#11
Franklin Pierce and RINDGE,
N.H. (April 1, 2006) –
Franklin Pierce, ranked 11th in this week’s Collegiate
Baseball magazine Division II poll, and Stonehill College split a
Northeast-10 Conference doubleheader at Dr. Arthur and Martha Pappas
Field this afternoon. The Ravens won game one, 8-2, before the
Skyhawks took the nightcap, 3-1, in ten innings.
Franklin Pierce got a pair of standout starting performances
from senior All-American Bryan Duplissie (East Swanzey, N.H./Monadnock
Regional) and junior Shane Presutti (Southbridge,
Mass./Southbridge). Leading the offense was senior Elliott
Shea (Jaffrey, N.H./Conant), who was a combined 5-for-8 with a
double, home run, three RBI and a stolen base. The steal was the 57th
of his career, matching the program record set by former All-American
Eric Cavers from 2002-2004. Junior All-American Garrett Olson (Norway, Maine/Oxford Hills) was 4-for-7 with four runs scored, a triple, homer, two RBI and two steals.
In
game one, Presutti improved to 4-0 this spring as he allowed two
earned runs on seven hits with a season-high 11 strikeouts and one
walk over eight innings.
Shea hit 3-for-4 with a home run, stolen base, two runs scored
and three RBI for the Ravens, while Olson was 2-3 with a homer, two
steals, three runs scored and two RBI. Junior Kim Hart (Gorham,
Maine/Gorham) chipped in by going 2-4 with a double, stolen
base and two RBI.
Juniors Max Vigliotti (Stamford, Conn./Cheshire Academy)
and Matt Vaughn (Bow, N.H./Bow) were both 1-for-3 with
an RBI for Stonehill in the first game. Senior Sean Lawrence
(New Rochelle, N.Y./Fordham Prep) and sophomore David
Fradette (Goffstown, N.H./Goffstown) each chipped in with
doubles.
Senior right-hander Billy Sittig (West Roxbury,
Mass./Catholic Memorial), the reigning NE-10 Pitcher of the
Year, was handed his first loss of the season (3-1) as he was touched
for eight runs, six earned, on eight hits with three strikeouts and a
walk over seven innings.
Stonehill plated a run in the top of the first as junior Adam
Pardo (Hanover, Mass./Hanover) singled up the middle, stole
second, and then scored on Vigliotti’s single to center with two
outs. Franklin Pierce answered right back as Olson reached on an error
to lead off the home half before Shea belted his fifth home run of the
season to left to put the Ravens up 2-1.
Hart doubled and scored on a sacrifice fly by freshman Scott
Savastano (Plymouth, Mass./Plymouth North) for the Ravens in
the fourth. Fradette led off the fifth with a double for the Skyhawks,
and then scored on Vaughn’s single to pull within a run (3-2).
Franklin Pierce broke the game open with four in the fifth.
Senior Randy Fenton (Worcester, Mass./Doherty) was hit
by a Sittig pitch to lead off the inning, followed by Olson’s sixth
homer of the year to left center. Shea singled and Duplissie doubled
before scoring on a Hart single to center with one out. The Ravens
rounded out their scoring in the sixth as Olson was
hit by a pitch for the school-record 31st time in his
career and scored on a Shea single to right. In
the nightcap, Stonehill rode 9.2 strong innings from senior Brian
Nelson (Greenville, R.I./LaSalle) to a 3-1 victory in ten
innings and snap a 13-game losing streak to the Ravens dating back to
2002.
Nelson allowed just the one earned run, while scattering eight
hits and four walks with two strikeouts over the 9.2 innings. Senior Joe
Breen (Swampscott, Mass./Swampscott) got the final out of the
game with a strikeout with the bases loaded in the tenth to pick up
his first save of the season. Lawrence was 3-for-5 and drove in all three Stonehill runs. Senior Coley Lyons (West Roxbury, Mass./Catholic Memorial) was 2-5 with a double.
The
Ravens squandered a strong start from Duplissie, who allowed just an
earned run on five hits with a season-high nine strikeouts and three
walks over eight innings. Junior Eric Grabowski (Worcester,
Mass./David Prouty) suffered the loss (0-1) as he yielded two
earned runs on three hits and two walks with five strikeouts over the
final two frames.
Olson and Shea were both 2-for-4 for the Ravens with Olson
notching a triple and run scored and Shea adding a double. Junior Vinny
Pennell (Spencer, Mass./David Prouty) was also 2-4 with a pair
of stolen bases, while senior Mike Chambers (Londonderry, N.H./Londonderry)
finished 1-3 with an RBI.
Grabowski struck out three of Stonehill’s four batters in the
ninth, surrendering a two-out double in the frame. However, the first
two Skyhawk batters of the tenth reached with a single and a walk.
Pardo pushed the runners over with a sacrifice, then Grabowski added
another strikeout before walking the bases loaded with two out.
Lawrence delivered a two-run single to give Stonehill the lead.
Franklin Pierce loaded the bases in the bottom of the tenth.
Shea registered a two-out double, followed by a walk to chase Nelson.
Breen walked the first batter he faced to load the bases, but struck
out Hart on three pitches to end the game.
The Ravens jumped on the board with a run in the first, marking
the 17th time in 23 games this season they have scored in
their first at bat. Olson led off with a triple and scored on a
Chambers ground out.
Duplissie was breezing along until the sixth when Stonehill
evened the score. Pardo reached with a one-out single, followed by a
Lyons double. Duplissie intentionally walked Vigliotti to set up the
double play, but got it a batter too late, as Lawrence singled through
the left side to drive in the tying run. Franklin Pierce (17-6,
2-2 NE-10) and Stonehill (10-10, 6-2 NE-10) conclude their three game
weekend series tomorrow in Easton, Mass., at 1 p.m. |
