Melissa Morgan launches two-run homer in game two
RINDGE, N.H. (April 7, 2013) -- The Franklin Pierce
University softball team was swept by Adelphi in a doubleheader on
Sunday afternoon at the FPU Softball Field in Rindge, N.H. The
Ravens fell, 10-2 in in six innings in game one, and then dropped a
tough 6-3 decision in game two. Franklin Pierce fell to 3-14 (1-9
Northeast-10, 0-4 Northeast Division), while the Panthers improved
25-7 (16-1 Northeast-10, 7-1 Southwest Division).
The Ravens smacked a pair of long
balls on the day, but could not build off the momentum. Freshman
Melissa Morgan's (Clifton Park, N.Y.) two-run
homer with two outs in the seventh inning of game two pulled the
Ravens to within 6-3 and breathed some life into Franklin Pierce's
dugout.
However, Adelphi reliever Laurin
Watts retired the next Ravens batter to close out the win and
complete the two-game sweep for the Panthers.
Watts worked the final two innings
in relief after Adelphi starter Katie Andrews pitched the first
five frames and yielded just one run on a hit with five strikeouts
to earn the win.
Andrews, however, struggled with
command at times and issued seven walks, which allowed the Ravens
to hang around in the game for a portion of it.
Franklin Pierce cut its deficit in
half at 2-1 in the bottom of the third as a wild pitch from Andrews
allowed Tricia Hansen (Mansfield, Mass.) to come
home from third.
The Ravens couldn't get the
equalizer and Adelphi added to its lead at 5-1 in the fifth inning,
highlighted by an RBI double to left field from Victoria Wink. The
Panthers tacked on a run in the top of the seventh before Franklin
Pierce had its one last gasp in the bottom of the frame.
Hansen also got the nod in the pitching circle for the Ravens and
went the distance allowing six runs on 10 hits. However, she
yielded just three earned runs as Franklin Pierce committed four
errors in the contest, including two in the three-run fifth.
Morgan's two-run blast moved her
into a tie for the team lead in homers with two. She tied senior
Jessica Furtado (Taunton, Mass.), who just hours
earlier launched a two-run shot of her own in game one of the
doubleheader, which accounted for all of the Ravens' offense in the
eight-run setback. Furtado's bomb came in the bottom of the fifth
as she deposited a fastball over the fence in straight-away center
field. Morgan also scored on the play as she singled the prior
at-bat to break up Adelphi starter Devon Kelly's bid at a perfect
game.
Kelly retired the first 13 Ravens
she faced over 4.1 innings and received outstanding run support
early on as Adelphi scored twice in the third and pushed three more
across in the fourth to open up a 5-0 lead. Heather Salerno was the
catalyst for the Panthers as she stroked a two-run single in the
third and then smacked a two-run double to highlight the fifth.
After Furtado's launch, Adelphi
tacked on five more in the sixth to set the eight-run rule into
effect. Kelly earned the win and improved to 9-3 after striking out
six with zero walks in 5.0 innings of work. Senior hurler
Rachel Allen (Hull, Mass.) got the start in the
pitching circle for Franklin Pierce and suffered the loss after
going 5.1 innings and allowing four earned runs on nine hits. She
fell to 2-4.
Franklin Pierce returns to action
Tuesday when the Ravens travel to Manchester to take on Southern
New Hampshire in a doubleheader beginning at 4 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(.)
