Junior picks up wins in both games

Game One Box Score
Game Two Box Score

RINDGE, N.H. (April 13, 2010) – Junior right-hander Kayla Johnson (Hudson, N.H.) pitched 13.1 innings and allowed just two runs on eight hits on Tuesday afternoon to pick up the win in each end of a Northeast-10 Conference doubleheader against Merrimack at Franklin Pierce Softball Field. She threw a complete game as Franklin Pierce won the first game, 3-2 in eight innings, then tossed 5.1 innings of shutout relief while the Ravens rallied for a 6-3 victory in the second game.

With the victories, Franklin Pierce improves to 12-15 (7-7 Northeast-10), while Merrimack falls to 10-17 (6-8 Northeast-10) with the losses.

In the first game, Merrimack opened the scoring with a run in the top of the second inning. With one out, back-to-back singles by junior catcher Kara Melillo and senior first baseman Atlee Cahill and a walk to sophomore center fielder Alex Gallant quickly loaded the bases. Senior left fielder Emily Cummings then hit a ground ball to the left side that turned into an RBI fielder's choice as Melillo scored while Gallant was put out at second base.

Franklin Pierce would take a 2-1 lead an inning later with two runs in the bottom of the third. Senior first baseman Kiley Molinari (Meriden, Conn.) started things off with a single to center field and moved to second when sophomore left fielder Rachel Baxter (Cumberland, R.I.) laid down a sacrifice bunt, but wound up on first via an error. Three batters later, junior second baseman Emily Griffin (Leominster, Mass.) drove a single into left field to plate Molinari and tie the score. Baxter would score from first on the play as well, as Cummings had trouble corralling the ball in left field for Merrimack.

The game would go without another run until the top of the sixth inning, when Merrimack plated a run to tie it at 2-2. Junior right fielder Jamie Millett led off, walked and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by sophomore second baseman Monique Gosselin. Millett would score three batters later on an RBI single through the left side by Cahill.

The game would head for extra innings, with Franklin Pierce taking a 3-2 victory in walk-off fashion in the bottom of the eighth inning. Sophomore center fielder Jayme Bilafer (Concord, Mass.) and Griffin started the inning with a walk and a single to right field, respectively, to chase the starting pitcher, Merrimack freshman right-hander Kelli Jo Deardorff, from the game in favor of freshman right-hander Courtney Parker. Parker would not retire a batter, as she hit Franklin Pierce freshman catcher Jessica Furtado (Taunton, Mass.) to load the bases and walked sophomore third baseman Meaghan O'Neal (Littleton, Mass.) to force home the winning run.

In an eight-inning complete game in the circle, Johnson picked up the win (4-7) in the first game for Franklin Pierce. She allowed two runs on five hits, walked five and struck out one.

Deardorff started and took the loss (3-3) for Merrimack, as the runner walked in by Parker still belonged to Deardorff. Deardorff tossed seven-plus innings, allowed three runs (one earned) on four hits, walked five and struck out eight.

In the second game, Merrimack once again struck first, this time with two runs in the top of the first inning. With one out, Millett started things with a double to right-center. She would have to hold up to make sure the ball wasn't caught, and thus only made it to third when Gosselin followed with a double over the head of the left fielder. Melillo followed and pushed a bunt single past the pitcher and out towards second base, where no Franklin Pierce fielders were present, to bring home both runners.

The Warriors would push the lead as high as 3-0 with a run in the top of the second. With one out, sophomore left fielder Amanda Zanni reached on an error and stole second. Deardorff, who was the catcher for the second game, followed with a single into left that pushed Zanni to third. Junior shortstop Kristen LeMay would then bounce into an RBI fielder's choice to bring home the run. The third run of the game chased the starter, Franklin Pierce freshman right-hander Lindsay Hodges (Sherburne, N.Y.) from the game in favor of Johnson, who would not allow another run the rest of the way.

The Franklin Pierce offense would reward the work out of the bullpen, as it rallied for four runs in the bottom of the fourth inning to take a 4-3 lead it would never relinquish. Bilafer led off with a single down the left-field line to get things started. She should have been erased at second on a groundball to third by Furtado, who was the designated player in the second game, but the Merrimack second baseman muffed the throw on the fielder's choice, leaving runners at first and second with one away. O'Neal followed with an RBI double into the gap in right-center which moved Furtado to third and chased Gallant, who started in the circle for Merrimack in the second game, from the game in favor of Parker. Parker was greeted by a run-scoring infield single by junior right fielder Nicole Pratt (Gardner, Mass.), who then stole second. Sophomore first baseman Keryn Shannon (Dracut, Mass.) followed with a game-tying, RBI groundout, and then Baxter gave the Ravens the lead for good with an RBI single through the left side of the infield.

The Ravens tacked on a pair of insurance runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to create the 6-3 final. Bilafer led off the inning with and infield single and moved to second on another infield single by Furtado. After a walk to O'Neal loaded the bases, Furtado was replaced by junior pinch runner Melissa Wade (Taunton, Mass.) at second base. Two batters later, Molinari drove a two-run single through the left side of the infield.

Hodges started the second game and did not factor in the decision in the circle for Franklin Pierce. Over 1.2 innings, she allowed three runs (two earned) on four hits, did not issue a walk and did not strike out anybody. Johnson came out of the bullpen and fired 5.1 shutout innings to pick up her second win (5-7) of the day. She allowed three hits, walked one and hit a batter.

Gallant started the second game for Merrimack and also did not factor in the decision. Over 3.1 innings, she allowed three runs (one earned) on two hits, did not issue a walk, hit a batter and struck out one. Parker took the loss (1-3) in relief for the Warriors. In two-thirds of an inning of work, she allowed one unearned run on two hits, walked one, threw a wild pitch and struck out one.

The Ravens return to the field on Thursday, April 15, when they remain home to host American International in a Northeast-10 Conference doubleheader. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m. in Rindge.