Graduate right-hander strikes out six, faces only 29 batters

Box Score

RINDGE, N.H. (March 26, 2010) – Graduate student right-hander Mike Adams (Orchard Park, N.Y.) threw a two-hit shutout with six strikeouts and faced only 29 batters, two over the minimum, on Friday afternoon to lead the No. 16/27 nationally ranked Franklin Pierce University baseball team to a 6-0 victory over Saint Anselm in Northeast-10 Conference play at Dr. Arthur and Martha Pappas Field. Senior second baseman Cody Kauffman (Blue Bell, Pa.) went 3-for-4 and scored a run in the victory for Franklin Pierce.

With the victory, Franklin Pierce improves to 12-6 (2-0 Northeast-10), while Saint Anselm falls to 3-13 (1-5 Northeast-10) with the loss. The game was originally scheduled to be played in Manchester, N.H., but was moved to Franklin Pierce due to unplayable field conditions. As such, Saint Anselm played the game as the home team and batted in the bottom half of every inning.

Adams stole the show on the mound for Franklin Pierce to pick up the win (4-0). He retired the first 19 batters he faced before allowing a broken-bat single back through the middle with one out in the sixth. He allowed just two hits in the game, the other of which came with two outs in the seventh. Saint Anselm picked up a third baserunner in the eighth inning, but only on a throwing error by Franklin Pierce sophomore catcher Mike Dowd (East Bridgewater, Mass.). That runner was quickly erased as junior second baseman Cody Kauffman (Blue Bell, Pa.) backhanded a ball up the middle to start a 4-6-3 double play. In the ninth, Adams returned to the hill, struck out the first two batters he faced and got the third to ground out to second to complete the second shutout of his career.

Franklin Pierce opened the scoring immediately with a run in the top of the first inning. Junior third baseman Derek Ingui (Sterling, Mass.) led off the game and dropped a bunt single down the third-base line. After moving to second on a sacrifice bunt by Dowd, Ingui would score two batters later when sophomore designated hitter Isaac Wenrich (Westlawn, Pa.) slapped an RBI double down the left-field line.

The Ravens added another run in the top of the sixth to push the lead to 2-0. Junior left fielder Mike Munoz (Bronx, N.Y.) led off the inning with a walk and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Wenrich. Two batters later, Munoz came around to score when freshman center fielder Nick LaCroix (Grafton, Mass.) belted his first career triple into the gap in right-center field.

Franklin Pierce followed up with a third run in the top of the seventh to extend the lead again. With one out, Kauffman pulled a single into left field and came around to score when Ingui followed with an RBI double which split the gap in right-center.

In the top of the eighth, the Ravens would tack on another run to push the lead to 4-0. Wenrich led off and dropped a single inside the left-field line and was lifted for a pinch runner, freshman Brandon Chase (Naples, Maine), who then moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by graduate student first baseman Mike Augustine (Kingston, N.Y.). However, Chase was caught off of second base as LaCroix reached on a fielder's choice. Senior right fielder Phil Hendricks (Pittsfield, Maine) followed with an infield single to put runners at first and second before freshman shortstop Dan Kemp (Sturbridge, Mass.) pulled an RBI single through the left side.

Franklin Pierce would tack on two more runs in the top of the ninth on a Dowd single and a two-run, pinch-hit home run by sophomore Tim Quinn (Paxton, Mass.) to create the 6-0 final.

Sophomore left-hander John Healy started on the hill and took the loss (2-2) for Saint Anselm. In seven innings of work, he allowed three runs on 10 hits, walked one and struck out two.

The Ravens return to the field on Saturday, March 27, when they travel to Saint Rose for a Northeast-10 Conference doubleheader. First pitch is scheduled for noon at Bob Bellizzi Field at the Plumeri Sports Complex in Albany, N.Y. Franklin Pierce next plays at home on Sunday, March 28 against Bentley at 1 p.m.