Mather pitches Ravens to second-straight win, Shea becomes
all-time stolen base leader
RINDGE, N.H. (April 6,
2006) - Franklin Pierce, ranked No. 21 in this week's
National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Division
II poll and 25th in this week's Collegiate
Baseball magazine poll, opened up a 5-0 lead after four
innings and never looked back in posting a 6-2 victory over Bryant
University in Northeast-10 Conference baseball action at Dr. Arthur
and Martha Pappas Field this afternoon.
Junior right-hander
Arric Mather (Danville, N.H./Winnacunnet)
picked up his fourth win of the season (4-1) with 8.1 strong
innings for Franklin Pierce. He allowed just the two earned runs on
six hits with six strikeouts and two walks. Both walks came in the
ninth inning after passing the 100-pitch mark after scattering four
hits over eight shutout
innings.
Senior Elliott Shea
(Jaffrey, N.H./Conant) became the Ravens all-time
leader in stolen bases, stealing the 58th base of his
career in the fourth inning. He surpasses former All-American Eric
Cavers, who stole 57 bases from 2002-04, with his Northeast-10
leading 16th theft of the year. Shea finished the game
1-for-3 with two runs scored.
Senior Mike Chambers
(Londonderry, N.H./Londonderry) led the offense this
afternoon as he hit 2-for-4 with a pair of doubles and a run
scored. Junior All-American Garrett Olson (Norway,
Maine/Oxford Hills) was 1-3 with a home run and three
RBI, while classmate Kim Hart (Gorham,
Maine/Gorham) finished 1-3 with a homer.
Junior Mike Rocco
(Tewksbury, Mass./Tewksbury) led Bryant on offense as
he hit 2-for-4. Senior Chris Brown (Norwalk,
Conn./Norwalk) was 1-3 with a run scored, while
sophomore Mike Dondero (Medfield,
Mass./Xavarian) finished 1-4 with an RBI.
Sophomore Eric Loh (Old
Greenwich, Conn./Greenwich) suffered the loss (2-5)
for the Bulldogs, surrendering five earned runs on six hits with
three strikeouts and three walks over six
innings.
Franklin Pierce jumped ahead with
two runs in the first, marking the seventh-straight game and the
20th time in 26 games this season the Ravens have scored
in their first at bat. Shea drew a leadoff walk, before Olson
struck with his seventh homer of the season a batter later with one
out. Olson drove in the Ravens third run in the third with a
sacrifice fly that scored Shea (hit-by-pitch) from third after
Chambers first double of the day.
The Ravens extended their lead to
5-0 with a pair in the fourth. Hart belted a solo homer over the
wall in left for the first run, before senior Randy
Fenton (Worcester, Mass./Doherty) later scored on a
balk. Chambers led off the Ravens seventh with a double down the
leftfield line and later scored on a two-out triple down the right
field line by freshman Scott Savastano (Plymouth,
Mass./Plymouth North).
Bryant struck for a pair against a
tiring Mather in the ninth. Senior Paul Novakowski
(Prospect, Conn./Bridgton Academy) drew a leadoff
walk (Mather's first of the day), before Brown and Rocco added
singles to load the bases with none out. Novakowski scored on a
sacrifice fly and Mather was pulled after issuing a second walk to
again load the bases. Senior Mike Farrell (Russell,
Mass./Gateway Regional) came on and got a pair of
ground ball outs (one that drove in the Bulldogs second run) to end
the game.
Franklin Pierce (19-7, 5-3 NE-10)
is back in action tomorrow when it visits Merrimack College for an
NE-10 contest at 3:30 p.m. Bryant (8-21, 6-4 NE-10) visits Saint
Anselm College for a doubleheader Saturday beginning at noon.
Boxscore
& Play-by-Play
