NCAA II NORTHEAST REGIONAL #11 Franklin Pierce Downs Adelphi, 7-2
Top-seeded Ravens advance to Sunday's championship round
RINDGE, N.H. (May 19, 2007) - Top-seeded Franklin Pierce, ranked 11th in this week's Collegiate Baseball magazine poll, advances to the championship round of the 2007 NCAA Division II Northeast Regional Tournament after posting a 7-2 victory over second-seeded Adelphi University in game seven of the regional at Dr. Arthur & Martha Pappas Field this afternoon.
Franklin Pierce (48-9) reaches the championship round in the regional for the third-straight year and fourth time in program history tomorrow at noon. The Ravens will have two cracks at notching its second-straight berth in the Division II College World Series, at Riverwalk Stadium in Montgomery, Ala., and third regional title in program history. Franklin Pierce will face fifth-seeded Bryant University (35-23), who have staved off elimination after dropping its first game of the regional, who posted wins over fourth-seeded Caldwell College (25-15), 3-2 (10 innings), and then Adelphi (35-17), 10-0, to reach tomorrow's championship round.
Franklin Pierce got strong pitching for the third-straight game as senior Andrew McNulty (Norwood, Mass./Norwood), a transfer from Seton Hall University, made his first start since March 22 and posted his fourth win (4-1) of the season. He allowed the two earned runs on four hits with five strikeouts and two walks over 5.2 innings. Senior Clay Jenkins (Easton, N.H./Profile) allowed just one baserunner over the final 3.1 innings to notch his first career save, striking out four without yielding a hit or run.
Senior Jake Christman (Newton, Mass./Newton South) hit 2-for-4 with a triple and RBI, while senior Cory Shepherd (Worcester, Mass./Burncoat) hit 2-for-3 with a stolen base and two runs scored. Junior Matt Anderson (Medford, Mass./Medford) batted 2-4 with an RBI and run scored, while junior Keith Renaud (Southbridge, Mass./Southbridge) finished 1-2 with a double and four RBI.
Senior Vinny Pennell (Spencer, Mass./David Prouty) collected two hits in four at bats with an RBI, including the 247th of his career, to move into second on Franklin Pierce's career hit list past assistant coach Scott Loiseau (246 hits) just one behind former teammate Elliot Shea's record of 248 set last season.
Sophomore Bill Melillo (Glenwood Landings, N.Y./North Shore) drove in both Adelphi runs, hitting 1-for-4. Junior Rob DeGennaro (Hicksville, N.Y.) was 1-4 with a stolen base and run scored, while sophomore Mike Colonna (Staten Island, N.Y./Moore Catholic) batted 1-3 and scored.
Freshman Mike Scudero (Massapequa, N.Y./Massapequa) suffered the loss (4-3), allowing four earned runs on six hits with six strikeouts and three walks over five innings.
Franklin Pierce fell behind for the third time in the regional as Adelphi scored a run in the first without hitting the ball out of the infield. DeGennaro led off with a single, stole second and scored on a two out infield single by Melillo.
Franklin Pierce knotted the score in the fourth when Anderson singled up the middle with two out, followed by Christman's triple to the gap in right center. The Ravens took the lead for good with three in the fourth, loading the bases with none out before Renaud cleared them with a double down the line in left.
Franklin Pierce added single run in the sixth with an RBI single from Pennell. Adelphi got that run back in the home half to close within 5-2 when Colanna singled up the middle with one out and scored on a Melillo ground out. The Ravens scored single runs in the seventh and eighth to regain the five run cushion. Anderson drove in a run with a sacrifice fly in the seventh, before Renaud followed with the same in the eighth.