#11 Franklin Pierce Keeps 
Rolling at Queens
Ravens notch 14-1 victory in game one, 
take nightcap 20-5
Olson belts three homers on afternoon, including two grand slams in nightcap

FLUSHING, N.Y. (March 11, 2006) – Franklin Pierce, ranked No. 11 in this week’s Collegiate Baseball magazine Division II Coaches’ poll, ran its winning streak to eight games as it swept a non-conference doubleheader at Queens College on Long Island this afternoon.

            The Ravens out-hit the hosts 15-2 in posting a 14-1 triumph in game one, before posting a 20-5 victory in the nightcap. Junior All-American Garrett Olson (Norway, Maine/Oxford Hills), Baseball America’s Preseason Division II Player of the Year, lived up to the hype, going a combined 6-for-10 with eight runs scored, three home runs, a double and 12 RBI on the day. He became the first player in program history to hit two grand slams in one game when he accomplished the feat in game two.

            In game one, Franklin Pierce out-hit Queens 15-2 and the Ravens scored all their runs over the first four innings in posting a 14-1 victory.

            Senior righthander Tyler Cummings (South Paris, Maine/Oxford Hills) quieted the Knights bats with five innings of one-hit shutout work with two strikeouts and no walks to post his second win of the year (2-0).            

Junior Kim Hart (Gorham, Maine/Gorham) paced the Ravens offense as he hit 3-for-4 with a home run and four RBI. Freshman Scott Savastano (Plymouth, Mass./Plymouth North) was 3-3 with a homer, two runs scored and an RBI, while Olson hit 2-5 with a double, homer, two RBI and three runs scored. Senior Elliott Shea (Jaffrey, N.H./Conant) chipped in by batting 2-5 with a pair of doubles, two RBI and two runs scored.

            Junior Robert Standish (Valley Stream, N.Y./St. John’s) suffered the loss (0-1), as he was touched for ten runs, eight earned, on ten hits and two walks over 2.1 innings.

            Franklin Pierce struck for a pair in the first, marking the seventh time over its first eight games the Ravens have scored in their first at bat. Olson led off with a double and scored on a passed ball, while senior Mike Chambers (Londonderry, N.H./Londonderry) walked, stole second and scored on a Hart single.

            Savastano belted his first collegiate home run in the second before the Ravens broke the game open with nine runs in the third. Hart sparked the frame with a three-run homer, while seniors Randy Fenton (Worcester, Mass./Doherty) and Bryan Duplissie (East Swanzey, N.H./Monadnock) each added RBI singles. Olson rounded out the Franklin Pierce scoring with a two-run homer in the fourth before Queens plated a run in the sixth. Junior Michael Hennessy (West Babylon, N.Y./St. Francis Prep) singled and scored on an error, snapping a streak of 20 shutout innings by Franklin Pierce pitching.

Boxscore & Play-by-Play

In the nightcap, Franklin Pierce got a record ten RBI from Olson, thanks to a pair of grand slams, in posting a commanding 20-5 victory.

            Olson hit 4-for-5 with five runs scored, the two grand slams and ten RBI, while Shea hit 4-6 with a homer. Junior Vinny Pennell (Spencer, Mass./David Prouty) was 2-4 with a homer and three runs scored.            

Senior All-American Bryan Duplissie picked up the win (2-1) on the mound, allowing four earned runs on five hits with six strikeouts and no walks over five innings. He also helped his own cause at the plate, batting 2-5 with a double, homer and RBI.

            Junior Maurice Santana (Queens, N.Y./Bellevue University) led three Queens hitters who homered in the game as he was 2-for-3. Sophomore Andrew Pfeffer (Briarwood, N.Y./C.W. Post) was 1-3 with a two-run homer, while freshman Tyler Abrams (Bronx, N.Y./Hofstra) hit 1-4 with his first collegiate blast.

            Junior Brian Giraldi (Oyster Bay, N.Y./Nassau CC) suffered the loss (0-1), yielding nine runs, seven earned, on nine hits and two walks with two strikeouts over three innings.

            Queens held Franklin Pierce off the scoreboard in the first inning for just the second time this season and struck first in the home half on Abrams solo homer. The Ravens responded with five in the second as Olson belted his first grand slam and Pennell added a solo shot.

            The Knights got a run back in the bottom of the second on Santana’s homer, but the Ravens took control of the game with four in the third to open a 9-2 advantage. Olson collected a two-run single and Chambers drove in another on a fielder’s choice.

            Queens closed within 9-4 thanks to Pfeffer’s two-run homer in the bottom of the third, but the Ravens struck for ten runs over the fifth and sixth to bust the game open. Duplissie hit his third homer of the year to spark a three-run fifth. Olson’s second grand slam led a seven-run sixth and Shea went back-to-back with Olson with a solo shot for his fourth of the year.

Boxscore & Play-by-Play 

            Franklin Pierce (8-1, 0-0 NE-10) is back in action tomorrow when it faces Dowling College, ranked seventh in the Northeast Region, for a key in-region doubleheader beginning at noon. Queens (0-2, 0-0 NYCAC) is off until Saturday, March 25, when it hosts Saint Thomas Aquinas College for a doubleheader at noon.