) on the mound with a scoreless inning of relief, yielding just a two-out single. Junior right-hander Ryan Bowling (Cedar Springs, Mich./Cedar Springs) went the first nine for Franklin Pierce and allowed eight runs, just four earned, on seven hits with eight strikeouts and four walks. He settled down after the first two innings and allowed just two hits and two walks over his last seven innings of work.

Bentley grad student Jack Baird (Washington Depot, Conn./Shepaug Valley) suffered the loss in relief of senior Sean Andrews (Auburn, Maine/St. Dominic), who walked the only four batters he faced to start the game. Baird allowed five runs, just one earned, on six hits with five strikeouts and three walks in 9.2 innings of work. After the first two batters reached in the second, Baird settled down and retired the next 15 Franklin Pierce batters and allowed just one base runner from the third through eighth innings.            

Freshman Steve Gath (Reading, Mass./Reading) was the lone Falcon with multiple hits as he finished 2-for-4 with a pair of runs scored. Classmate Mike O'Connor (Wilbraham, Mass./Minnechaug) finished 1-4 with a double, two RBI and two runs scored, while junior Tim Bryant (Reading, Mass./Reading) was 1-3 with a double and two RBI.

Bentley broke on top with four in the top of the first with the big hit a two-run double with none out by O'Connor. Franklin Pierce answered with eight in the bottom of the first as the first five batters drew walks and Cavers capped the rally with a two-run homer to left with two out.

The Falcons knotted the score with four unearned runs in the second. Bryant belted a two-run double to right after the Ravens should have been out of the inning and freshman Tom Haugh (Andover, Mass./St. John's Prep) followed with an RBI single.

Franklin Pierce (12-15, 7-3 NE-10) returns to action on Monday when it hosts No. 24-ranked Southern Connecticut State University in a key Conference battle at 3:30 p.m. Bentley (7-12, 5-8 NE-10) visits Southern New Hampshire University on Tuesday at 3:30 p.m.

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