Junior Chris Shank had to come up with one of his best pitching performances of the year to hold off the Bentley offense and pick up his team-leading sixth win of the season.

FP
Drops Bentley, 7-1
Shank out-duels Bates for seven innings; Ravens break it open late

RINDGE, N.H. (April 16, 2002) - Franklin Pierce University
jumped on top early and broke the game open late to post a 7-1 victory over Pepin Division leading Bentley College in Northeast-10 Conference baseball action at Crystal Field this afternoon.

Junior right-hander Chris Shank (Westminster, Mass./Oakmont Regional) may not have had his best stuff, but perhaps had his finest pitching performance of the season aside from his season-opening no-hitter, in keeping the Bentley offense at bay for seven innings. Shank (6-1) yielded just one earned run as he allowed a season-high seven hits with a season-low four strikeouts and two walks in seven innings of work to pick up his team-leading sixth win of the spring.

Shank out-dueled Bentley junior Derek Bates who yielded just two runs on three hits through the first six innings before he was touched for five runs, four earned, on six hits in the final two innings he worked. In the complete game effort, Bates (2-3) allowed seven runs, six earned, on nine hits with nine strikeouts and three walks.

Sophomore Dante Blancarte sparked the FP offense with a leadoff homer in the second and hit 2-3 with two runs scored.

The Ravens took a 2-0 lead in the second inning, sparked by sophomore Dante Blancarte (Amesbury, Mass./Amesbury) who belted a leadoff homerun. Freshman Eric Cavers (Otisfield, Maine/Oxford Hills) followed with a walk, but was picked off first base just before classmate Bear Dunn (Charlton, Mass./Shepherd Hill) smacked a homerun.

The Falcons got one run back in the fifth frame as senior John DiGennaro poked a one-out solo homer off Shank.

After the Ravens loaded the bases in the sixth inning and failed to score a run, they didn't come away empty handed in the seventh. The Falcons intentionally walked FP
senior Scott Loiseau (Worcester, Mass./St. Peter Marian) with two outs to load the bases and it backfired as junior Paul McAuliffe (Foxboro, Mass./Foxboro) followed with a bases-clearing double on a 3-2 count and the runners in motion to put the Ravens up 5-1.

Franklin Pierce scored two more in the eighth as junior Mike Callahan (Worcester, Mass./St. Peter Marian) laced an RBI single and Dunn scored as result of a Falcons throwing error on a fielder's choice.

Junior Paul McAuliffe smacked a two-out bases loaded double to break the game open in the seventh.

McAuliffe finished the afternoon hitting two-for-four with a double and three RBIs, while Blancarte was 2-3 with a homer, two runs scored and an RBI. Dunn hit 2-4 with a homer, two runs scored and an RBI, while Callahan finished 2-4 with a run scored and an RBI.

Senior rightfielder Steve Vickers was a perfect 4-4 with four singles for the Falcons, while DiGennaro finished 2-4 with a homer. Senior Kevin Lyons singled in the first inning two extend his current hitting streak to 38 games, matching the Conference and New England Division II record.

FP
(14-13, 8-7 NE-10) returns to action tomorrow afternoon when it hosts Assumption College at 3:30 p.m.

 

Teams	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Bentley	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	1	9	2
FPC	0	2	0	0	0	0	3	2	x	7	9	2

Batteries:
FP
- Chris Shank, Scott Loiseau (8th) and Al Medeiros.
BC - Derek Bates and Jamie Saccardo.

WP: Shank (6-1)
LP: Bates (2-3)

HR: DiGennero (3), Blancarte (3), Dunn (2)