Ravens pick up extra-innings win over Philadelphia on Monday

CLERMONT, Fla. (March 14, 2011) -- The Franklin Pierce University softball team dropped two more tough games on Sunday afternoon and fell to 0-4 on the young season. The Ravens fell to St. Thomas Aquinas, 7-4, in Sunday's first game, and then dropped a 3-2 decision in eight innings to Wilmington.

Versus St. Thomas on Sunday, the Ravens found themselves tied 4-4 heading into the bottom of the sixth, but St. Thomas scored three times in that frame to pull off the three-run win. Junior outfielder Jayme Bilafer (Concord, Mass.) smacked a triple and stroked a single for Franklin Pierce, while sophomore catcher Jessica Furtado (Taunton, Mass.) drove in a pair of runs on a base hit.

Junior pitcher Jessica Wiley (Cape Vincent, N.Y.) got the start in the circle and was saddled with the loss by yielding seven runs on seven hits with four strikeouts. However, Wiley was charged with just one earned run as Franklin Pierce committed six errors.

In the day's second game versus Wilmington, the contest went extra innings with Wilmington scoring a pair of runs in the top of the eighth to take a 3-1 lead. Franklin Pierce answered with a run in the bottom half of the frame, but could not come up with the tying run to force more extra innings. Sophomore outfielder Megan Bird (Laconia, N.H.) stroked a single, scored a run and stole a base to spark the Ravens offense in the game.

Sophomore pitcher Rachel Allen (Hull, Mass.) got the start in the circle and went five innings while yielding one run on six hits. She did not factor into the decision as senior pitcher Kayla Johnson (Hudson, N.H.) came on in relief and pitched the final three innings and suffered the loss as she gave up two runs (both in the eighth inning) on three hits.

Franklin Pierce did return to action on Monday and began the day with a 4-0 setback to Nyack. However, the Ravens responded in the afternoon as they pulled out a 9-7, 11-inning victory over Philadelphia University. More details to follow on those games.

For more information on Franklin Pierce softball, please visit the team's page at athletics.franklinpierce.edu(.) To follow the program even further, please visit Franklin Pierce Athletics on YouTube (www.youtube.com/FranklinPierceSports), Twitter (www.twitter.com/FPUathletics) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/FranklinPierceAthletics).