#21
Bryant Halts SMITHFIELD,
R.I. (April 27, 2004) –
Bryant College, ranked No. 21 in this week’s National Collegiate
Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Division II Poll, put an end to No.
25 Franklin Pierce’s program-record 12-game win streak with a 4-0
victory at the Bryant Athletic Complex this afternoon.
Junior right-hander Steve Sloan (Franklin, Mass./Franklin)
threw seven-innings of five-hit shutout baseball with a walk and two
strikeouts to pick up his eighth win of the season (8-1). He combined
with freshman Anthony Jones (Bristol, Conn./Bristol Eastern)
and junior left-hander Mickey Ryan (Lowell, Mass./Lowell)
for the shutout. Jones yielded two hits and a walk with two strikeouts
in 1.2 innings, while Ryan notched a save, fanning the only batter he
faced in the ninth. Sophomore Nick Tucarella (Salem, N.H./Central Catholic) paced the Bulldogs offense as he hit 2-for-4 with a double and three RBI. Ryan, who started the game in centerfield, hit 1-2 with a double, three stolen bases, two runs scored and an RBI.
Sophomore
Randy Fenton (Worcester, Mass./Doherty) hit 2-4 for
Franklin Pierce with a double, while senior Dante Blancarte (South
Berwick, Maine/Amesbury (Mass.)) was also 2-4. Sophomore Mike
Chambers (Londonderry, N.H./Londonderry) finished 1-3.
Freshman Daniel Fournier (Worcester, Mass./Holy Name) suffered
the loss, allowing four runs, just two earned, on six hits and three
walks with seven strikeouts in eight innings for the Ravens.
Bryant struck first in the bottom of the first as Ryan drew a
leadoff walk, stole second and advanced to third on a throwing error by
Franklin Pierce sophomore catcher John Richard (Auburn, Mass./Holy
Name). Ryan scored on a Tucarella groundout two batters later.
Richard was making his first career start behind the plate for
the Ravens as junior Eric Cavers (Otisfield, Maine/Oxford Hills)
was forced to miss the first game of his collegiate career, ending
streak of 138 consecutive games, due to an injury sustained on
Sunday’s game-ending double-play collision at the plate in the Ravens
1-0 win at Stonehill.
Bryant added two runs in the third for a 3-0 cushion as Tucarella
roped a two-run double to score Ryan and sophomore Adam Rourke
(Rowley, Mass./Triton). Ryan’s RBI double in the seventh
scored sophomore Chris Brown (Norwalk, Conn./Norwalk), who
registered a leadoff double, to round out the scoring.
Franklin Pierce, which out-hit Bryant 7-6, left 11 runners on
base for the afternoon, including the bases loaded with none out in the
sixth and threatened in the ninth before leaving the bases loaded to end
the game. Franklin Pierce (25-17, 20-5 NE-10) and Bryant (33-11, 21-7 NE-10) round out their season series tomorrow afternoon in Rindge, N.H., at 3:30 p.m. |
