#12/15 Franklin Pierce Clinches First NE-10 
Regular Season Title
Ravens rally twice to defeat Saint Rose, 
10-7, in suspended game  

AMSTERDAM, N.Y. (May 5, 2006) – Franklin Pierce, ranked 12^th in this week’s Collegiate Baseball magazine coaches poll and 15^th in this week’s National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) poll, clinched its first Northeast-10 Conference regular season championship with a 10-7 victory at the College of Saint Rose as the teams completed a suspended game from last Friday this evening at Shuttleworth Park.

            The game was originally ruled a 9-0 forfeit victory for Saint Rose by the game umpires who called the game in the top of the second inning last week. The umpires ruled Franklin Pierce head coach Jayson King and sophomore catcher Matt Anderson (Medford, Mass./Medford) failed to leave the field of play in a timely manner after being ejected in the bottom of the first inning. However, the Northeast-10 ruled the forfeit was called incorrectly, calling for the game to be resumed tonight with Saint Rose holding a 5-2 lead in the top of the second inning.  

            Franklin Pierce (40-9, 25-5 NE-10), who reaches the 40-win plateau for the first time in program history, will be the top seed as it looks to defend its Northeast-10 Tournament title next weekend. The Ravens will face the winner of Wednesday’s opening round game between the fourth and fifth seeds next Friday, May 12, at LeLacheur Park in Lowell, Mass., at a time to be announced next week. Saint Rose (9-35, 5-22 NE-10) visits Saint Anselm College tomorrow at 4 p.m.            

Senior right-hander Tyler Cummings (South Paris, Maine/Oxford Hills) held Saint Rose in check over the final 5.2 innings this evening to allow Franklin Pierce to complete a pair of comeback efforts. Cummings allowed just two hits over 5.2 shutout innings of work, striking out five and walking none to collect his eighth win of the season (8-1)  - the 25^th victory of his career. He has not allowed a walk in his last 24.2 innings of work.

            Junior All-American Garrett Olson (Norway, Maine/Oxford Hills) was 3-for-6 with a pair of doubles, a stolen base, an RBI and run scored to lead the Ravens on offense. Senior Mike Chambers (Londonderry, N.H./Londonderry) was 2-6 with a double, two runs scored and two RBI, while classmate Elliot Shea (Jaffrey, N.H./Conant) hit 2-4 with a steal, RBI and three runs scored. Freshman Scott Savastano (Plymouth, Mass./Plymouth) finished 2-4 with a double and two RBI, while senior All-American Bryan Duplissie (East Swanzey, N.H./Monadnock Regional) chipped in two RBI.

            Senior Bill Behrle (Albany, N.Y./Albany) and junior Mike Pagano (New City, N.Y./Clarkstown South) each batted 2-for-4 with a run scored and RBI for Saint Rose, while sophomore Casey Deuel (Queensbury, N.Y./Queensbury) was 2-4 with an RBI. Pagano also finished with a stolen base.

            Sophomore Jeremiah St. Louis (Tupper Lake, N.Y./Tupper Lake) suffered the loss in relief for the Golden Knights (1-6) as he surrendered five runs, four earned, on eight hits and six walks with three strikeouts over five innings of work.            

Saint Rose held a 5-2 lead after an inning of play before the game was halted after the Ravens put the first two runners on base in the second. Pagano, Behrle and Deuel each notched RBI singles in the Golden Knights first at bat, while another run scored on a sacrifice fly by Ben Paniccia (Schenectady, N.Y./Mohonasen) and another came around on an error.

            Franklin Pierce pulled within a run in the second after play resumed this evening as Olson ripped an RBI double down the leftfield line and Shea scored on a groundout. The Ravens took a 6-5 lead in the fourth on an RBI single from Chambers and a sacrifice fly by Duplissie. However, Saint Rose regained the lead with a pair in the home half of the fourth on an RBI single by John Marcella (Schenectady, N.Y./CBA) and an error.

            Franklin Pierce knotted the score in the fifth as Shea’s single down the rightfield line drove in junior Kim Hart (Gorham, Maine/Gorham), who had doubled. The Ravens took the lead for good with two in the sixth as Olson led off with a double and scored on a Duplissie single. Duplissie later scored when freshman Jacob Ferreira (Westport, Mass./Bishop Stang) drew a bases-loaded walk. Franklin Pierce added an insurance run in the eighth thanks to a Saint Rose error.

            Franklin Pierce enters the postseason winners of 11-straight, 18 of 19 and 23 of 25. Six of the Ravens wins during their 11-game win streak have been by shutout.

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