Ravens come back to win game one, 2-1, outlast Golden
Knights in nightcap, 6-4
RINDGE, N.H. (April 8,
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, had all it could handle in sweeping a
Northeast-10 Conference baseball doubleheader from the College of
Saint Rose at Dr. Arthur and Martha Pappas Field this afternoon.
Franklin Pierce, rallied for a pair
of runs late on just one hit to claim a 2-1 victory in game one,
before posting a 6-4 win in the nightcap. Senior Mike
Chambers (Londonderry, N.H./Londonderry) was a
combined 3-for-5 with a triple, two stolen bases and a run scored
for the Ravens. Senior Elliott Shea (Jaffrey,
N.H./Conant) was 3-for-8 with a pair of doubles and
an RBI, while freshman Scott Savastano (Plymouth,
Mass./Plymouth North) had a pair of RBI.
Franklin Pierce, which entered the
game as the top defensive team in the Northeast-10 and a seven-game
errorless streak (69 error-free innings) committed four miscues on
the afternoon, including three in the nightcap, which resulted in
four of Saint Rose's five runs on the day coming unearned.
Franklin Pierce 2, Saint
Rose 1 (Game 1)
Saint Rose squandered a terrific start from sophomore
Nick DiMidio (Scotia, N.Y./CBA), who was
perfect through the first five against the Northeast-10's top
offense and carried a no-hitter into the seventh. DiMidio suffered
his fourth loss (0-4), allowing two earned runs on just a hit with
four strikeouts and three walks in a complete game effort.
Chambers had the Ravens lone hit of
the game with an infield single to lead off the seventh and
finished 1-for-3 with a stolen base. Senior Randy
Fenton (Worcester, Mass./Doherty) had the Ravens lone
RBI with a sacrifice fly to knot the score in the sixth, while
junior Vinny Pennell (Spencer,
Mass./Doherty) stole two bases, including a straight
steal of home with two outs in the bottom of the eighth to score
the deciding run.
Junior right-hander
Shane Presutti (Southbridge,
Mass./Southbridge) improved to 5-0 on the spring,
yielding just an unearned run while scattering three hits with ten
strikeouts and no walks over 8.2 innings. Senior Mike
Farrell (Russell, Mass./Gateway Regional) retired the
only batter he faced with the tying run on third to notch the first
save by a Franklin Pierce pitcher this
season.
Freshman Daniel Felitte
(Delmar, N.Y./Bethlehem) hit 1-for-3 for Saint Rose
with an RBI and stolen base. Senior Bill Behrle
(Albany, N.Y./Albany) was 1-3 with a run scored.
Both pitchers breezed through the
first two innings, but Behrle reached on Franklin Pierce's first
error in 71 innings to lead off the third for Saint Rose. Behrle
advanced to third on a passed ball, then scored on a two-out single
up the middle from Felitte.
Junior Kim Hart
(Gorham, Maine/Gorham) drew a leadoff walk to break
up DiMidio's perfect game in the sixth. Hart was lifted for a pinch
runner, and after advancing to second on a sacrifice bunt and to
third on a wild pitch, junior Jake Christman (Newton,
Mass./Newton South) scored the tying run on a Fenton
sacrifice fly.
Pennell led off the eighth with a
walk, stole second and reached third on a sac bunt from Christman.
After a groundout, Pennell scored the winning run with a straight
steal of home with two out.
Boxscore
& Play-by-Play
Franklin Pierce 6, Saint
Rose 4 (Game 2)
In the nightcap, Franklin Pierce broke open a tie game
with three runs in the seventh to collect a 6-4
victory.
Shea was 3-for-5 with a pair of
doubles, an RBI and run scored for Franklin Pierce, while Chambers
finished 2-2 with a walk, triple, run scored and RBI. Savastano hit
2-4 with two RBI and a steal, while Pennell was 2-4 with a double
and stolen base.
Sophomore Tyler Bishop
(Milford, N.H./Milford) picked up the win (2-1) in
relief, allowing an earned run on two hits and a walk with four
strikeouts over 2.1 innings. The Ravens also got another strong
relief outing from Farrell, who scattered four hits and two walks
with two strikeouts over 4.1 scoreless innings.
Felitte hit 2-for-4 for Saint Rose,
while freshman Chris Morrill (Glenmont,
N.Y./Bethlehem) was 1-3 with an RBI. Senior
Nick Panza (Albany, N.Y./Colonie) added
two RBI and a stolen base for the Golden Knights, while sophomore
Casey Deuel (Queensbury, N.Y./Queensbury)
was 1-1 with a pair of walks and two runs scored.
Senior Brian Poland
(Latham N.Y./Shaker) took the loss (0-4),
surrendering the six earned runs on nine hits with four strikeouts
and three walks (two intentional) over 6.1 innings.
Saint Rose struck for a run in the
first after the first two batters were retired. Panza drew a
two-out walk, stole second, and then scored when a single to right
by senior Michael Murphy (New City, N.Y./Clarkstown
North) got past Franklin Pierce's
rightfielder.
Franklin Pierce answered with a
pair in the home half, marking the 21st time in 28 games
this season the Ravens have scored in their first at bat. Senior
All-American Bryan Duplissie (East Swanzey,
N.H./Monadnock Regional) doubled in the tying run and
scored on a Savastano single to right center with two out.
The Golden Knights regained the
lead with a pair in the second, again after the first two batters
of the frame were retired and this time without registering a hit.
An error and two walks loaded the bases and Morrill drew another
walk to force home the tying run. Panza drew the fourth walk of the
inning to put Saint Rose ahead before Farrell finally got the final
out. The Ravens knotted the score at three in the bottom of the
second as sophomore Matt Anderson (Medford,
Mass./Medford) was hit by a pitch to lead off the
frame and scored on a Shea double down the left field line.
The game remained tied (3-3) until
the seventh, when the Ravens struck for a trio of runs to take the
lead for good after the Golden Knights left the bases loaded in the
top of the inning. Shea singled with one out and Chambers followed
with an RBI triple down the right field line. Junior All-American
Garrett Olson (Norway, Maine/Oxford
Hills) was intentionally walked, and then started a
delayed steal, which resulted in Chambers stealing home for the
Ravens fifth run. After another intentional walk, Savastano greeted
Saint Rose reliever Brendan Mullins (Hudson,
N.Y./Hudson) with an RBI single to give the Ravens a
three-run lead.
The Golden Knights rounded out the
scoring with a run in the eighth as Deuel led off with a single and
later scored on a Panza groundout.
Boxscore
& Play-by-Play
Franklin Pierce (21-7, 6-3 NE-10)
returns to action on Monday when it travels to Merrimack College
for a makeup of Friday's rainout at 3:30 p.m. Saint Rose (4-24,
0-12 NE-10) hosts Stonehill College for a doubleheader tomorrow at
noon.
