Franklin
Pierce RINDGE,
N.H. (April 10, 2004) –
After the two teams combined for 16 runs over the first inning and a
half, Franklin Pierce, ranked seventh in this week’s National
Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Northeast Region poll,
scored the 17th run in the bottom of the tenth for a 9-8 victory over
Bentley College in Northeast-10 Conference baseball action at Crystal
Field this afternoon.
Franklin Pierce, which posted its fifth straight victory in a
home opener, erased a 4-0 Bentley lead after a half inning with eight
runs in the bottom of the first. However, after the Falcons rallied to
knot the score at 8-8 in the top of the second, neither team scored
again until sophomore Nick Panza (Albany, N.Y./Colonie Central)
drove in freshman Garrett Olson (Norway, Maine/Oxford Hills) with
the winning run on a pinch-hit sacrifice fly to shallow rightfield. Olson had reached base with one out when he was hit by a pitch and classmate Kim Hart (Gorham, Maine/Gorham) followed with a double down the rightfield line to put two runners in scoring position with one away. After falling behind 3-and-1 to sophomore pinch-hitter Shawn Hayes (Charlton, Mass./Holy Name), the Falcons opted to intentionally walk him to load the bases and set up a force play at any base. Panza followed with a shallow liner to right that was just deep enough to score Olson with the winning run.
Sophomore
Elliott Shea (Jaffrey, N.H./Conant) was the lone Franklin
Pierce batter with multiple hits as he finished 2-for-4 with two stolen
bases and a run scored. He has now stolen a Conference-leading 15 bases
this season on as many attempts. Junior catcher Eric Cavers (Otisfield,
Maine/Oxford Hills) was 1-4 with a home run, two runs scored and
two RBI at the plate. Behind the plate, he caught one Bentley runner
stealing to end the Falcons tenth and picked another runner off at
first.
Freshman Neil Cacciola (North Andover, Mass./Wakefield)
picked up his first collegiate win (1-2) on the mound with a scoreless
inning of relief, yielding just a two-out single. Junior right-hander Ryan
Bowling (Cedar Springs, Mich./Cedar Springs) went the first nine
for Franklin Pierce and allowed eight runs, just four earned, on seven
hits with eight strikeouts and four walks. He settled down after the
first two innings and allowed just two hits and two walks over his last
seven innings of work. Bentley grad student Jack Baird (Washington Depot, Conn./Shepaug Valley) suffered the loss in relief of senior Sean Andrews (Auburn, Maine/St. Dominic), who walked the only four batters he faced to start the game. Baird allowed five runs, just one earned, on six hits with five strikeouts and three walks in 9.2 innings of work. After the first two batters reached in the second, Baird settled down and retired the next 15 Franklin Pierce batters and allowed just one base runner from the third through eighth innings.
Freshman
Steve Gath (Reading, Mass./Reading) was the lone Falcon
with multiple hits as he finished 2-for-4 with a pair of runs scored.
Classmate Mike O’Connor (Wilbraham, Mass./Minnechaug) finished
1-4 with a double, two RBI and two runs scored, while junior Tim
Bryant (Reading, Mass./Reading) was 1-3 with a double and two
RBI.
Bentley broke on top with four in the top of the first with the
big hit a two-run double with none out by O’Connor. Franklin Pierce
answered with eight in the bottom of the first as the first five batters
drew walks and Cavers capped the rally with a two-run homer to left with
two out.
The Falcons knotted the score with four unearned runs in the
second. Bryant belted a two-run double to right after the Ravens should
have been out of the inning and freshman Tom Haugh (Andover,
Mass./St. John’s Prep) followed with an RBI single.
Franklin Pierce (12-15, 7-3 NE-10) returns to action on Monday
when it hosts No. 24-ranked Southern Connecticut State University in a
key Conference battle at 3:30 p.m. Bentley (7-12, 5-8 NE-10) visits
Southern New Hampshire University on Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. |
