Ravens erase early deficit, take 9-1 lead before Bulldogs
score three late
RINDGE, N.H. (April 24,
2005) - Franklin Pierce, ranked No. 29 in this week's
Collegiate Baseball magazine Division II poll, erased an
early 1-0 deficit with five runs in the bottom of the second en
route to building a 9-1 lead before settling for a 9-4 victory over
Bryant University in Northeast-10 Conference baseball action at Dr.
Arthur and Martha Pappas Field this afternoon.
Junior Elliott Shea
(Jaffrey, N.H./Conant) hit 3-for-4 with a home run,
three RBI and two runs scored, while classmate Bryan
Duplissie (East Swanzey, N.H./Monadnock Regional) was
2-3 with a double, homer and four RBI. Junior Randy
Fenton (Worcester, Mass./Doherty) finished with a
double and two RBI. Sophomore Vinny Pennell (Spencer,
Mass./David Prouty) batted 2-3 with a stolen base and
run
scored.
Sophomore Daniel
Fournier (Worcester, Mass./Holy Name) improved to
4-0, allowing an earned run on five hits with eight strikeouts
while walking six over seven innings of work.
Bryant juniors Paul
Novakowski (Prospect, Conn./Bridgton Academy) and
Nick Tucarella (Salem, N.H./Central
Catholic) were both 2-for-3 with an RBI, while
Tucarella also contributed a double. Classmate Chris
Brown (Norwalk, Conn./Norwalk) was 2-5 with an RBI,
while freshman Jason Alexander (Simsbury,
Conn./Simsbury) finished 2-4.
Senior All-American
Stephen Sloan (Franklin, Mass./Franklin)
took the loss (4-3) as he was hit for eight runs, seven earned, on
nine hits with three strikeouts and a walk over 6.1 innings of
work.
Bryant struck first with a run in
the second as Tucarella led off with a double and scored on a wild
pitch. The Ravens struck right back with five in the home half.
Duplissie roped an RBI double down the line in left and after the
Ravens loaded the bases with a single and a hit batter, Fenton
belted a two-run double to the gap in left center to drive in two.
Shea capped the rally with a two-run single through the left side.
Franklin Pierce added a pair in the
sixth when junior Shawn Hayes (Charlton, Mass./Holy
Name) got a sun-aided triple, followed by Duplissie's
Conference-leading ninth homer of the season. The blast moved him
into a tie for seventh on the program's single-season home run
list.
The Ravens added single runs in the
seventh and eighth. Duplissie drove in Shea, who was hit by a pitch
to lead off the inning, in the seventh and Shea smacked his fourth
homer of the year in the eighth. The Bulldogs scratched out three
runs off two Franklin Pierce relievers in the ninth. Novakowski,
Tucarella and Brown each registered RBI singles.
Franklin Pierce (18-9, 12-6 NE-10)
returns to action tomorrow afternoon when it visits Southern New
Hampshire University at 3:30 p.m. The Ravens return home on
Thursday to host Stonehill College at 3:30 p.m. Bryant (17-14, 11-8
NE-10) visits Merrimack College on Tuesday.
BOX
SCORE & PLAY-BY-PLAY
