Ravens erase 5-2 deficit after
three innings, Fournier fires six innings of one-hit shutout
relief
SPARTANBURG, S.C. (February
18, 2006) - Franklin Pierce, ranked No. 20 in this week's
Collegiate Baseball magazine Division II Coaches' poll,
erased a 5-2 deficit after three innings to post an 8-5 victory
over the University of South Carolina Upstate in non-conference
baseball action at Harley Park tonight. The teams were originally
slated for an afternoon doubleheader, but heavy rain forced the
teams to play just one game tonight.
Junior righthander
Daniel Fournier (Worcester, Mass./Holy
Name), Franklin Pierce's scheduled starter for the
fourth game of the series, turned in six innings of one-hit shutout
relief to keep the Ravens in the contest. Fournier fanned 12 and
walked two over the six innings, striking out the side in order in
the sixth and eighth innings.
Senior Mike Chambers
(Londonderry, N.H./Londonderry) led the Ravens 14-hit
attack, as he was 3-for-4 with three doubles and two runs scored.
Sophomore Matt Anderson (Medford,
Mass./Medford) was 2-4 with two RBI, while junior
Vinny Pennell (Spencer, Mass./David
Prouty) was 2-3 with an RBI and two runs scored.
Senior All-American Bryan Duplissie (East Swanzey,
N.Y./Monadnock Regional) and junior Kim
Hart (Gorham, Maine/Gorham) each added two hits and
an RBI, while junior All-American Garrett Olson
(Norway, Maine/Oxford Hills) chipped in two
RBI.
Junior Bret Story
(Cowpens, S.C.) was the lone USC Upstate batter with
multiple hits, going 2-for-4 with an RBI. Senior Matt
Goyea (St. Charles, Mo.) finished 1-2 with an RBI.
Freshman Justin Hayes
(Maudlin, S.C.) suffered the loss in relief for the
Spartans, yielding two runs, just one earned, on four hits with a
strikeout over two innings.
Back-to-back two-out doubles from
Chambers and Duplissie put the Ravens in front in the top of the
first. For the second-straight day, USCU answered in the home half
when sophomore Kyle Bowley (Apopka, Fla.)
notched an RBI single with two outs.
After the Ravens added an unearned
run in the second, the Spartans plated four in the third. USCU got
runs off two RBI singles, a sacrifice fly and wild pitch. Franklin
Pierce knotted the score with a three-run sixth, capped by a
two-run single from Olson.
Franklin Pierce regained the lead
for good with a pair in the seventh on a Hart sac fly and RBI
single from Pennell. The Ravens added an insurance run in the ninth
on Anderson's RBI single.
Franklin Pierce (1-1, 0-0 NE-10)
and USC Upstate (5-3, 0-0 Peach Belt) will play the rubber game of
their weekend series tomorrow at 11 a.m.
Boxscore
& Play-by-Play
