Ravens head into Tuesday's Top Ten clash with #4 Tampa winners
of a school-record matching 12-straight; Cummings matches program's
career win mark with 20th victory in game one
CLEARWATER, Fla. (March 18,
2006) - Franklin Pierce, ranked No. 9 in this week's
Collegiate Baseball magazine Division II Coaches' poll,
extended its winning streak to a school-record matching 12 games
with a doubleheader sweep of Caldwell College at Jack Russell
Stadium, spring training home of the Philadelphia Phillies, this
afternoon. The Ravens posted a 10-0 victory in seven innings in
game one, before posting a 9-4 triumph in the nightcap.
Franklin Pierce, off to a 12-1
start for the first time in program history, has won 12-straight
for just the second time, matching the program record set in April
2004. Senior right-hander Tyler Cummings (South Paris,
Maine/Oxford Hills) tossed a seven-inning shutout in
game one for the Ravens to pick up his 20th career
victory, matching the program record set by Chris Shank in 2002 and
matched by Jon White in 2003.
Franklin Pierce (12-1, 0-0 NE-10)
enjoys an off day on Monday before it faces No. 4-ranked University
of Tampa in a Division II Top Ten battle Tuesday night at 7 p.m.
The Spartans enter Tuesday's game winners of a school-record
20-straight after a three-game weekend series sweep of Barry
University. Caldwell (1-6, 0-0 CACC) faces Oakland City College
tomorrow at 4 p.m.
In game one, senior Tyler Cummings
fired a five-hit shutout with a walk and four strikeouts over the
game, which was called after seven innings (mercy rule) with
Franklin Pierce leading 10-0. Cummings improves to 3-0 and has not
allowed a run over his last 17 innings of work, joining teammate
Daniel Fournier (Worcester, Mass./Holy
Name) with 17-inning shutout streaks - just two
thirds of an inning shy of former teammate Keith Brouillard's
school record streak of 17.2 innings set in 2004. Cummings has
posted a 20-11 career record at Franklin
Pierce.
Senior All-American
Bryan Duplissie (East Swanzey, N.H./Monadnock
Regional) led the offense as he hit 2-for-3 with two
runs scored, a triple and RBI. Senior Mike Chambers
(Londonderry, N.H./Londonderry) was 2-4 with two RBI
and two runs scored, while junior All-American Garrett
Olson (Norway, Maine/Oxford Hills) was 2-5 with a
double, RBI and two runs scored.
Senior right-hander
Travis Muessig (Mount Sinai, N.Y./Mount
Sinai) suffered the loss for Caldwell as he was hit
for nine earned runs on 11 hits and four walks with three
strikeouts over five innings of work.
Junior Billy Ryan (Toms
River, N.J./Manchester) led the Cougars offense as he
hit 2-for-3.
Franklin Pierce scored all the runs
they would need with three in the bottom of the first. Chambers
notched an RBI single, while Duplissie added an RBI triple and
junior Kim Hart (Gorham, Maine/Gorham)
finished the scoring with an RBI double.
The Ravens added two in the fourth
as sophomore Matt Anderson (Medford,
Mass./Medford) notched an RBI single and scored on an
Olson double. Duplissie singled and scored in the fifth on a double
from freshman Scott Savastano (Plymouth, Mass./Plymouth
North). In the sixth, Chambers drove in Olson (who
singled) with a single. Hart was hit by a pitch with the bases
loaded, then junior Vinny Pennell (Spencer, Mass./David
Prouty) rounded out the scoring with an RBI single.
The game ended in the home half of
the seventh when Olson reached on an error and later scored when
Hart drew a bases loaded walk.
Boxscore
& Play-by-Play
In the nightcap, Franklin Pierce
trailed after two innings, but scored two runs in the third, fourth
and fifth to come away with a 9-4 victory.
Junior righthander
Arric Mather (Danville, N.H./Winnacunett)
picked up his second win in as many days with 6.1 innings of strong
relief of starter Bryan Duplissie. Mather allowed just an earned
run on seven hits with five strikeouts and no walks to improve to
2-0. Duplissie was hit for three earned runs on four hits and three
walks with a strikeout over the first 2.2 innings.
Olson sparked the offense as he hit
3-for-5 with a pair of triples, three runs scored and a stolen
base. Senior Elliott Shea (Jaffrey,
N.H./Conant) was 2-4 with a triple, two runs scored
and an RBI, while Chambers was 2-4 with a home run and three RBI.
Anderson was 2-3 with an RBI and run scored, while Savastano
finished 2-4 with a triple and RBI.
Freshman Stephen Pfeil
(Hampstead, N.Y./Pinherton Academy) suffered the
loss, yielding eight earned runs on 11 hits with two strikeouts and
no walks over four innings.
Sophomores Tommy Murphy
(Monroe, N.Y./Washingtonville) and
Americo Eaderesto (Manorville, N.Y./Center
Moriches) were both 3-for-3 for the Cougars with a
run scored, while junior Efrain Velazquez (Brick,
N.J./Brick Township) was 2-4 with a pair of
RBI.
Franklin Pierce struck for a pair
of runs in the top of the first, marking the 11th time
in 12 games this season the Ravens have scored in their first at
bat and 17th time in 20 games dating back to last
season. Olson led off the frame with a single, stole second, then
scored on a Shea single. Shea advanced to second with an error on
the play, then stole third and scored on a sacrifice fly from
Chambers.
Caldwell got one run back in the
home half of the first as senior Landon Viessy (Oakland
Gardens, N.Y./Cardozo) drove in Velazquez with a sac
fly. The Cougars took their first and only lead of the afternoon in
the second as Velazquez followed up singles from Eaderesto and
Murphy with a two-run single.
The Ravens regained the lead for
good with two in the third. Olson tripled and scored on a Shea sac
fly, before Chambers followed with his fourth homer of the season.
Franklin Pierce added two more in the fourth as Savastano roped an
RBI triple and scored on an Anderson single. Olson and Shea notched
back-to-back triples in the fifth before Chambers added an RBI
single to put the Ravens up 8-3.
After Caldwell scored in the
seventh, Franklin Pierce got the run right back in the eighth as
Anderson walked and scored on a triple from senior
Randy Fenton (Worcester, Mass./Doherty).
Boxscore
& Play-by-Play
