Leach tosses five shutout innings of relief to pick up win

YAPHANK, N.Y. (March 6, 2011) – Senior designated hitter Derek Ingui (Sterling, Mass.) went 3-for-5 with a double and a home run, drove in three runs and scored three times on Sunday afternoon to lead the No. 6/10 nationally ranked Franklin Pierce University baseball team to an 8-3 victory over C.W. Post in non-conference play at Baseball Heaven. Junior catcher Mike Dowd (East Bridgewater, Mass.) went 3-for-5 as well in the victory, with a double, a triple and three runs scored.

With the win, Franklin Pierce improves to 7-0 (0-0 Northeast-10), while C.W. Post falls to 0-9 (0-0 East Coast). The victory finished a five-win weekend for Franklin Pierce and extended the program record for most consecutive wins to begin a season. Through their first seven games, the Ravens have outscored their opponents 60-10.

Franklin Pierce jumped out to the lead immediately with a pair of runs in the top of the first inning. The rally came with two outs, as Dowd knocked a double into the gap in right-center field and scored when Ingui followed with an RBI single to center field. Ingui finished the play on third base, thanks to an error by C.W. Post junior center fielder Steve Smith, and scored on an RBI single through the right side of the infield by freshman first baseman Zach Mathieu (Derry, N.H.).

The Ravens pushed the lead to 4-0 with another pair of runs in the top of the third when Dowd started things again, this time with a two-out triple into the gap in right-center. Ingui followed and slugged a two-run home run to right-center, his third of the season and third in as many days.

C.W. Post cut the lead in half with two runs of its own in the bottom half of the inning. Sophomore second baseman Steve Mare led off with a walk and moved to second when junior left fielder Matt Simone was hit by a pitch. After a sacrifice bunt moved the runners to second and third, sophomore catcher Anthony Corona knocked a single into left field to drive home two runs.

The two teams then traded runs in the fourth inning to make it a 5-3 Franklin Pierce lead. In the top half of the inning, sophomore left fielder Eric Romano (North Branford, Conn.) led off with the first home run of his career for Franklin Pierce. In the bottom half of the frame, freshman right fielder Ryan Sloane led off with a walk for C.W. Post, moved to second when Simone walked and scored on an RBI single back up the middle by sophomore shortstop Casey McKay.

Franklin Pierce added an insurance run in the top of the eighth and tacked on two runs in the ninth to create the 8-3 final. In the eighth inning, junior third baseman Isaac Wenrich (Westlawn, Pa.) led off with the first home run of his career. In the ninth, Dowd knocked a one-out single to center field and moved around to third on a double to right-center by Ingui. After a balk scored Dowd and moved Ingui to third, Wenrich pushed an RBI single to left field to drive home Ingui and cap the day's scoring.

Junior left-hander Gregg Downing (Queens, N.Y.) started on the mound and did not factor in the decision for Franklin Pierce. Over three-plus innings of work, he allowed three runs on two hits, walked five, hit a batter and struck out five. Freshman right-hander Ryan Leach (Farmingdale, Maine) pitched shutout ball the next five innings to pick up the win (1-0) out of the bullpen for the Ravens. He allowed just two hits and a walk while striking out five.

Sophomore right-hander Kevin Chenicek started on the hill and took the loss (0-2) for C.W. Post. Over five innings, he surrendered five runs on seven hits, hit a batter and struck out six.

The Ravens return to the field on Friday, March 11 for a non-conference doubleheader against Nyack on the first day of their spring trip to Florida. First pitch is scheduled for 11 a.m. at McCusker Sports Complex on the campus of Lynn University in Boca Raton, Fla.

For more information on Franklin Pierce Athletics, please visit the official website of Franklin Pierce Athletics (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu). Also be sure to follow the Ravens through the Department of Athletics' official Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/FranklinPierceRavens), its YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/franklinpiercesports) and its Twitter feed (http://twitter.com/FPUathletics).