#25 Franklin Pierce 
Defeats Bryant, 6-2
Mather pitches Ravens to second-straight win, Shea becomes all-time stolen base leader

  RINDGE, N.H. (April 6, 2006) – Franklin Pierce, ranked No. 21 in this week’s National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Division II poll and 25^th in this week’s Collegiate Baseball magazine poll, opened up a 5-0 lead after four innings and never looked back in posting a 6-2 victory over Bryant University in Northeast-10 Conference baseball action at Dr. Arthur and Martha Pappas Field this afternoon.

            Junior right-hander Arric Mather (Danville, N.H./Winnacunnet) picked up his fourth win of the season (4-1) with 8.1 strong innings for Franklin Pierce. He allowed just the two earned runs on six hits with six strikeouts and two walks. Both walks came in the ninth inning after passing the 100-pitch mark after scattering four hits over eight shutout innings.            

Senior Elliott Shea (Jaffrey, N.H./Conant) became the Ravens all-time leader in stolen bases, stealing the 58^th base of his career in the fourth inning. He surpasses former All-American Eric Cavers, who stole 57 bases from 2002-04, with his Northeast-10 leading 16^th theft of the year. Shea finished the game 1-for-3 with two runs scored.

            Senior Mike Chambers (Londonderry, N.H./Londonderry) led the offense this afternoon as he hit 2-for-4 with a pair of doubles and a run scored. Junior All-American Garrett Olson (Norway, Maine/Oxford Hills) was 1-3 with a home run and three RBI, while classmate Kim Hart (Gorham, Maine/Gorham) finished 1-3 with a homer.

            Junior Mike Rocco (Tewksbury, Mass./Tewksbury) led Bryant on offense as he hit 2-for-4. Senior Chris Brown (Norwalk, Conn./Norwalk) was 1-3 with a run scored, while sophomore Mike Dondero (Medfield, Mass./Xavarian) finished 1-4 with an RBI.

            Sophomore Eric Loh (Old Greenwich, Conn./Greenwich) suffered the loss (2-5) for the Bulldogs, surrendering five earned runs on six hits with three strikeouts and three walks over six innings.            

Franklin Pierce jumped ahead with two runs in the first, marking the seventh-straight game and the 20^th time in 26 games this season the Ravens have scored in their first at bat. Shea drew a leadoff walk, before Olson struck with his seventh homer of the season a batter later with one out. Olson drove in the Ravens third run in the third with a sacrifice fly that scored Shea (hit-by-pitch) from third after Chambers first double of the day.

            The Ravens extended their lead to 5-0 with a pair in the fourth. Hart belted a solo homer over the wall in left for the first run, before senior Randy Fenton (Worcester, Mass./Doherty) later scored on a balk. Chambers led off the Ravens seventh with a double down the leftfield line and later scored on a two-out triple down the right field line by freshman Scott Savastano (Plymouth, Mass./Plymouth North).

            Bryant struck for a pair against a tiring Mather in the ninth. Senior Paul Novakowski (Prospect, Conn./Bridgton Academy) drew a leadoff walk (Mather’s first of the day), before Brown and Rocco added singles to load the bases with none out. Novakowski scored on a sacrifice fly and Mather was pulled after issuing a second walk to again load the bases. Senior Mike Farrell (Russell, Mass./Gateway Regional) came on and got a pair of ground ball outs (one that drove in the Bulldogs second run) to end the game.

            Franklin Pierce (19-7, 5-3 NE-10) is back in action tomorrow when it visits Merrimack College for an NE-10 contest at 3:30 p.m. Bryant (8-21, 6-4 NE-10) visits Saint Anselm College for a doubleheader Saturday beginning at noon.

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