No. 17 Merrimack Sweeps Pesky FP

NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. (April 17, 2001) - Merrimack College, ranked No. 17 in the most recent NFCA Division II Top 25 poll, escaped a pesky Franklin Pierce University
squad in a Northeast-10 Conference doubleheader sweep at Warrior Field this afternoon. Merrimack won 8-5 in game one, before posting an 8-0 victory in five innings in the nightcap.

FP
trailed 5-3 entering the fourth inning of game one, and got a run back as freshman
Jessica Preite (North Adams, Mass./Greylock) doubled in classmate Michelle Derochers (Billerica, Mass./Billerica).

The Ravens knotted the game at five in the fifth frame as sophomore Carolyn Hall (Whitman, Mass./Whitman-Hansen) singled to score senior pinch-runner Erin Ryan (Millbury, Mass./Millbury). Derochers drove in the tying run with a sacrifice fly to centerfield, scoring sophomore Julie Haight (Fort Mongomery, N.Y./O’Neill).

Merrimack avoided the upset, however, as it struck for three runs in the bottom of the sixth, sparked by a two-run double from Katie Morgis.

Haight led the Ravens offense with two hits, while Preite and freshman Brooke Remington (Bennington, Vt./Mount Anthony) each recorded doubles.

In game two, Merrimack plated four runs in the bottom of the first inning to take control right away, en route to the 8-0 decision.

The Ravens got hits from Katelyn Kirby (North Adams, Mass./Drury) and Lauren Chenausky (Athol, Mass./Athol) off Merrimack starter Janel Robertson.

FP
(7-13, 2-8 NE-10) returns to action on Wednesday, when it travels to Lowell, Mass., for an NE-10 doubleheader at UMass Lowell at 4 p.m.

Score:
Game 1:
    1  2  3  4  5  6  7  - F FP 
0  2  0  1  2  0  0  - 5
MER 0  0  2  0  0  0  0  - 8
Game 2:
    1  2  3  4  5 - F FP 
0  0  0  0  0 - 0
MER 4  0  1  3  x - 8