Molloy
Sweeps Franklin Pierce HOMESTEAD,
Fla. (March 19, 2004) –
Molloy College sent Franklin Pierce home from its Florida swing with a
seven-game losing streak as it swept a non-conference baseball
doubleheader this afternoon over the No. 4-ranked team in this week’s
National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Northeast
Region poll.
The seven-game skid is the longest for Franklin Pierce since an
11-game slide (April 8-22) during the 1998 season. The skein is the
longest under sixth-year Head Coach Jayson King, eclipsing
a six-game skid (March 26-29) during his first season at the Ravens helm
in 1999.
In game one, freshman Mike Singer (Coral Springs, Fla.)
doubled and scored on a sacrifice fly by junior Matt Meaney
(Valley Stream, N.Y.) to put Molloy ahead for good in the bottom
of the sixth. Junior right-hander Bryan Borowski (Clarksburg, Mass./Drury) pitched well in defeat for Franklin Pierce, yielding five earned runs on seven hits with seven strikeouts in six innings of work.
Sophomore
Mike Feetham (Quincy, Mass./North Quincy) led the Ravens
offense as he hit 2-for-3 with a run scored. Freshman Garrett
Olson (Norway, Maine/Oxford Hills) was 1-2 with an RBI and run
scored.
Senior John Maloney (Garden City, N.Y.) put Molloy
ahead in the bottom of the first with a two-run homer.
Franklin Pierce rallied with three runs in the top of the fifth
for a 3-2 advantage. Freshman Kim Hart (Gorham, Maine/Gorham)
singled in Olson and classmate Vinnie Pennell (Spencer,
Mass./David Prouty) drove in Feetham with on a fielder’s
choice. Hart scored the go-ahead run when junior Eric Cavers (Otisfield,
Mass./Oxford Hills) reached on an error by the Lions shortstop.
Molloy regained the lead with a pair of runs scored on Borowski
balks in the bottom of the fifth. Franklin Pierce knotted the score at
4-4 in the top of the sixth as senior Dante Blancarte (Amesbury,
Mass./Amesbury) doubled and scored on an Olson single.
Batteries: WP:
Conroy
In
the nightcap, Molloy broke open a 4-3 game with five runs over the
fourth and fifth innings and coasted to victory.
Leading 4-3 after three innings, the Lions scored three runs in
the top of the fourth to break things open. Sophomore John Jata
(Rockville Centre, N.Y.) kicked things off with a single and
scored on a wild pitch. After Meaney drew a walk, sophomore Joe
Holden (Wantaugh, N.Y.) belted a two-run homer.
Franklin Pierce freshman right-hander Clay Jenkins (Easton,
N.H./Profile) suffered the loss, as he was touched for six
earned runs on five hits and three walks with a strikeout in 3.1 innings
of work.
Sophomore Elliott Shea (Jaffrey, N.H./Conant) paced
the Ravens offense as he hit 2-4 with two runs scored, a home run and
two RBI. Blancarte finished 2-3 with an RBI, while Olson was 2-3.
Molloy jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first, sparked
by a two-run double from sophomore Kevin Sluka (East Meadow, N.Y.),
but Franklin Pierce responded with a pair in the bottom half of the
inning as Shea smacked his second homer of the season, a two-run shot.
The Lions plated a run in the second for a 4-2 advantage, but the
Ravens closed to within a run again in the third as Shea singled, stole
second, then scored on a single by Blancarte.
Batteries: WP:
Penney
TEIKYO
POST GAME UPDATE:
Officials of the Gene Cusic Classic upheld the forfeit loss for Franklin
Pierce to Teikyo Post University on Thursday. The Eagles receive a 7-0
victory with all statistics up to the point the game was halted
counting, as it was an official game with TPU leading 5-3 in the top of
the sixth. Neither pitcher receives a decision, however. Franklin Pierce (5-12) is scheduled to return to action on Tuesday, March 23, at Assumption College at 3 p.m. Molloy (5-10) faces Iona College tomorrow at 1p.m. |
