Top-seeded Ravens crush #4 Southern Connecticut, 21-1, for second Northeast Regional title in four years

RINDGE, N.H. (May 22, 2006) - Top-seeded and No. 12-ranked Franklin Pierce captured its second NCAA Division II Northeast Regional Championship in four years with a convincing 21-1 victory over fourth-seeded and reigning regional champion Southern Connecticut State University at Dr. Arthur and Martha Pappas Field this afternoon.

Franklin Pierce (44-11) advances to the 2006 NCAA Division II Baseball Championships in Montgomery, Ala., May 27 through June 4. The Ravens will face Central Region champs Ashland University (46-15) on Sunday, May 28, at 2 p.m. (EST), in their first game. Franklin Pierce also captured a regional title in 2003, advancing to the semifinal round of the World Series. Southern Connecticut State sees its season come to an end with a 36-19 mark.

Senior All-American Bryan Duplissie (East Swanzey, N.H./Monadnock Regional) was named the Northeast Regional's Most Outstanding Player as he rounded out the week with a complete-game effort on the mound to collect his sixth win of the season (6-1). Duplissie allowed just the one earned run on seven hits with seven strikeouts and a walk. He also sparked the Ravens at the plate, hitting 3-for-6 with a pair of doubles and two RBI.            

Junior All-American Garrett Olson (Norway, Maine/Oxford Hills) was 4-for-5 with a pair of homers, a double, three runs scored and six RBI. Sophomore Matt Anderson (Medford, Mass./Medford) was 4-6 with a double, grand slam, three runs scored and five RBI, while senior Mike Chambers (Londonderry, N.H./Londonderry) hit 3-5 with a double, his fifth home run of the regional, three runs scored and three RBI. Senior Randy Fenton (Worcester, Mass./Doherty) was 2-3 with an RBI, two stolen bases and four runs scored.

No Southern batters registered multiple hits as it was led by freshmen Kevin Bowermen (West Haven, Conn./West Haven) and Mo Davidson (Winsted, Conn./Northwest Regional) with 1-for-2 efforts. Freshman Michael Diaz (Monroe, Conn./Masuk) was responsible for the Owls lone run with a solo home run with two outs in the third.

Senior Joe Vingo (Harrison, N.Y./Lakeland) suffered the loss (5-5) as he was hit for five earned runs on six hits and a walk with no strikeouts in an inning plus of work.

Franklin Pierce hit an impressive .402 as a team over its five regional games, blasting 22 home runs (two more than the other five teams combined) and 15 doubles, while scoring 60 runs (12/gm).

Franklin Pierce wasted no time jumping in front, jumping on the scoreboard in the first on Chambers two-run home run to left center. The Ravens expanded their lead to 6-0 with four in the second as Fenton and Olson notched RBI singles, before Duplissie helped his cause with a two-run double down the leftfield line.      

Southern Connecticut got on the board with Diaz's solo shot to right in the third, but Franklin Pierce answered back with two in the home-half. Senior Mike Feetham (Quincy, Mass./North Quincy) led off with a home run, before Chambers registered an RBI double.

Leading 9-1, the Ravens broke the game open with seven in the sixth. Olson started the onslaught with an RBI double, before freshman Scott Savastano (Plymouth, Mass./Plymouth North) added an RBI single. Junior Kim Hart (Gorham, Maine/Gorham) had an RBI double, before Anderson rounded out the frame with his first career grand slam.

Olson led off the seventh with a homer, before the Ravens rounded out their scoring with four in the eighth. Anderson had an RBI single and Olson added a three-run homer to left-center.

Joining Duplissie on the Regional All-Tournament team were Anderson, Chambers, Olson and Savastano (the entire Ravens infield) from Franklin Pierce. Senior Joe Pagan (Bridgeport, Conn./Central) and junior Josh Terletzky (Plainfield, Conn./Plainfield) were named to the team from Southern Connecticut. The entire All-Tournament team is listed below.

Olson hit .560 (14-for-25) for the regional with 11 runs scored, two doubles, five home runs and 10 RBI. In addition to today's complete game effort, Duplissie hit .480 (12-25) with five runs scored, three doubles, three homers and six RBI. Anderson finished with a .476 (10-21) with seven runs scored, three homers and eight RBI.

Boxscore & Play-by-Play

2006 NCAA Division II Northeast Regional
All-Tournament Team

Most Outstanding Player: Bryan Duplissie, Franklin Pierce

C: Matt Anderson, Franklin Pierce
1B: Bryan Duplissie, Franklin Pierce
2B: Mike Chambers, Franklin Pierce
SS: Garrett Olson, Franklin Pierce
3B: Scott Savastano, Franklin Pierce
OF: Sean Brown, Dominican
OF: Steve Paddock, UMass Lowell
OF: Mike Zani, Dominican
DH: Joe Pagan, Southern Connecticut State
P: Josh Terletzky, Southern Connecticut State
P: Richard Barry, Dowling