Bases-loaded walks score tying and winning runs

RINDGE, N.H. (May 14, 2004) - Top-seeded Franklin Pierce claimed a 6-5 victory over third-seeded Wilmington (Del.) College, in ten innings, in game one their 2004 ECAC Championship Series at Crystal Field this afternoon.

Franklin Pierce jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first, but needed bases-loaded walks in the ninth and tenth to come away with the victory. Sophomore Mike Chambers (Londonderry, N.H./Londonderry) drew the base-loaded walk in the bottom of the tenth to plate classmate Randy Fenton (Worcester, Mass./Doherty) with the winning run.

Franklin Pierce (31-22) and Wilmington (21-25) will resume their best-of-three series tomorrow at noon. Wilmington needs to defeat the Ravens twice to claim the ECAC Championship, while Franklin Pierce will be looking for a win to claim its second ECAC title over the last three years.        

Chambers helped pace the Ravens offense as he finished 2-for-4 with a double, run scored and two RBI. Senior Dante Blancarte (South  Berwick, Maine/Amesbury (Mass.)) was 2-4 with a double, two runs scored and two RBI. Freshman Garrett Olson (Norway, Maine/Oxford Hills) hit 2-5 with a double and RBI, while senior Eric Cavers (Otisfield, Maine/Oxford Hills) was 2-4 with a stolen base and two runs scored.

Sophomore Mike Farrell (Russell, Mass./Gateway Regional) picked up the win (3-1) with 1.2 innings of perfect relief. He entered the game with a runner on first and one out in the ninth and retired the side on one pitch with a lineout double play. Franklin Pierce starter Bryan Borowski (Clarksburg, Mass./Drury) didn't figure in on the decision but went seven strong innings, allowing three earned runs on five hits with a walk and three strikeouts.

Senior Tom Eller (Rising Sun, Md./Rising Sun) paced the Wilmington offense as he hit 2-4 with a home run and two RBI. Junior Bryan Fitzgerald (Wilmington, Del./St. Mark's) was 2-5 with a run scored, while senior Aaron Lewis (Wilmington, Del./St. Elizabeth's) finished 2-4.

Senior Tom Gallagher (Bear, Del./Glasgow) suffered the loss (3-5) as he allowed two earned runs on two hits and five walks with three strikeouts over 2.1 innings. Junior Pete Henyan (Corning, N.Y./Corning East) did not receive a decision, yielding four earned runs on nine hits with nine strikeouts and two walks over the first seven innings.            

Franklin Pierce jumped ahead with three in the bottom of the first. Blancarte roped an RBI double and scored on another double from Chambers. Olson followed with a single to left to score Chambers.

Wilmington closed to within a run in the fifth as Eller smashed a two-run home run with two out. The Ravens regained a two-run cushion in the home half of the fifth as Blancarte's single through the right side scored Cavers, who singled after the first two Raven batters were retired.

The Wildcats closed to within a run after a solo home run to leftfield from sophomore Garry Wright (Newark, Del./St. Mark's), and then took the lead with a pair in the eighth. Senior Adam Brown (Wilmington, Del./Caravel Academy) drove in the tying run with a single to center and junior Joe Class (Rising Sun, Md./Rising Sun) scored the go-ahead run with a sacrifice fly.

The first three Franklin Pierce batters reached in the ninth, but the Ravens scored just the tying run when freshman Kim Hart (Gorham, Maine/Gorham) drew a bases-loaded walk with one out. Pennell followed with a fly ball to left deep enough to score the winning run, but Chambers tagged and left third early and the result was an inning-ending double play.

Fenton led off the tenth with a double down the rightfield line and advanced to third on a wild pitch. After getting a strikeout, Wilmington chose to walk the bases loaded to set up the double play and force at any base. Blancarte struck out for the second out before Chambers drew the game-winning bases-loaded walk.

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