Munoz, Wenrich collect two hits apiece in first game

Box Score

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (March 19, 2010) – Junior left fielder Mike Munoz (Bronx, N.Y.) and sophomore designated hitter Isaac Wenrich (Westlawn, Pa.) each recorded two singles on Friday to lead the No. 12/20 nationally ranked Franklin Pierce University baseball team to a 5-4 victory over Molloy in the first game of a neutral-site, non-conference doubleheader at NSU Baseball Complex. Molloy picked up a 1-0 victory in the second game, as sophomore right-hander Justin Jorgensen tossed a three-hit shutout. Both games were seven-inning affairs.

With the split, Franklin Pierce is now 10-4 (0-0 Northeast-10) on the season, while Molloy moves to 6-12 (0-0 East Coast).

In the first game, Molloy opened the scoring with a pair of runs in the top of the first inning. Sophomore right fielder Robert Inzerillo led off the game with a single into right-center and was erased at second two batters later as senior second baseman T.J. Greig reached on a fielder's choice. Junior first baseman Robert LaRusso followed and clubbed a two-run home run to left field to give Molloy the lead.

Franklin Pierce would later surge to the lead with four runs of its own in the bottom of the fourth. Munoz led off with a single to center field and after a strikeout, the bases were quickly loaded as graduate student first baseman Mike Augustine (Kingston, N.Y.) and freshman shortstop Dan Kemp (Sturbridge, Mass.) worked back-to-back walks. Freshman center fielder Nick LaCroix (Grafton, Mass.), Wenrich and senior second baseman Cody Kauffman (Blue Bell, Pa.) each drew walks to drive in a run apiece and make it five consecutive walks by Molloy senior right-hander Steven Stewart. LaCroix would then cap the scoring in the inning by coming home from third on a wild pitch.

Molloy pulled within a run at 4-3 in the top of the fifth. Freshman left fielder Greg Walsh led off, was hit by a pitch and moved around to third on back-to-back groundouts. After Inzerillo worked a walk, Walsh scored on a delayed double steal with runners on first and third. Franklin Pierce would get the run back in the bottom half to make it 5-3 as Munoz led off with a single back through the middle and stole second on a failed pickoff before being replaced by freshman pinch runner Drew Larson (Bridgewater, Mass.). Larson moved to third on a groundout and scored on an RBI single through the left side by Kemp.

Molloy struck once in the top of the sixth to create the 5-4 final. Greig led off with a walk against Franklin Pierce junior right-hander Rob Nicholas (Southborough, Mass.), took second on a wild pitch and scored three batters later on a single into left center by senior catcher Brian Benes. Nicholas then struck out Walsh to strand the tying run at first and worked a 1-2-3 seventh inning to finish off the game.

Graduate student right-hander Mike Adams (Orchard Park, N.Y.) started on the hill for Franklin Pierce and picked up the win (3-0) in the first game. Over five innings, he allowed three runs on four hits, walked one, hit a batter and struck out four. Nicholas allowed one run on one hit, walked one, threw a wild pitch and struck out three over the final two innings to pick up his fourth save of the season.

Stewart started and took the loss (1-3) on the rubber for Molloy. Over five innings, he surrendered five runs on five hits, walked five, threw a wild pitch and struck out three.

Pitching was the name of the game in the second contest of the day, as the two teams combined for just one run on six hits.

Molloy scored the only run of the game in the bottom of the seventh to pick up the victory in walk-off fashion. Inzerillo started things with a one-out walk and moved to second on a wild pitch. He would score two batters later on a walk-off, pinch-hit, RBI single back up the middle by freshman Erik Pyle.

Junior left-hander Brian Maloney (Brockton, Mass.) took the tough-luck loss (0-1) on the mound for Franklin Pierce in the second game. Over 6.2 innings, he allowed just the one run on three hits, walked three, threw a pair of wild pitches and struck out eight. He struck out at least one batter in every inning except the sixth.

Jorgenson tossed a seven-inning shutout on the hill for Molloy to pick up the win (2-1). He surrendered three hits, walked one and struck out four. He stranded a runner in scoring position with a strikeout in the fourth and left two in scoring position by forcing a ground ball to first to end the fifth.

The Ravens return to the field on Saturday, March 20, when they travel to Nova Southeastern to wrap up the Spring Break trip with a non-conference doubleheader. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. at NSU Baseball Complex in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.