Farrell, McLaughlin lead Owls to
victory and split of regular season series
NEW HAVEN, Conn. (March 30,
2006) - Southern Connecticut State University, receiving
votes in this week's Collegiate Baseball magazine Division
II poll, bounced back from being on the short end of no-hitter on
Tuesday to post a 5-2 victory over No. 11 Franklin Pierce and forge
a split of the regular season series in Northeast-10 Conference
baseball action at Owls Ballpark at SCSU this afternoon. The Ravens
claimed an 8-1 victory two days ago behind a
Southern Connecticut rode a
complete-game effort from senior lefthander Jeff
Farrell (Naugatuck, Conn./Naugatuck) for today's win
as he improved to 3-1 on the year. He allowed two earned runs,
while scattering seven hits with three strikeouts and no walks over
the nine innings.
Junior Jim McLaughlin
(Medway, Mass./Medway) fueled the Owls offense,
hitting a perfect 4-for-4 with three doubles, a triple and two RBI.
Junior Nick Czekaj (Branford,
Conn./Branford) was 2-4 with an RBI and two runs
scored, while classmate Steve Gatewood (Franklin,
Mass./Franklin) finished 1-3 with a stolen base, RBI
and run scored.
Junior right-hander
Arric Mather (Danville,
N.H./Winnacunnet), making just the second start of
his career and first since March 13, 2003, suffered his first loss
of the year (3-1) as he was touched for four earned runs on six
hits and two walks with three strikeouts over 6.1
innings.
The top four batters in Franklin
Pierce's lineup accounted for six of the Ravens seven hits on the
afternoon with the rest of the lineup going a combined 1-for-15.
Junior All-American Garrett Olson (Norway, Maine/Oxford
Hills) led the way by hitting 2-for-3 with a double,
stolen base and two runs scored. Senior Elliott Shea
(Jaffrey, N.H./Conant) was 2-4, while classmate
Mike Chambers (Londonderry,
N.H./Londonderry) finished 1-2 with an RBI. Senior
All-American Bryan Duplissie (East Swanzey,
N.H./Monadnock Regional) hit 1-3 with an RBI.
Franklin Pierce struck first,
scoring in its first at bat for the 15th time in 21
games this season, with a single run in the first inning. Olson
singled through the right side to lead things off and stole second.
Shea followed with a single to push Olson to third before scoring
on a sacrifice fly to left by Chambers.
Southern took its first lead with
two runs in the fourth. Freshman Karl Derbacher
(Northford, Conn./North Branford) led off with a
single, stole second, and then scored on a single through the right
side by Czekaj. McLaughlin followed with a two-out double down the
leftfield line to score Czekaj.
The Ravens knotted the score in the
sixth as Olson was hit by a Farrell pitch to lead off the inning,
followed by a single from Shea. Chambers sacrificed the two over
before Duplissie followed with a sac fly to drive in Olson. The
Ravens perhaps ran themselves out of an additional run in the
inning as Southern doubled off Shea for the final out on the play.
Southern took the lead for good
with two runs in the seventh. McLaughlin led off with a double and
scored on a Gatewood single with one out. Gatewood stole second,
and then scored on a Michael Diaz (Monroe,
Conn./Masuk) triple to right center.
The Owls added an insurance run in
the eighth as Czekaj singled with two out. McLaughlin followed with
his third double of the day to drive home Czekaj and round out the
scoring before Farrell retired Franklin Pierce in order in the
ninth.
Franklin Pierce (16-5, 1-1 NE-10)
is back in action on Saturday when is opens a three-game weekend
series with Stonehill College in a rematch of last year's
Northeast-10 Tournament Championship. The teams will meet for a
doubleheader at Dr. Arthur and Martha Pappas Field in Rindge on
Saturday at noon, before rounding out the series in Easton, Mass.,
on Sunday at 1 p.m. Southern Connecticut (14-7, 3-1 NE-10) opens a
three-game series with Bentley College with a doubleheader on
Saturday in Waltham, Mass., at noon.
Boxscore
& Play-by-Play
