Freshman clubs three-run home run
in fifth inning
Box
Score
Nick LaCroix cranked a three-run home run as part of a six-run
fifth inning in Thursday night's win over Concordia. He is now tied
for the team lead with five home runs.
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RINDGE, N.H. (April 15,
2010) – Freshman center fielder Nick LaCroix
(Grafton, Mass.) hit a three-run home run to cap a six-run
fifth inning on Thursday night as the No. 29 nationally ranked
Franklin Pierce University baseball team broke a 1-1 tie and
eventually went on to post a 9-4 victory over Concordia in
non-conference action at Dr. Arthur and Martha Pappas Field.
Freshman right-hander Joe Flynn (Plymouth, Mass.)
struck out seven over 7.2 innings to pick up the win for Franklin
Pierce.
With the victory, Franklin Pierce
improves to 24-10 (11-4 Northeast-10), while Concordia falls to
21-16 (8-7 Central Atlantic) with the loss.
Concordia opened the scoring with a
run in the top of the first inning. With two outs, senior shortstop
Donnie Roth reached on an infield single deep in the hole at
second. Roth then stole second and scored on an RBI single back
through the middle by junior designated hitter T.J. Walsh.
Franklin Pierce evened things up at
1-1 with a run in the bottom of the second. Junior left fielder
Mike Munoz (Bronx, N.Y.) led off and lifted a
double just beyond the reach of the left fielder. Later in the
inning, Munoz stole third and scored on an infield single on the
left side by sophomore designated hitter Tim Quinn (Paxton,
Mass.).
After a pair of scoreless innings,
the Ravens broke the game open with six runs in the bottom of the
fifth inning to take a 7-1 lead. Freshman center fielder
Nick LaCroix (Grafton, Mass.) delivered the
keynote address in the inning with a three-run home run to left
field. It was his fifth home run of the season, which tied him for
the team lead. Also in the inning, junior third baseman
Derek Ingui (Sterling, Mass.) and senior right
fielder Phil Hendricks (Pittsfield, Maine) drove
in a run each with RBI singles, while senior second baseman
Cody Kauffman (Blue Bell, Pa.) was hit by a pitch
and later scored on a balk.
Franklin Pierce extended the lead
to 8-1 with a run in the bottom of the sixth inning. Graduate
student first baseman Mike Augustine (Kingston,
N.Y.) led off the inning and went the other way with a
pitch on the outside corner and drove a home run over the
left-field fence. It was his first home run as a Raven after
transferring in from Boston College.
Concordia pulled to within four at
8-4 with three runs in the top of the eighth inning. With one out,
freshman right fielder Luis Gonzalez knocked a single into right
field and moved to second on an infield single by sophomore catcher
Christopher Motta. Senior center fielder Anthony Carnacchio
followed with a double into left-center to drive home Gonzalez and
moved Motta around to third, where he would score from on a
sacrifice fly to right by junior left fielder Michael Sciacchitano.
Roth followed and lined a single over the first baseman's head to
bring home Carnacchio with the third run of the inning.
Franklin Pierce picked up a run of
its own in the home half of the first to create the 9-4 final.
Augustine led off, walked and stole second. He then moved to third
on a single through the right side by Kauffman and scored on a
sacrifice fly to left by Dowd.
Flynn started on the mound and
picked up the win (4-2) for Franklin Pierce. Over 7.2 innings of
work, he allowed four runs on nine hits, did not issue a walk and
struck out seven.
Senior right-hander Tommy Paradise
started on the hill and took the loss (1-1) for Concordia. In five
innings on the rubber, he was touched up for seven runs (six
earned) on eight hits, did not issue a walk, hit a batter, threw a
wild pitch, balked once and struck out two.
The Ravens return to the field on
Friday, April 16, when they remain home to host Concordia in
another non-conference contest. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m.
at Pappas Field.
