Ravens take game one, 8-2, behind
strong start from Presutti, Skyhawks win nightcap, 3-1 in
ten innings
RINDGE, N.H. (April 1,
2006) - Franklin Pierce, ranked 11th in this
week's Collegiate Baseball magazine Division II poll, and
Stonehill College split a Northeast-10 Conference doubleheader at
Dr. Arthur and Martha Pappas Field this afternoon. The Ravens won
game one, 8-2, before the Skyhawks took the nightcap, 3-1, in ten
innings.
Franklin Pierce got a pair of
standout starting performances from senior All-American
Bryan Duplissie (East Swanzey, N.H./Monadnock
Regional) and junior Shane Presutti
(Southbridge, Mass./Southbridge). Leading the offense
was senior Elliott Shea (Jaffrey,
N.H./Conant), who was a combined 5-for-8 with a
double, home run, three RBI and a stolen base. The steal was the
57th of his career, matching the program record set by
former All-American Eric Cavers from 2002-2004.
Junior All-American
Garrett Olson (Norway, Maine/Oxford
Hills) was 4-for-7 with four runs scored, a triple,
homer, two RBI and two steals.
In game one, Presutti improved to
4-0 this spring as he allowed two earned runs on seven hits with a
season-high 11 strikeouts and one walk over eight innings.
Shea hit 3-for-4 with a home run,
stolen base, two runs scored and three RBI for the Ravens, while
Olson was 2-3 with a homer, two steals, three runs scored and two
RBI. Junior Kim Hart (Gorham,
Maine/Gorham) chipped in by going 2-4 with a double,
stolen base and two RBI.
Juniors Max Vigliotti
(Stamford, Conn./Cheshire Academy) and
Matt Vaughn (Bow, N.H./Bow) were both
1-for-3 with an RBI for Stonehill in the first game. Senior
Sean Lawrence (New Rochelle, N.Y./Fordham
Prep) and sophomore David Fradette
(Goffstown, N.H./Goffstown) each chipped in with
doubles.
Senior right-hander
Billy Sittig (West Roxbury, Mass./Catholic
Memorial), the reigning NE-10 Pitcher of the Year,
was handed his first loss of the season (3-1) as he was touched for
eight runs, six earned, on eight hits with three strikeouts and a
walk over seven innings.
Stonehill plated a run in the top
of the first as junior Adam Pardo (Hanover,
Mass./Hanover) singled up the middle, stole second,
and then scored on Vigliotti's single to center with two outs.
Franklin Pierce answered right back as Olson reached on an error to
lead off the home half before Shea belted his fifth home run of the
season to left to put the Ravens up 2-1.
Hart doubled and scored on a
sacrifice fly by freshman Scott Savastano (Plymouth,
Mass./Plymouth North) for the Ravens in the fourth.
Fradette led off the fifth with a double for the Skyhawks, and then
scored on Vaughn's single to pull within a run (3-2).
Franklin Pierce broke the game open
with four in the fifth. Senior Randy Fenton (Worcester,
Mass./Doherty) was hit by a Sittig pitch to lead off
the inning, followed by Olson's sixth homer of the year to left
center. Shea singled and Duplissie doubled before scoring on a Hart
single to center with one out. The Ravens rounded out their scoring
in the sixth as Olson was hit by a pitch for the school-record
31st time in his career and scored on a Shea single to
right.
Boxscore
& Play-by-Play
In the nightcap, Stonehill rode 9.2
strong innings from senior Brian Nelson (Greenville,
R.I./LaSalle) to a 3-1 victory in ten innings and
snap a 13-game losing streak to the Ravens dating back to 2002.
Nelson allowed just the one earned
run, while scattering eight hits and four walks with two strikeouts
over the 9.2 innings. Senior Joe Breen (Swampscott,
Mass./Swampscott) got the final out of the game with
a strikeout with the bases loaded in the tenth to pick up his first
save of the season.
Lawrence was 3-for-5 and drove in
all three Stonehill runs. Senior Coley Lyons (West
Roxbury, Mass./Catholic Memorial) was 2-5 with a
double.
The Ravens squandered a strong
start from Duplissie, who allowed just an earned run on five hits
with a season-high nine strikeouts and three walks over eight
innings. Junior Eric Grabowski (Worcester, Mass./David
Prouty) suffered the loss (0-1) as he yielded two
earned runs on three hits and two walks with five strikeouts over
the final two frames.
Olson and Shea were both 2-for-4
for the Ravens with Olson notching a triple and run scored and Shea
adding a double. Junior Vinny Pennell (Spencer,
Mass./David Prouty) was also 2-4 with a pair of
stolen bases, while senior Mike Chambers (Londonderry,
N.H./Londonderry) finished 1-3 with an RBI.
Grabowski struck out three of
Stonehill's four batters in the ninth, surrendering a two-out
double in the frame. However, the first two Skyhawk batters of the
tenth reached with a single and a walk. Pardo pushed the runners
over with a sacrifice, then Grabowski added another strikeout
before walking the bases loaded with two out. Lawrence delivered a
two-run single to give Stonehill the lead.
Franklin Pierce loaded the bases in
the bottom of the tenth. Shea registered a two-out double, followed
by a walk to chase Nelson. Breen walked the first batter he faced
to load the bases, but struck out Hart on three pitches to end the
game.
The Ravens jumped on the board with
a run in the first, marking the 17th time in 23 games
this season they have scored in their first at bat. Olson led off
with a triple and scored on a Chambers ground out.
Duplissie was breezing along until
the sixth when Stonehill evened the score. Pardo reached with a
one-out single, followed by a Lyons double. Duplissie intentionally
walked Vigliotti to set up the double play, but got it a batter too
late, as Lawrence singled through the left side to drive in the
tying run.
Boxscore
& Play-by-Play
Franklin Pierce (17-6, 2-2 NE-10)
and Stonehill (10-10, 6-2 NE-10) conclude their three game weekend
series tomorrow in Easton, Mass., at 1 p.m.
