2006
NCAA II NORTHEAST REGIONAL RINDGE,
N.H. (May 22, 2006) –
Top-seeded and No. 12-ranked Franklin Pierce captured its second NCAA
Division II Northeast Regional Championship in four years with a
convincing 21-1 victory over fourth-seeded and reigning regional
champion Southern Connecticut State University at Dr. Arthur and
Martha Pappas Field this afternoon.
Franklin Pierce (44-11)
advances to the 2006 NCAA Division II Baseball Championships in
Montgomery, Ala., May 27 through June 4. The Ravens will face Central
Region champs Ashland University (46-15) on Sunday, May 28, at 2 p.m.
(EST), in their first game. Franklin Pierce also captured a regional
title in 2003, advancing to the semifinal round of the World Series.
Southern Connecticut State sees its season come to an end with a 36-19
mark. Senior All-American Bryan Duplissie (East Swanzey, N.H./Monadnock Regional) was named the Northeast Regional’s Most Outstanding Player as he rounded out the week with a complete-game effort on the mound to collect his sixth win of the season (6-1). Duplissie allowed just the one earned run on seven hits with seven strikeouts and a walk. He also sparked the Ravens at the plate, hitting 3-for-6 with a pair of doubles and two RBI.
Junior All-American Garrett
Olson (Norway, Maine/Oxford Hills) was 4-for-5 with a pair of
homers, a double, three runs scored and six RBI. Sophomore Matt
Anderson (Medford, Mass./Medford) was 4-6 with a double, grand
slam, three runs scored and five RBI, while senior Mike Chambers
(Londonderry, N.H./Londonderry) hit 3-5 with a double, his
fifth home run of the regional, three runs scored and three RBI.
Senior Randy Fenton (Worcester, Mass./Doherty) was 2-3
with an RBI, two stolen bases and four runs scored.
No Southern batters
registered multiple hits as it was led by freshmen Kevin
Bowermen (West Haven, Conn./West Haven) and Mo Davidson
(Winsted, Conn./Northwest Regional) with 1-for-2 efforts.
Freshman Michael Diaz (Monroe, Conn./Masuk) was
responsible for the Owls lone run with a solo home run with two outs
in the third.
Senior Joe Vingo
(Harrison, N.Y./Lakeland) suffered the loss (5-5) as he was
hit for five earned runs on six hits and a walk with no strikeouts in
an inning plus of work.
Franklin Pierce hit an
impressive .402 as a team over its five regional games, blasting 22
home runs (two more than the other five teams combined) and 15
doubles, while scoring 60 runs (12/gm). Franklin Pierce wasted no time jumping in front, jumping on the scoreboard in the first on Chambers two-run home run to left center. The Ravens expanded their lead to 6-0 with four in the second as Fenton and Olson notched RBI singles, before Duplissie helped his cause with a two-run double down the leftfield line.
Southern Connecticut
got on the board with Diaz’s solo shot to right in the third, but
Franklin Pierce answered back with two in the home-half. Senior Mike
Feetham (Quincy, Mass./North Quincy) led off with a home run,
before Chambers registered an RBI double.
Leading 9-1, the Ravens broke the game open with seven in the
sixth. Olson started the onslaught with an RBI double, before freshman
Scott Savastano (Plymouth, Mass./Plymouth North) added
an RBI single. Junior Kim Hart (Gorham, Maine/Gorham)
had an RBI double, before Anderson rounded out the frame with his
first career grand slam.
Olson led off the seventh
with a homer, before the Ravens rounded out their scoring with four in
the eighth. Anderson had an RBI single and Olson added a three-run
homer to left-center.
Joining Duplissie on the
Regional All-Tournament team were Anderson, Chambers, Olson and
Savastano (the entire Ravens infield) from Franklin Pierce. Senior Joe
Pagan (Bridgeport, Conn./Central) and junior Josh
Terletzky (Plainfield, Conn./Plainfield) were named to the
team from Southern Connecticut. The entire All-Tournament team is
listed below.
Olson hit .560 (14-for-25)
for the regional with 11 runs scored, two doubles, five home runs and
10 RBI. In addition to today’s complete game effort, Duplissie hit
.480 (12-25) with five runs scored, three doubles, three homers and
six RBI. Anderson finished with a .476 (10-21) with seven runs scored,
three homers and eight RBI. 2006
NCAA Division II Northeast Regional Most Outstanding Player: Bryan Duplissie, Franklin Pierce C:
Matt Anderson, Franklin Pierce |
