Ravens rally in middle innings for 16-12 victory in game one;
Adams pitches Ravens to 13-2 triumph in nightcap
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.
(March 17, 2007) - Franklin Pierce, ranked 17th
in this week's Collegiate Baseball magazine Division II
poll and first in the Northeast Region, extended its winning streak
to nine games with a doubleheader sweep of Molloy College, ranked
ninth in the region, at Santaluces Sportplex this afternoon.
Franklin Pierce trailed 9-6 after
four innings before scoring multiple runs in the fifth through
eighth innings to close out a 16-12 victory in game one. The Ravens
got a standout pitching performance from sophomore righthander
Mike Adams (Orchard Park, N.Y./Orchard Park) in
his first collegiate start to claim a 13-2 triumph in the nightcap.
Franklin Pierce banged out 33 hits in scoring a total of 29 runs on
the afternoon.
Freshman Kevin Rivers
(Bristol, Conn./Bristol Eastern) was a combined 6-for-10
in the doubleheader with two home runs, two doubles, three runs
scored and seven RBI for the Ravens. Sophomore Cliff Hicks
(Merrimack, N.H./Merrimack) was a combined 3-8 with two
doubles, a homer, three runs scored and three RBI.
Franklin Pierce 16, Molloy
12
Franklin Pierce rallied from a 9-6 deficit after Molloy
scored four runs in the fourth in claiming a 16-12 victory in game
one.
Kevin Rivers led the Franklin
Pierce offensive attack, which piled up 17 hits as he went 3-for-5
with two home runs (3), a stolen base and four RBI. Junior
Kevin Renaud (Southbridge, Mass./Southbridge), a
transfer from Becker College, was 3-4 with a homer (1), three runs
scored, a stolen base and four RBI, while senior Jake
Christman (Newton, Mass./Newton South) finished 2-4 with a
double and two runs scored. Cliff Hicks chipped in by batting 2-5
with a pair of doubles, a run scored and two
RBI.
Sophomore Alex Szymanski
(Londonderry, N.H./Londonderry), a transfer from Northern
Essex CC, earned the win (1-0) in relief, yielding three earned
runs on nine hits with four strikeouts and no walks over his 4.1
innings of work.
Junior Andrew Scavuzzo
(Kings Park, N.Y.) hit for the cycle in the loss for
Molloy, finishing 4-for-5 with the double, triple, homer, two runs
scored and two RBI. Senior Thomas Reo (East Rockaway,
N.Y.) hit 2-5 with two homers and four RBI.
Junior Michael Vecchione
(Levittown, N.Y./MacArthur) took the loss, surrendering
eight earned runs on 11 hits with three strikeouts and a walk in
4.2 innings.
Franklin Pierce opened the scoring
with three in the bottom of the first as Kevin Renaud delivered a
solo homer and Rivers followed a Matt Anderson (Medford,
Mass./Medford) double with a two-run blast.
Molloy knotted the game at 5-5 in
the top of the third and after the Ravens regained the lead (6-5)
in the home half, the Lions plated four in the fourth to take a 9-6
lead. Junior Christopher Irwin (Mahopac,
N.Y./Mahopac) delivered a two-run single before Reo
smacked a two-run homer.
Franklin Pierce drew within a run
with two in the fifth thanks to a two-run single from senior
Kim Hart (Gorham, Maine/Gorham). The Ravens
regained the lead for good with three in the sixth as Hart was hit
by a pitch with the bases loaded and Hicks followed with a two-run
double. Franklin Pierce broke the game open with two more in the
seventh and three in the eighth. Molloy drew within four with three
in the top of the ninth.
BOXSCORE
& PLAY-BY-PLAY
Franklin Pierce 13, Molloy
2
Making his first collegiate start,
Mike Adams went the distance as Franklin Pierce completed the sweep
with a 13-2 victory in the seven-inning nightcap.
Adams (1-0) allowed two runs, just
one earned, on six hits with nine strikeouts and three walks over
the seven innings. Sophomore Peter Reiger-Maresca (Baldwin,
N.Y./Baldwin) took the loss, as he was touched for seven
earned runs on seven hits with four strikeouts and three walks in
4.2 innings.
Senior Vinny Pennell
(Spencer, Mass./David Prouty) paced the Franklin Pierce
offense, going 3-for-4 with a double, three runs scored, a stolen
base and an RBI. Keith Renaud hit 3-4 with a double, stolen base
and three RBI, while Matt Anderson was 2-4 with a double, stolen
base, two runs scored and two RBI. Kevin Rivers added a 3-5
performance with two doubles and three RBI, while Jake Christman
finished 2-3 with a homer (1) and two
RBI.
Junior Ian Morales
(Huntington, N.Y.) was 2-for-3 at the plate for Molloy.
Franklin Pierce again struck first
with a single run in the top of the first. Kevin Renaud reached on
a fielder's choice, stole second and reached third on a throwing
error before scoring on a passed ball. The Ravens added two more in
the second when Rivers was hit by a pitch before Christman belted
his first homer of the season.
Franklin Pierce broke the game open
with four in the third. Pennell started things with an RBI double
before Keith Renaud notched an RBI single. Anderson and Rivers
capped the inning with RBI doubles. The Ravens led 8-0 after
scoring a single run in the fifth before Molloy got on the board
with two runs in the home half of the frame. Franklin Pierce
eliminated any chance of a comeback with five in the top of the
seventh.
BOXSCORE
& PLAY-BY-PLAY
Franklin Pierce (10-1, 0-0 NE-10)
is back in action tomorrow with an in-region doubleheader with
Mercy College at Lynn University's McCusker Sports Complex
beginning at 10 a.m. Molloy (7-8, 0-0 ECC) is scheduled to host the
College of Saint Rose on Tuesday at 3 p.m.
