Tricia Hansen outstanding in the pitching circle by allowing
just one earned run in a complete-game effort
COLCHESTER, Vt. (April 24, 2014)
– Sophomore Melissa
Morgan (Clifton Park,
N.Y.) went 2-for-3 with an RBI, a double, and three
runs scored to help lead the Franklin Pierce University softball
team to a 7-3 win over Saint Michael's on Thursday afternoon
at Doc Jacobs Field in Colchester, Vt.
The Ravens won for the eighth time
in the past nine games, erased the memory of yesterday's tough 5-0
setback to Assumption, and improved to 12-18 overall, 10-12 in the
Northeast-10, and 8-10 in the Northeast Division. Franklin Pierce
also swept the three-game season series from the Purple Knights, as
the Ravens picked up a doubleheader sweep over their Northern foes
on Tuesday in Rindge. St. Mike's dipped to 1-31, 1-23 in the
league, and 0-18 in the division.
A day after being two-hit by the
Greyhounds, the Ravens got back to smacking the ball all over the
field on Thursday, keeping to a trend that has seen Franklin Pierce
become one of the hottest offensive teams in the league over the
past two weeks. Joining Morgan in the offensive outburst was
senior Ashley Noke (Cumberland, R.I.), who
went 2-for-4 with a pair of runs driven in and two runs
scored. Alicia Dean (Danvers,
Mass.) added two hits and a run scored,
while Morgan Cahill (Saratoga Springs,
N.Y.) smacked a double.
The Ravens put a run up in the
second on Cahill's RBI double scoring Morgan, but quickly
found themselves trailing 2-1 in the bottom half of the inning.
Judi Barcavage laced an RBI single to left field, and Jenna Maksian
scored later in the frame on an FPU error.
Franklin Pierce, though, righted
the ship in the fourth with two runs, and then tacked on four more
in the fifth to open up a commanding 7-2 advantage.
The Ravens got their two runs in
the fourth on a throwing error by St. Mike's, allowing Noke
to come around and score, while Megan Gardiner
(Vernon, Conn.) lifted an RBI sacrifice fly to left
field, bringing home Morgan who walked earlier in the inning.
Noke kept the offense rolling in
the fifth with a two-run single to right, bringing home Dean
and Tricia Hansen (Mansfield,
Mass.). Morgan then ripped an RBI double to plate
Noke, while Gardiner added a run-producing base hit up the middle
to cap the explosive inning.
Saint Michael's tacked on a
run late, but it did not threaten in the least. Hansen was the
pitcher of record for the Ravens, as she earned the win to move to
7-7 on the year. She went the distance and yielded just one earned
run on seven hits with five strikeouts and zero walks. Hansen has
been impressive as of late to say the least, as she has won each of
her last five decisions.
Greer Lemnah and Bethany Falls each
had two hits for the Purple Knights. Laura McCormack suffered the
loss as the starter by going just 4.2 innings, giving up six earned
runs on six hits with three walks and two strikeouts.
Franklin Pierce returns to action
Friday as it kicks off back-to-back doubleheaders at Merrimack
beginning at 3 p.m. in North Andover, Mass. The second twinbill
will be held on Saturday at 12 p.m. on Merrimack's
campus.
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(.)
