Ravens victimized by six errors, leave ten runners on base and Rams explode for ten runs in the tenth

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (May 26, 2007) - Two strengths of the Franklin Pierce baseball team all season long proved costly as Angelo State University, ranked 11^th in this week's Collegiate Baseball magazine Division II poll, scored ten runs in the tenth inning (just two earned), to claim a 12-3 victory over the fifth-ranked Ravens in game three of the 2007 NCAA Division II Baseball Championships at Riverwalk Stadium this afternoon.

Franklin Pierce (49-10) will face 13^th-ranked Southern Indiana University (41-22), who fell to fourth-ranked Columbus State University (49-18) 11-2 on Saturday night, on Monday at 3:30 p.m. (EST). The Ravens now face the daunting task of needing to win five games in five days to capture their first National Championship next Friday night. Angelo State (51-18) will play Columbus State on Monday at 7:30 p.m. (EST).

"I thought we played pretty good baseball for nine innings today and didn't get lucky with a chance to win it in the ninth," said Franklin Pierce Head Coach Jayson King. "It just didn't work out for us today."            

Franklin Pierce, ranked second in the Northeast-10 Conference (31^st in Division II) in fielding, committed a season-high six errors, left ten runners on base (including the bases loaded in the fourth) and saw its bullpen touched for ten runs (two earned) over the final two innings.

Sophomore right-hander Mike Adams (Orchard Park, N.Y./Orchard Park) held Angelo State without a hit over the first seven and a third innings, yielding just one unearned run in that span. He recovered from a shaky first two innings to retire 11-straight through the middle innings. Adams finished allowing two runs, just one earned, on one hit with five strikeouts and two walks, but hit three batters, over eight innings.

"I felt good out there today and was being competitive," said Adams. "I wanted to keep them to zeroes, but first batters were hurting me all day and I hit two guys to lead off innings which ended up costing me in the eighth."

Junior Tyler Bishop (Milford, N.H./Milford), who had not allowed a run in 23.2 innings this year prior to entering in the ninth, unraveled in the tenth. He surrendered five runs, two earned, on four hits with a strikeout and walk over 1.1 innings to collect his first loss (2-1) of the season.

"I made a pretty critical error in the tenth inning," said Bishop. "I don't think I got rattled but obviously it was a factor. I don't think I had my best stuff (today) but I felt like I had enough to get guys out."            

Junior lefthander Michael Gunter (McKinney, Texas) allowed two earned runs on 12 hits with three strikeouts and a walk over 8.1 innings. Sophomore reliever Joseph Key (Round Rock, Texas) collected the win (6-6) while yielding an earned run on a hit over the final inning and two thirds. 

Junior Charley Belew (Arlington, Texas) hit 1-for-3 with an RBI and three runs scored for ASU. Junior Jimmy Cox (North Richland Hills, Texas) and senior Nate Hemm (Round Rock) each drove in three, while Cox added a double. Junior Steven Allred (Midlothian, Texas) drove in a pair and stole a base.

Freshman Kevin Rivers (Bristol, Conn./Bristol Eastern) was 2-for-5 with a home run and two RBI for Franklin Pierce. Junior Keith Renaud (Southbridge, Mass./Southbridge) hit 2-4 with a double (the program-record matching 131^st of the year for the Ravens) and run scored, while sophomore Scott Savastano (Plymouth, Mass./Plymouth North) finished 2-4. Senior Jake Christman (Newton, Mass./Newton South) chipped in a pair of hits.

Franklin Pierce opened the scoring in the fourth as Renaud led off with a single through the left side and scored when Rivers singled through the right side with one out. The Ravens loaded the bases with the one out in the frame, but Gunter got two fly outs to escape the jam.

Angelo State knotted the score in the seventh without the benefit of a hit off Adams. The Rams, hit by 104 pitches as a team this season coming in to the game, got another when senior Drew Caraway (Merkel, Texas) was struck by Adams to lead off the frame. Caraway stole second and reached third on a ground out before Hemm drove him in with a sacrifice fly to left.

"I'm real proud of the way we were able to score a couple of those runs early with no offense at all," said Angelo State head coach Kevin Brooks.

The Rams finally solved Adams somewhat in the eighth, led off with Belew reaching as a hit batter. He was sacrificed to second, with the batter reaching on an error, before Caraway broke up the no-hit bid with a one out single to right center that scored Belew.

"We work on getting hit by pitches all year," said Brooks. "We didn't back down and wore a couple today to get base runners."  

Franklin Pierce had its first chance to knot the score with the Renaud twins reaching base on a walk and single to lead off the home half of the eighth, but Gunter got a strikeout and ground out to escape the jam. Sophomore third baseman Shan Sullivan (Montgomery, Texas) made a tremendous diving play in the hole and fired out Franklin Pierce junior Matt Anderson (Medford, Mass./Medford) to end the inning and strand the tying run at third.

"I knew it that situation with runners on second and third that even if I couldn't make a play, just knock it down and not allow them to score the tying run," said Sullivan.       

The defensive play loomed large in the ninth as the Ravens forced extra innings with a single run. Christman reached on an infield single and later scored when senior Vinny Pennell (Spencer, Mass./David Prouty) delivered a one-out RBI single to center to chase Gunter. The hit was the 249^th of Pennell's career, breaking the program record of 248 set by former teammate Elliot Shea last year.

An Angelo State throwing error nearly ended the ball game, but the ball lodged behind the tarp behind first base to hold Pennell at third where he was stranded on a pop up to end the inning.

Angelo erupted for ten runs, just two earned, off three Raven pitchers with all the damage coming off the usually reliable Bishop and senior Clay Jenkins (Easton, N.H./Profile). Franklin Pierce was hurt by two errors, the first coming after junior Bradley Durst (Fredericksburg, Texas) led off with a single up the middle and was being sacrificed by Belew in which Bishop threw wildly to first putting runners on second and third and none out. Sullivan followed with a single up the middle to put the Rams up for good, opening the floodgates. Allred and Hemm added a two-run singles, while later Belew notched an RBI hit. Cox put an exclamation point on the game with a bases-clearing three-run double to left center with two out.

"We just got settled in our groove," said Caraway. "It took us some time to settle in and let the ball get to us and realize we're here for a reason and that because we can hit."

Franklin Pierce suffered a 14-4 loss to Ashland University to open the 2006 championships here in Montgomery last season, but rebounded with two-straight wins before falling to eventual national champion University of Tampa in the semifinal round.

"When they got going in the tenth they didn't let up," said King. "We just played one inning about as bad as you can and it cost us today. We have a good group of guys and we'll put this behind us and comeback ready on Monday."  

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