Sam Conners goes 3-for-3 with two RBI, including driving in the
winning run in game one
RINDGE, N.H. (April 6, 2013) – The Franklin Pierce
University softball team splits its doubleheader with Pace on
Saturday as the Ravens opened the home portion of their 2013
schedule and snapped a nine-game losing streak in the process. The
Ravens took game one by a 4-3 count, but dropped an 8-3 margin in
game two at the FPU Softball Field in Rindge. Franklin Pierce moved
to 3-12 (1-7 Northeast-10, 0-4 Northeast Division), while Pace
moved to 10-9 (5-8 NE-10, 2-5 Southwest Division).
The offensive catalyst for the
Ravens in game one was freshman Sam Conners (Jackson,
N.J.), who went 3-for-3 with a pair of runs driven in.
Conners got the scoring started with an RBI single in the first
inning as the Ravens plated a pair of runs to take an early
2-0.
She also came up huge in the bottom
of the fifth inning as she broke a 3-3 tie with a base hit back
through the middle of the infield, scoring Tricia Hansen
(Mansfield, Mass.), who had reached base via a walk two
batters earlier and moved into scoring position on another single
up the middle from Melissa Morgan (Clifton Park, N.Y.).
The Ravens received solid pitching
throughout the first game, especially from senior hurler
Jessica Wiley (Cape Vincent, N.Y.), who came on in
relief of starter Mandi Adee (Kinderhook, N.Y.) in
the top of the sixth and slammed the door shut on Pace by retiring
all six batters she faced over the final two frames to earn the
save.
Adee got the win, which marked the
first triumph of her collegiate career, as she moved to 1-2 on the
campaign. Adee worked 5.0 innings and yielded just three runs on
five hits. She struck out a pair, but did issue five walks.
Adee did give up a game-tying
two-run shot to Kimberly Duffy in the top of the fourth inning, but
she showed a lot of maturity in the circle by settling down and not
allowing a run the rest of the way before the Ravens scratched out
the winning tally in the bottom of the fifth.
Franklin Pierce pounded out eight
hits in the game as Morgan also went 3-for-3 at the dish while
driving in a run and scoring another. Hansen crossed home plate
twice and smacked a double, while classmate Courtney Caputo
(Stony Brook, N.Y.) had Franklin Pierce's other hit
in the game, which was also a two-base knock.
Kelly Fisher took the loss for Pace
to fall to 4-3 after she went 6.0 innings and gave up four runs on
eight hits.
The Ravens, though, struggled in
game two as Pace scored three times in the third, once in the
fourth and erupted for four in the fifth to grab the win. Natalie
Gellos collected a pair of hits, including launching a solo home
run to left field in the fourth inning. Samantha Garcia also had a
pair of hits and drove in three runs, including two on a double to
left field in the third. She also scored twice to cap her
impressive offensive game.
Caputo and Hansen each had a pair
of hits to spark the Ravens' offensive attack. Hansen laced a
two-run triple to right field in the fifth inning as Franklin
Pierce tried to mount a rally.
Hansen also started in the circle
for the Ravens and was tagged with the loss after going 4.1
innings, yielding four earned runs on five hits with three
strikeouts and a pair of walks. Chelsea Shea got the win for Pace
as she went the distrance and struck out seven.
Franklin Pierce returns to action
Sunday when the Ravens play host to Adelphi in a doubleheader in
Rindge beginning at 12 p.m.
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/FranklinPierceRavens).
Fans wishing to purchase Franklin Pierce softball apparel can do so
on the athletic department's online store at
athletics.franklinpierce.edu/store(.)
