Bentley hands Ravens first doubleheader sweep in Dr. Pappas Field history; Falcons post 8-4 victory in game one, survive 3-2 in nightcap

RINDGE, N.H. (April 12, 2008) – Bentley College handed Franklin Pierce University, ranked fourth in this week’s pingbaseball.com Division II poll, sixth in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) poll and eighth in the Collegiate Baseball magazine rankings, its first doubleheader sweep in Dr. Arthur and Martha Pappas Field history in Northeast-10 Conference baseball action this afternoon. The Falcons notched an 8-4 victory in game one, before holding on for a 3-2 win in the nightcap.

The sweep is the first for Franklin Pierce since dropping two games to the University of Minnesota-Duluth in Fort Myers, Fla., on March 24, 2005. Bentley is the first NE-10 opponent to sweep the Ravens since Southern Connecticut State University took two in New Haven, Conn., on March 29, 2004. The Ravens last home doubleheader sweep came against Bryant University on April 13, 2002, on Crystal Field. Dr. Pappas Field opened in April 2005.

Freshman James Roche (Arlington, Mass./Arlington) hit a combined 6-for-9 for Bentley with a double, stolen base, run scored and two RBI. Sophomore Charlie Pagliarulo (Medford, Mass./Medford) was a combined 3-for-7 with three runs scored, two doubles, a home run, stolen base and two RBI.

Freshman reliever Ricardo Sullivan (Wayland, Mass./Wayland) collected saves in both victories for the Falcons, scattering a hit and walk over a combined 3.1 scoreless innings with five strikeouts.

Senior All-Region outfielder Kevin Renaud (Southbridge, Mass./Southbridge) paced Franklin Pierce offensively, hitting a combined 3-for-6 with two runs scored, a double, home run and two RBI.


Bentley 8, Franklin Pierce 4 (Game 1)

Bentley took advantage of two Franklin Pierce errors in the top of the ninth inning and scored three runs to seal an 8-4 victory in game one.

James Roche paced Bentley’s 12-hit attack by going 3-for-5 with a double, stolen base, run scored and two RBI. Charlie Pagliarulo was 2-for-4 with a double, home run, two runs scored and two RBI, while senior Joe Nardi (West Hartford, Conn./Hall) batted 2-for-5 with a double and run scored. Freshman Ross Curley (Lexington, Mass./Lexington) added a solo home run, while sophomore Garrett Stenhouse (Warwick, R.I./Pilgrim) tripled in the victory.

Junior right-hander Tim Cadran (Greenfield, Mass./Greenfield) earned the win (4-4) on the mound, allowing four runs, three earned, on eight hits with five strikeouts and three walks over 6.2 innings. Ricardo Sullivan worked the final 2.1 innings, allowing just a hit with four strikeouts for his first save of the afternoon.

Kevin Renaud hit 2-for-3 with a double, run scored and RBI for Franklin Pierce. Freshman Derek Ingui (Sterling, Mass./Wachusett Regional) was 2-for-3, while sophomore Kevin Rivers (Bristol, Conn./Bristol Eastern) finished 2-for-4 with a run scored.

Senior All-Region reliever Tyler Bishop (Milford, N.H./Milford) suffered the loss (4-2) in relief for the Ravens, surrendering two earned runs on four hits and a walk with three strikeouts in a season-high 2.1 innings of work. Four Franklin Pierce pitchers combined to strine out 16 Bentley batters in the contest, including six in a row at one point by junior reliever Corey Muscara (Manchester, N.H./Trinity).

Bentley scored the first three runs of the contest, breaking on top in the second with Curley’s first collegiate home run to left. The Falcons added two in the fourth on RBI doubles from Pagliarulo and sophomore Jason Cusumano (Port Chester, N.Y./Archbishop Stepinac).

Franklin Pierce knotted the score with three in the home half of the fourth. The first three batters reached with a walk, hit by pitch and bunt single. Junior Cliff Hicks (Merrimack, N.H./Merrimack) drove in the first run when he reached on a fielder’s choice in which the middle runner was safe on a Bentley throwing error, allowing a second run to score. Anderson added an RBI single before Bentley escaped the jam with its first triple play in nine years.

Bentley regained the lead with two in the sixth. Pagliarulo led off with a home run and Stenhouse added a two-out RBI triple. Franklin Pierce got one run back in the seventh on a two-out RBI double by Renaud. The Falcons broke the game open with three in the ninth, aided by two Franklin Pierce errors. Roche picked up a two-run double to center and later scored on a throwing error.


Bentley 3, Franklin Pierce 2 (Game 2)

Bentley completed the sweep by holding on for a 3-2 victory in the nightcap as Franklin Pierce stranded the tying run on third base.

James Roche was 3-for-4 to lead Bentley’s ten-hit attack. Ross Curley was 2-for-3 with a double, while sophomore Brett Damato (Commack, N.Y./Commack) finished 1-for-4 with a double and RBI.

Senior Chris Dupay (Scotia, N.Y./Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake) earned the win (2-4) on the mound for the Falcons, allowing two earned runs on four hits with a strikeout and three walks over six innings. Ricardo Sullivan capped a Bentley bullpen effort that scattered just one hit and a walk over the final three innings to earn his fourth save of the season. Sullivan walked one to go with a strikeout in a scoreless ninth.

No Franklin Pierce batters notched multiple hits in the night cap. Kevin Renaud was 1-for-3 with a home run, while Kevin Rivers hit 1-for-3 with a double and RBI. Junior preseason All-American Scott Savastano (Plymouth, N.Y./Plymouth North) doubled in three at bats and scored a run.

Sophomore Tyler Sykes (Sterling, Mass./St. Peter-Marian) suffered the loss on the mound (1-1), allowing three runs, two earned, on six hits with five strikeouts and no walks over 5.1 innings.

Franklin Pierce took its only lead of the afternoon when it took a 1-0 lead in the fourth on an RBI double down the rightfield line by Rivers. Bentley got that run right back in the top of the fifth on back-to-back two-out doubles from Charlie Pagliarulo and Damato. The Falcons took the lead with two more in the sixth. Freshman Chris Stewart (Burlington, Ontario) drove in a run when he reached on a fielder’s choice and later scored when Curley reached on an error.

Franklin Pierce closed within a run in the home half of the sixth as Renaud rang his second home run of the season off the leftfield foul pole. The Ravens left the tying run on third in the ninth as junior Steve Carr (Nahant, Mass./St. Mary’s) drew a one-out walk, reached second on a wild pitch and third on a ground out. Senior Matt Anderson (Medford, Mass./Medford), who entered as a pinch-hitter after leaving game one of the doubleheader with an injury, was unable to leg out a ground ball that Bentley’s second baseman misplayed, ending the game.

Franklin Pierce (23-6, 8-4 NE-10) and Bentley (13-19, 8-9 NE-10) complete their three-game weekend series in Waltham, Mass., tomorrow at 1 p.m. The Ravens return home on Monday to face rivals Southern Connecticut State at 3:30 p.m.