Franklin
Pierce Completes RINDGE,
N.H. (April 18, 2004) –
Franklin Pierce, ranked No. 8 in this week’s National Collegiate
Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Division II Northeast Region poll,
jumped out to an 11-0 lead after five innings en route to a 12-4 victory
over UMass Lowell, ranked sixth in the region, in Northeast-10
Conference baseball action at Crystal Field this afternoon. Franklin Pierce, who moved into first place in the Conference standings with yesterday’s doubleheader sweep of UMass Lowell, completes its first-ever regular season series sweep of the River Hawks and the 12 runs scored mark just the third time in program history it has scored double-digit runs against the River Hawks – the first in a win. The Ravens also handed UMass Lowell its first-ever five-game Conference losing streak with the loss.
Junior
Eric Cavers (Otisfield, Maine/Oxford Hills) paced the
Ravens 12-hit attack, as he was 3-for-4 with a double and two runs
scored. Senior Dante Blancarte (South Berwick, Maine/Amesbury
(Mass.)) hit 2-3 with a pair of walks, a double and two RBI.
Freshman Kim Hart (Gorham, Maine/Gorham) finished 2-4 with
a double and two RBI, while sophomore Randy Fenton (Worcester,
Mass./Doherty) was 1-3 with a pair of RBI. Sophomore Mike
Feetham (Quincy, Mass./North Quincy) chipped in with his first
career home run and three RBI.
Sophomore right-hander Tyler Cummings (South Paris,
Maine/Oxford Hills) was superb in his first start since March 18
due to injury in earning his first victory of the season (1-2). He
tossed five scoreless innings, yielding just two hits and a walk with
eight strikeouts. No UMass Lowell batters registered multiple hits as freshman Patrick Wilson (Dracut, Mass./Bishop Guertin) led the way by hitting 1-5 with two RBI. Sophomore Shamus Veo (Hudson, Mass./Hudson) came off the bench and was 1-2 with a run scored, as did freshman Sean Patno (Chelmsford, Mass./Chelmsford), who batted 1-3 with an RBI. Freshman Bill Furey (Chelmsford, Mass./Chelmsford) was also 1-3 and scored a run.
Junior
right-hander Dan Larson (Melrose, Mass./Malden Catholic)
took the loss as he was hit for five earned runs on four hits and three
walks with five strikeouts in 2.2 innings of work.
Franklin Pierce scored three times in the second to open the
scoring. Freshman Garrett Olson (Norway, Maine/Oxford Hills)
led off the frame with a single and stole second before scoring on a
double to right-center by Hart. Feetham followed with his first career
home run down the right field line.
After the Ravens scored twice in the third on a balk and wild
pitch, they broke the game open with a four-run fourth. Cavers led the
inning off with a single, followed by a walk by sophomore Elliott
Shea (Jaffrey, N.H./Conant). After the two advanced on a wild
pitch, Blancarte roped a double to the wall in right-center to drive
them in. Fenton rounded out the scoring with a two-out single to the
leftfield gap that drove in two.
Trailing 11-0, UMass Lowell scored all four of its runs in the
seventh after loading the bases with none out. Sophomore Brian
Delaney (Chelmsford, Mass./Chelmsford) was hit by a pitch to put
the River Hawks on the board and Wilson capped the scoring with a
two-run single to leftfield with two out. Franklin Pierce (17-16, 12-4 NE-10) returns to action tomorrow afternoon for a Northeast-10 Conference doubleheader at home against Merrimack College at 1 p.m. UMass Lowell (12-15, 11-8 NE-10) visits Bryant College, ranked third in the region, tomorrow at 2 p.m. |
