#25
Franklin Pierce Sweeps RINDGE,
N.H. (May 1, 2004) –
Franklin Pierce, ranked No. 25 in this week’s National Collegiate
Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Division II poll, swept a
Northeast-10 Conference doubleheader with College of Saint Rose at
Crystal Field this afternoon. The Ravens posted a 10-7 victory in game
one and collected an 8-5 decision in the nightcap.
The wins, coupled with Saint Anselm College’s (29-17, 23-7
NE-10) sweep of Bryant College (35-13, 23-9 NE-10) in a doubleheader in
Manchester, N.H., clinches a first round bye for Franklin Pierce (28-19,
23-7 NE-10) into next weekend’s double-elimination portion of the
Northeast-10 Conference Championships beginning Friday at LeLacheur Park
in Lowell, Mass. The losses eliminate Saint Rose (23-24, 13-18 NE-10)
from contention for a postseason berth.
The Ravens can clinch the Northeast-10 regular season title
out-right and the top seed in next weekend’s NE-10 Tournament with a
win tomorrow at Saint Rose (1 p.m.) and a Saint Anselm loss either
tomorrow at Bryant (1 p.m.) or Tuesday in a doubleheader at Assumption
College. If Franklin Pierce and Saint Anselm finish tied, the Hawks
would be the higher seed as they hold the head to head tiebreaker. Sophomore Mike Chambers (Londonderry, N.H./Londonderry) paced the Ravens this afternoon as he totaled ten RBI on the afternoon, including a program record matching six in game one alone, as he hit a combined 4-for-7 with a double and two home runs.
In
game one, Saint Rose scored three runs in the top of the third to take a
4-3 lead, but Franklin Pierce roared back with three in the home half of
the frame to regain the lead for good and added three more in the
seventh to seal the victory.
Chambers hit 2-3 with a double, home run and a six RBI, while
junior Eric Cavers (Otisfield, Maine/Oxford Hills) batted
3-5 with four runs scored and a stolen base. Sophomore Elliott
Shea (Jaffrey, N.H./Conant) was 2-4 with a run scored, while
classmate Randy Fenton (Worcester, Mass./Doherty) finished
1-3 with a double and two runs scored.
Freshman Daniel Fournier (Worcester, Mass./Holy Name)
picked up his sixth win of the season (6-2) as he allowed seven runs,
just four earned, scattering ten hits and three walks with eight
strikeouts in 7.2 innings of work. Redshirt freshman Matt Fisher
(Athol, Mass./Athol) picked up his first of two saves on the
afternoon with 1.1 innings of perfect relief, fanning one. Freshman Gary Miller (Prospect, Conn./Wolcott) led Saint Rose as he hit 2-4 with a stolen base and three RBI. Junior Josh Colafemina (Schenectady, N.Y./Schenectady) was 2-5 with an RBI, while senior John Howe (Stony Point, N.Y./North Rockland) added a solo home run.
Junior
Ryan Tatlock (Amsterdam, N.Y./Amsterdam) suffered the loss
as he yielded six runs, four earned, on eight hits with a walk and a
strikeout over four innings.
Franklin Pierce held a 3-1 lead after a two-run double by
Chambers in the third. Saint Rose answered with three unearned runs in
the top of the four as Miller had the big hit of the inning with a
two-run single to center with two outs.
The Ravens responded with three in the home half of the fourth,
two of which were unearned. Fenton roped a one-out double with sophomore
Mike Feetham (Quincy, Mass./North Quincy) scoring on a
throwing error on the play. Fenton scored on a sacrifice fly by freshman
Vinny Pennell (Spencer, Mass./David Prouty) and Cavers,
who reached on a dropped fly ball that should have ended the inning,
scored on a Shea single through the right side.
Chambers belted his first of two three-run homers on the
afternoon to give the Ravens a 9-5 lead in the bottom of the seventh.
The Golden Knights crept within two with a pair of runs in the eighth to
chase Fournier, but Fisher came on and retired all four batters he faced
to seal the victory. GAME ONE: Boxscore & Play-by-Play
In
the nightcap, Franklin Pierce fell behind by a pair of runs in the top
of the first, but knotted the score in the bottom of the frame and took
command of the game with a four-run fifth.
Chambers led the way again as he was 2-4 with a homer and four
RBI. Freshman Garrett Olson (Norway, Maine/Oxford Hills)
was 2-4 with a homer and two runs scored, while Fenton finished 2-2 with
a run scored and RBI. Senior Dante Blancarte (South Berwick,
Maine/Amesbury (Mass.)) hit 1-3 with a double, two runs scored
and an RBI.
Sophomore Mike Farrell (Russell, Mass./Gateway Regional)
picked up his second win of the season (2-1) with 6.1 strong innings,
yielding four runs, just two earned, on six hits and two walks with
seven strikeouts. Fisher nailed down the win allowing a hit and a walk
with a strikeout in two innings to notch his third save over the last
two days. Junior David Stringham (Schenectady, N.Y./Schenectady) led the Golden Knights as he was 2-4 with three RBI. Howe hit 2-4 with two runs scored and an RBI, while Colafemina finished 2-4 with a stolen base and run scored.
Freshman
Dane Cory (Glens Falls, N.Y./Glens Falls) suffered his
second loss of the season (5-2), allowing seven runs, six earned, on
seven hits and four walks with two strikeouts in five innings of work.
Saint Rose jumped ahead in the top of the first with a pair of
unearned runs. Howe laced a leadoff single, Colafemina reached on a
throwing error by Farrell and the two scored on a two-out single by
Stringham to right field.
Franklin Pierce answered with a pair in the home half to knot the
score as Blancarte roped an RBI double and Chambers drove him in with a
single down the leftfield line. The Ravens took the lead for good on a
Fenton sacrifice fly that scored Olson, who registered a leadoff single,
in the fourth. The Ravens broke the game open with four in the fifth as
Chambers belted his second three-run homer of the day, after Blancarte
was intentionally walked, and Olson followed it with a solo shot.
Saint Rose closed within two runs (7-5) with a pair in the
seventh and another in the eighth, but the Ravens added an insurance run
in the eighth and Fisher held the Golden Knights in check over the final
two to seal things. GAME
TWO: Boxscore &
Play-by-Play These two teams round out their three-game weekend series tomorrow afternoon in Albany, N.Y., at 1 p.m. |
