Kevin Renaud powers top-seeded Ravens to opening victory
RINDGE, N.H. (May 17, 2007)
- Top-seeded Franklin Pierce, ranked 11th in
this week's Collegiate Baseball magazine poll, opened NCAA
Tournament play with a 4-1 victory over sixth-seeded Wilmington
(Del.) College in game one of the 2007 NCAA Division II Northeast
Regional Tournament at Dr. Arthur & Martha Pappas Field today.
Franklin Pierce (46-9) will face
third-seeded University of Massachusetts Lowell (33-19), who fell
to fourth-seeded Caldwell College (25-13) 9-4 in Thursday's final
game, on Friday at 2:30 p.m. Wilmington (29-19) will fifth-seeded
Bryant University (33-23), who dropped a 5-4 decision to
second-seeded Adelphi University (34-15) today, in Friday's first
game at 11 a.m.
With the victory, Franklin Pierce
matches its program record for wins in a season set last spring.
The Ravens are seeking their second-straight Northeast Regional
title while making their fourth NCAA Tournament appearance overall,
serving as top seed and host for the third-straight
year.
Junior leftfielder Kevin
Renaud (Southbridge, Mass./Southbridge) provided the bulk
of offense for Franklin Pierce as he hit 3-for-4 with a pair of
doubles, a home run, three RBI and two runs scored. Sophomore
Scott Savastano (Plymouth, Mass./Plymouth North)
was 1-4 with an RBI, while senior Jake Christman (Newton,
Mass./Newton South) finished 1-3.
Sophomore righthander Mike
Adams (Orchard Park, N.Y./Orchard Park) improved to 6-0
for the Ravens as he settled down from a rough first inning to
allow just an earned run on six hits with two strikeouts and a walk
over eight innings. Junior Tyler Bishop (Milford,
N.H./Milford) collected his program-record tenth save of
the season, working around a hit and a walk in a scoreless ninth.
Junior Chris Brooks
(Manahawkin, N.J./Southern Regional) hit 2-for-3 with a
stolen base and run scored for Wilmington, while classmate
Spike Austin (Townsend, Del./Caravel Academy) was
1-3 with a stolen base and
RBI.
Senior lefthander Kenny
McGrady (Rising Sun, Md./Rising Sun) suffered the loss in
a complete game effort for the Wildcats (4-5), yielding four runs,
two earned, on eight hits with seven strikeouts and no walks over
the eight innings of work.
Wilmington struck first as Brooks
drew a leadoff walk, stole second and reached third on a throwing
error on the Franklin Pierce catcher, before scoring on Austin's
single up the middle. Adams retired 16 of the next 18 batters he
faced while the Ravens bats were held in check.
McGrady retired 15 of the first 17
Franklin Pierce batters he faced (including a string of
12-straight) before the Ravens finally broke through with a pair of
runs with two outs in the sixth. Senior Vinny Pennell
(Spencer, Mass./David Prouty) reached on an error and
scored two batters later when Renaud doubled to left. Savastano
followed with a single up the middle to score Renaud.
The Ravens added some insurance in
the eighth as junior Keith Renaud (Southbridge,
Mass./Southbridge) reached with a bunt single before his
twin brother Kevin deposited the very next pitch over the fence in
left for his team-leading eighth homer of the season.
Boxscore
& Play-by-Play
