Ravens run win streak to 11 games with pair of shutout
victories
RINDGE, N.H. (April 10,
2007) - Franklin Pierce, ranked 13th in this
week's Collegiate Baseball magazine poll, ran its winning
streak to 11 games with a pair of shutout victories over Assumption
College in Northeast-10 Conference baseball action at H.L Rocheleau
Field today. The Ravens posted a 3-0 victory in game one before
completing the sweep with a 5-0 triumph in the nightcap.
One day after scoring 29 runs on a
combined 33 hits in a doubleheader sweep of Merrimack College on
Monday, Franklin Pierce got a pair of shutout victories in grinding
out two wins today. Junior Keith Renaud (Southbridge,
Mass./Southbridge) scattered four hits and a walk over
seven shutout innings to pick up his fourth win (4-0) of the season
in game one, before senior preseason All-American Arric
Mather (Danville, N.H./Winnacunnet) fired a complete game
four-hit shutout in the nightcap.
Senior Kim Hart (Gorham,
Maine/Gorham) paced the Ravens offense as he hit a
combined 4-for-5 with two walks, a run scored, double and RBI.
Sophomore Mike Baillargeon (Worcester, Mass./Holy
Name) led Assumption, going a combined 3-for-8 with a
double.
Franklin Pierce 3,
Assumption 0
Despite seeing his single-season record 20-game hitting streak come
to an end at the plate, Keith Renaud more than made up for it with
seven innings of four-hit shutout work on the mound to improve his
record to 4-0 this season. He walked just one and struck out ten
over the seven inning outing. Renaud's 20-game hitting streak falls
just a game shy of Ravens assistant coach Scott Loiseau's program
record 21-game streak bridging the 2001 & 2002
seasons.
Junior Tyler Bishop
(Milford, N.H./Milford) notched his fourth save of the
season with a perfect ninth, striking out two.
Kim Hart was 2-for-3 at the plate
for Franklin Pierce with a double, walk and run scored. Senior
Vinny Pennell (Spencer, Mass./David Prouty) hit
2-3 with a stolen base and run scored. Senior Cory Shepherd
(Worcester, Mass./Burncoat), junior Kevin Renaud
(Southbridge, Mass./Southbridge) and sophomore
Cliff Hicks (Merrimack, N.H./Merrimack) each
chipped in RBIs.
Mike Baillargeon hit 2-for-4 for
Assumption, while classmate Derek Migrants (Ayer,
Mass./Ayer) and junior Chris DeSimone (Johnston,
R.I./Bishop Hendricken) each chipped in doubles.
Freshman Andrew Quinn
(Taunton, Mass./Coyle-Cassidy) took the loss for the
Greyhounds, allowing two runs, one earned, on five hits with six
strikeouts and two walks over 6.2 innings.
The game was scoreless until
Franklin Pierce broke through with two in the seventh. Hart led off
with a double and later scored when Hicks singled up the middle.
Shepherd followed with a sacrifice fly that scored senior
Jake Christman (Newton, Mass./Newton South), who
reached on an error during a sacrifice bunt attempt.
The Ravens added an insurance run
in the ninth as Pennell singled with one out, stole second and
reached third on a ground out before scoring on a two-out single up
the middle by Kevin Renaud.
BOXSCORE
& PLAY-BY-PLAY
Franklin Pierce 5,
Assumption 0
Franklin Pierce's Arric Mather (3-1) struck out a season-high six
Assumption batters, walking just one, for the complete-game
four-hit
shutout.
Kim Hart was 2-for-2 at the plate
for the Ravens with an RBI, while Kevin Renaud finished 1-4 with an
RBI. Cliff Hicks finished 1-4 with a run scored. Vinny Pennell and
Keith Renaud stole three and two bases, respectively.
Freshman Matthew Jose
(Warwick, R.I./Bishop Hendricken) hit 1-for-2 with a walk
and stolen base for Assumption, while junior Chris Kessing
(Andover, Conn./East Catholic) was 1-3. Mike Baillargeon
had the lone extra base hit in the contest with a double.
Sophomore Brett Kulhawik
(Trumbull, Conn./Trumbull) suffered the loss (2-1),
despite surrendering just two unearned runs on three hits with two
strikeouts and two walks over six innings.
Franklin Pierce scored twice in the
third to take the lead for good. Hicks led off with a single and
reached second on a sacrifice bunt by Cory Shepherd. Hicks scored
when Pennell reached on an Assumption error during another
sacrifice bunt attempt, before Shepherd came home on a wild pitch.
The Ravens added three in the
seventh thanks to RBI singles from Kevin Renaud and Hart.
Boxscore
& Play-by-Play
Franklin Pierce (24-4, 9-0 NE-10)
is back in action tomorrow for a makeup game at Bentley College at
3:30 p.m. Assumption (10-14, 2-10 NE-10) is off until Saturday's
doubleheader at Merrimack College beginning at
noon.
