Ravens rally twice to defeat Saint Rose, 10-7, in
suspended game
AMSTERDAM, N.Y. (May 5,
2006) - Franklin Pierce, ranked 12th in this
week's Collegiate Baseball magazine coaches poll and
15th in this week's National Collegiate Baseball Writers
Association (NCBWA) poll, clinched its first Northeast-10
Conference regular season championship with a 10-7 victory at the
College of Saint Rose as the teams completed a suspended game from
last Friday this evening at Shuttleworth Park.
The game was originally ruled a 9-0
forfeit victory for Saint Rose by the game umpires who called the
game in the top of the second inning last week. The umpires ruled
Franklin Pierce head coach Jayson King
and sophomore catcher Matt Anderson (Medford,
Mass./Medford) failed to leave the field of play in a
timely manner after being ejected in the bottom of the first
inning. However, the Northeast-10 ruled the forfeit was called
incorrectly, calling for the game to be resumed tonight with Saint
Rose holding a 5-2 lead in the top of the second inning.
Franklin Pierce (40-9, 25-5 NE-10),
who reaches the 40-win plateau for the first time in program
history, will be the top seed as it looks to defend its
Northeast-10 Tournament title next weekend. The Ravens will face
the winner of Wednesday's opening round game between the fourth and
fifth seeds next Friday, May 12, at LeLacheur Park in Lowell,
Mass., at a time to be announced next week. Saint Rose (9-35, 5-22
NE-10) visits Saint Anselm College tomorrow at 4
p.m.
Senior right-hander
Tyler Cummings (South Paris, Maine/Oxford
Hills) held Saint Rose in check over the final 5.2
innings this evening to allow Franklin Pierce to complete a pair of
comeback efforts. Cummings allowed just two hits over 5.2 shutout
innings of work, striking out five and walking none to collect his
eighth win of the season (8-1) - the 25th victory
of his career. He has not allowed a walk in his last 24.2 innings
of work.
Junior All-American
Garrett Olson (Norway, Maine/Oxford
Hills) was 3-for-6 with a pair of doubles, a stolen
base, an RBI and run scored to lead the Ravens on offense. Senior
Mike Chambers (Londonderry,
N.H./Londonderry) was 2-6 with a double, two runs
scored and two RBI, while classmate Elliot Shea
(Jaffrey, N.H./Conant) hit 2-4 with a steal, RBI and
three runs scored. Freshman Scott Savastano (Plymouth,
Mass./Plymouth) finished 2-4 with a double and two
RBI, while senior All-American Bryan Duplissie (East
Swanzey, N.H./Monadnock Regional) chipped in two RBI.
Senior Bill Behrle
(Albany, N.Y./Albany) and junior Mike
Pagano (New City, N.Y./Clarkstown South) each batted
2-for-4 with a run scored and RBI for Saint Rose, while sophomore
Casey Deuel (Queensbury, N.Y./Queensbury)
was 2-4 with an RBI. Pagano also finished with a stolen base.
Sophomore Jeremiah St.
Louis (Tupper Lake, N.Y./Tupper Lake) suffered the
loss in relief for the Golden Knights (1-6) as he surrendered five
runs, four earned, on eight hits and six walks with three
strikeouts over five innings of
work.
Saint Rose held a 5-2 lead after an
inning of play before the game was halted after the Ravens put the
first two runners on base in the second. Pagano, Behrle and Deuel
each notched RBI singles in the Golden Knights first at bat, while
another run scored on a sacrifice fly by Ben Paniccia
(Schenectady, N.Y./Mohonasen) and another came around
on an error.
Franklin Pierce pulled within a run
in the second after play resumed this evening as Olson ripped an
RBI double down the leftfield line and Shea scored on a groundout.
The Ravens took a 6-5 lead in the fourth on an RBI single from
Chambers and a sacrifice fly by Duplissie. However, Saint Rose
regained the lead with a pair in the home half of the fourth on an
RBI single by John Marcella (Schenectady,
N.Y./CBA) and an error.
Franklin Pierce knotted the score
in the fifth as Shea's single down the rightfield line drove in
junior Kim Hart (Gorham, Maine/Gorham),
who had doubled. The Ravens took the lead for good with two in the
sixth as Olson led off with a double and scored on a Duplissie
single. Duplissie later scored when freshman Jacob
Ferreira (Westport, Mass./Bishop Stang) drew a
bases-loaded walk. Franklin Pierce added an insurance run in the
eighth thanks to a Saint Rose error.
Franklin Pierce enters the
postseason winners of 11-straight, 18 of 19 and 23 of 25. Six of
the Ravens wins during their 11-game win streak have been by
shutout.
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