Ravens collect 8-3 win behind Berbarian, Duplissie and
Chambers
MELBOURNE, Fla. (March 22,
2006) - Franklin Pierce, ranked No. 7 in this week's
Collegiate Baseball magazine Division II Coaches' poll,
shook off last night's disappointing loss at top-ranked University
of Tampa and posted an 8-3 victory at the Florida Institute of
Technology at Seminick-Hall Field this afternoon.
Junior righthander Nate
Berbarian (Northborough, Mass./Northborough), slated
as Franklin Pierce's closer this season, made a spot start for the
Ravens and turned in a solid five innings of work, yielding just an
earned run while scattering six hits with two strikeouts to earn
his first win of the season (1-0).
The top half of the Franklin Pierce
lineup did the damage on offense, as the Ravens one through five
batters were a combined 9-for-21 with seven RBI. Senior
All-American Bryan Duplissie (East Swanzey,
N.H./Monadnock Regional) led the way as he hit
2-for-4 with a home run, stolen base, three runs scored and two
RBI. Senior Mike Chambers (Londonderry,
N.H./Londonderry) was 2-5 with a pair of stolen
bases, a double two RBI and two runs scored. Junior Kim
Hart (Gorham, Maine/Gorham) hit 2-4 with two RBI,
while freshman Scott Savastano (Plymouth,
Mass./Plymouth North) finished 2-3 with an RBI and
stolen
base.
Florida Tech, which out-hit
Franklin Pierce 13-12, was led on offense by sophomore
Brendan Twomey (Boca Raton, Fla./Pope John
Paul) who was 3-for-4 with an RBI. Senior
Devin Hopkins (Pembroke Pines, Fla./Nova)
was 2-4 with an RBI, while classmate Bryan Stanton
(Merritt Island, Fla./Merrit Island) was 2-4 with a
double and run scored. Junior Jonathan Baksh
(Mississauga, Ontario/Applewood Heights) rounded out
the Panthers with multiple hits by going 2-4.
Freshman Mike Piazza
(Port St. Lucie, Fla./Lincoln Park) suffered the loss
(2-1), allowing four runs, all earned, on seven hits and three
walks with two strikeouts over six innings.
Franklin Pierce, which was held off
the scoreboard in the first inning for just the third time this
season, broke through with a single run in the second. Duplissie
led off the inning with a single through the left side, and later
scored on a two-out single from
Savastano.
Duplissie followed a double from
junior All-American Garrett Olson (Norway, Maine/Oxford
Hills) and RBI single by Chambers with a two-run
homer to put the Ravens up 4-0 in the third. The homer was his team
leading sixth of the season and third over the last two days.
Florida Tech got a run back in the
fourth as Stanton roped a one-out double and later scored on a
Hopkins single to right. The Ravens got that run back in the
seventh when Olson reached on an infield single and later scored on
a double play.
Franklin Pierce broke the game open
with three in the ninth after the Panthers retired the first two
batters of the inning. Chambers roped an RBI double down the line
in right and later scored, along with Duplissie (walk), on a two
run single from Hart down the leftfield line.
Trailing 8-1, the Panthers didn't
go down quietly, scoring twice in the bottom of the ninth. Twomey
notched an RBI single through the right side before sophomore
Brandon Veronee (Chester, Va./Thomas
Dale) drove in the final run with a sacrifice
fly.
Franklin Pierce (13-2, 0-0 NE-10)
continues its Sunshine State tour tomorrow at No. 21 Florida Gulf
Coast University at 5 p.m. Florida Tech (18-10, 3-3 SSC) hosts
Saint Leo College for a three-game Conference series beginning
Friday at 3 p.m.
Boxscore
& Play-by-Play
