#15 Franklin Pierce Sweeps 
Southern New Hampshire
Ravens pitching tosses two shutouts in 8-0 and 4-0 wins and match single-season win mark  

RINDGE, N.H. (April 22, 2006) – Franklin Pierce, ranked 15^th in both this week’s Collegiate Baseball magazine and National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Division II polls, matched its program record for wins in a season with a pair of shutout victories in sweeping a Northeast-10 Conference baseball doubleheader from Southern New Hampshire University at Dr. Arthur and Martha Pappas Field this afternoon.

            Franklin Pierce took game one, 8-0, as junior right-handers Daniel Fournier (Worcester, Mass./Holy Name) and Eric Grabowski (Worcester, Mass./David Prouty) combined for the shutout, while senior All-American Bryan Duplissie (East Swanzey, N.H./Monadnock Regional) fired the Ravens to a 4-0 victory in the nightcap with a three-hit shutout.

            Senior Mike Chambers (Londonderry, N.H./Londonderry), junior Garrett Olson (Norway, Maine/Oxford Hills) and sophomore Matt Anderson (Medford, Mass./Medford) each hit a combined 3-for-7 in the doubleheader. Anderson scored three runs to go with a double and two RBI, while Chambers had three runs scored and an RBI.

            Olson also became the fifth member of the program’s 200-hit club with a single up the middle in the first inning of game one. Fournier became just the fifth pitcher in program history to reach 200 career strikeouts in game one as well.

            Franklin Pierce matches its single-season win record as the two wins give them 32 through 41 games this spring. The Ravens are now winners of ten of 11 and 15 of 17.  

Franklin Pierce 8, Southern New Hampshire 0 (Game 1)
            In game one, Franklin Pierce broke open a 1-0 game with six runs in the sixth as the Ravens sent 11 batters to the plate in the decisive frame. It was more than enough for Fournier and Grabowski as they combined on the seven-hit shutout.

            Fournier scattered the seven hits with 11 strikeouts and just a walk (season-low) over the first seven innings to collect his fifth win of the season (5-2). The 11 strikeouts marked the fourth double-digit performance of the season and second-straight this week. Grabowski retired all six batters he faced, striking out two, to close the game out.

            Chambers was a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate with two walks, two runs scored and an RBI for Franklin Pierce, while Anderson hit 2-4 with a double, two runs scored and two RBI. Duplissie batted 1-2 with an RBI and run scored, while Olson finished 2-4 with an RBI. Junior Jake Christman (Newton, Mass./Newton South) contributed an RBI double.

            Senior Tony Aucoin (Southbridge, Mass./Southbridge) was the lone Southern New Hampshire batter with multiple hits, finishing 3-for-4.            

Senior Casey O’Brien (Newmarket, N.H./Newmarket) suffered his second loss of the season (4-2) as he surrendered six earned runs on six hits and six walks with four strikeouts over 5.2 innings.

            Franklin Pierce got on the board with a single run in the third as Chambers singled to left center with two out and after Olson walked, scored on a Duplissie single to right.

            The Ravens broke the game open with six in the sixth. O’Brien walked two, before Christman contributed his RBI double with one out. Anderson followed with a two-run double and later scored on a wild pitch. Chambers added an RBI single to right in his second at bat of the frame. Franklin Pierce rounded out the scoring in the eighth as Anderson led off with a single through the right side and later scored on an Olson single up the middle with two out.

Boxscore & Play-by-Play

Franklin Pierce 4, Southern New Hampshire 0 (Game 2)
            In the nightcap, Duplissie tossed his second-straight complete-game with a three-hit shutout to lead Franklin Pierce to victory. Duplissie struck out six and walked two in earning his fifth win of the season (5-1). He retired 16 of the last 17 batters he faced in the contest, including 15-straight before yielding a two-out infield single in the ninth.            

Senior Elliot Shea (Jaffrey, N.H./Conant) paced the Ravens offense as he hit 2-for-4 with a pair of doubles and three RBI. Classmate Randy Fenton (Worcester, Mass./Doherty) was 2-2 with a walk, stolen base and two runs scored, while Anderson was 1-3 with a run scored.

            Senior Wayne Parker (Manchester, N.H./Manchester) hit 1-for-2 for Southern New Hampshire. Aucoin also notched a hit to finish with four on the afternoon.

            Freshman Greg Lyons (Canton, Mass./Canton) went the distance on the mound for the Penmen in a losing effort (1-4), allowing four runs, three earned, on eight hits with five strikeouts and three walks over the eight innings.

            Franklin Pierce got the only run it would need in the first, marking the 25^th time in 41 games this season the Ravens have scored in their first at bat, but snapping a five-game scoring drought in the first inning. Chambers reached on an error and later scored on a second error after Christman reached on an infield single.

            The Ravens added another run in the fourth, after SNHU retired the first two batters of the frame. Fenton singled, stole second and scored on a Shea double to right center. Franklin Pierce added two insurance runs in the sixth, again after the first two batters were retired. Anderson singled through the left side, and after Fenton drew a walk, Shea drove them in with a double down the leftfield line.

Boxscore & Play-by-Play

Franklin Pierce (32-9, 17-5 NE-10) and Southern New Hampshire (18-16, 9-13 NE-10) are scheduled to wrap up their three-game weekend series in Manchester, N.H., tomorrow at 1 p.m., but the weather forecast is not very favorable. Please check the Franklin Pierce or SNHU website Sunday morning for postponement information. Should tomorrow’s game be postponed, the Ravens will return to action on Monday for a rescheduled Conference game at the College of Saint Rose at 3:30 p.m.