Ingui leads Ravens 15-hit attack with four to go with two RBI

RINDGE, N.H. (April 17, 2008) – Franklin Pierce University, ranked eighth in this week’s pingbaseball.com Division II poll, 11th in the National Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) poll and 16th in the Collegiate Baseball magazine rankings, opened a 7-0 lead en route to a 9-4 victory over American International College in Northeast-10 Conference baseball action at Dr. Arthur and Martha Pappas Field this afternoon.

Senior All-Region outfielder Kevin Renaud (Southbridge, Mass./Southbridge) and freshman designated hitter Derek Ingui (Sterling, Mass./Wachusett Regional) paced Franklin Pierce’s 15-hit attack, combining for six hits and five RBI. Ingui hit 4-for-5 with a double, home run, three runs scored and two RBI, while Renaud was 2-for-4 with a double, homer and three RBI. Junior Cliff Hicks (Merrimack, N.H./Merrimack) was 2-for-3 with a double, stolen base and three runs scored, while classmate Scott Savastano (Plymouth, Mass./Plymouth North) hit 2-for-3 with an RBI and run scored. Junior Randy Bernosky (Port Huron, Mich./Port Huron Northern) chipped in by going 2-for-4 with a double, steal and RBI.

Sophomore righthander Kyle Vazquez (Berlin, Conn./Berlin) picked up the win on the mound (5-0) for the Ravens, allowing three earned runs on nine hits with six strikeouts and two walks over 7.2 innings pitched.

Sophomore Dan Bassani (Naples, Fla./Naples) hit 2-for-3 with an RBI and run scored for American International. Senior David Dest (Orange, Conn./Amity Regional) was 2-for-5 with a run scored, while freshman Anthony Arrichiello (Yonkers, N.Y./Archbiship Stepinac) came off the bench and finished 2-for-2 with an RBI and run scored. Junior Dan Fey (Plymouth, Mass./Plymouth North) batted 1-for-4 with an RBI.

Grad student Brett Cooley (Somers, Conn./Somers) took the loss on the mound for the Yellow Jackets, yielding five earned runs on eight hits with three walks and no strikeouts in five innings.

Franklin Pierce opened a 7-0 lead after six innings, kicking things off with a three run first on a three-run homer to left with one out by Renaud. The Ravens added a run in the second as Hicks led off with a single up the middle and scored on a sacrifice fly to center by junior Ted Lerud (Hampden, Mass./Minnechaug Regional) after Bernosky’s double. Franklin Pierce scored a run in the fifth with Ingui’s solo homer to left center with one out. The Ravens added two in the sixth in RBI singles from Ingui and Savastano.

American International got on the board in the seventh as Bassani singled up the middle with one out and later scored on a two-out single to right by Fey. Franklin Pierce got that run back in the home half with a two-out RBI single to center by Bernosky after the inning was extended on an error. AIC scored twice in the eighth with freshman Kyle McNiff (Westford, Mass./Westford Academy) driving in a run and Bassani adding an RBI single to left center.

Franklin Pierce scored a run in the eighth as Ingui led off with a double and later scored on a single through the left side by junior Billy DeMarino (Hudson, Mass./Alvirne). AIC rounded out the scoring with a single run in the ninth. Senior Jason Rustico (Plantsville, Conn./Southington) reached on an error on a play that should have ended the game and later scored on a single up the middle by Arrichiello.

Franklin Pierce (26-7-1, 11-5-1 NE-10) returns to action on Saturday when it opens a weekend series against Southern New Hampshire University with a doubleheader in Manchester at noon. The Ravens and Penmen will complete the series with a single game at Dr. Pappas Field on Sunday at 1 p.m. American International (8-21, 6-12 NE-10) hosts the University of Massachusetts Lowell on Saturday at 1 p.m.