Melissa Morgan smacks three-run homer in game two
RINDGE, N.H. (April 17, 2014) – The Franklin Pierce
University softball team made it three wins in a row Thursday
afternoon with an outstanding doubleheader sweep of first-place
Stonehill at the Melissa Bisaccia Memorial Softball Complex in
Rindge, N.H. The Ravens rallied for an 8-7 win in eight innings in
game one, and then exploded for a 14-8 win in game two.
Franklin Pierce improved to 7-17
overall and 6-11 in the Northeast-10 (4-9 Northeast Division),
while the Skyhawks had their five-game winning streak snapped in
falling to 18-16 and 13-7 in league play (10-4 NE Division).
The Ravens found themselves
trailing 5-1 heading into the bottom of the fifth inning in game
one, but scored a run in the frame, then two in the sixth, three in
the seventh, and one in the eighth to pull off the come-from-behind
triumph.
Erin Wood (Dover,
N.Y.) highlighted the sixth inning with a massive two-run
homer, scoring Courtney Caputo (Stony Brook, N.Y.)
on the play. Caputo singled in a run in the seventh, while Wood
followed with an RBI as well, while another Ravens' run came
on a Stonehill error.
Melissa Morgan (Clifton
Park, N.Y.) drove in Jamie Wiley (Cape Vincent,
N.Y.) with a base hit in the eighth to lift the Ravens to
victory. Tricia Hansen (Mansfield, Mass.) came on
in relief and pitched a scoreless two innings to earn the win. She
allowed just one hit and struck out four. Not to be outdone
offensively, Hansen also smacked a solo homer in the fourth
inning.
Morgan went 3-for-4 at the dish
with a double, two runs driven in, and a run scored. Hansen,
Caputo, Wood, and Sydney Despres (Sterling, Mass.)
each collected a pair of hits.
The momentum from game one did not
carry over into game two right away, as Stonehill scored three
times in the first and twice in the second to open up a 5-0
lead.
However, Wiley's leadoff
homer in the bottom of the second kick-started the Ravens and they
would not look back from there. Caputo, who had a new school-record
seven RBI in game two alone, drove in the first two with a base hit
after Wiley's jack.
Franklin Pierce tacked on three
more in the third on one swing of the bat, as Morgan ripped a
three-run shot to left field, scoring Wiley and Ashley Noke
(Cumberland, R.I.) on the play. The Ravens kept piling it
on in the fifth with four more runs, including two from
Megan Gardiner (Vernon, Conn.) on a single, and a
two-run blast from Caputo. The homer for Caputo was her sixth of
the season, thus setting a new program record for most home runs in
a single campaign.
Caputo capped her amazing night
with a three-run double in the sixth. Wiley, Morgan, and
Mikaela Ballmer (Birdsboro, Pa.) each had two hits
in game two. Gardiner reached base all four times she stepped to
the plate. In addition to her base knock, she was also hit by a
pitch three times, while also scoring three times in the
nightcap.
Hansen once again earned the win in
the pitching circle by going the distance, yielding just four
earned runs on 12 hits with five strikeouts and no walks.
Franklin Pierce returns to action
Saturday when the Ravens play host to Stonehill in another
doubleheader beginning at 12 p.m. at the Bisaccia Softball
Complex.
For more information on Franklin
Pierce softball, please visit the team's page at http://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 http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu/store(.)
