Maloney pitches Ravens past Falcons to avoid weekend series sweep

WALTHAM, Mass. (April 13, 2008) – 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 poll, avoided a three-game weekend series sweep by posting a 5-2 victory over Bentley College in Northeast-10 Conference baseball action at DeFelice Field this afternoon.

Sophomore lefthander Brian Maloney (Brockton, Mass./Brockton) led a trio of Franklin Pierce pitchers that kept Bentley in check and combined to strike out 11 on the afternoon. Maloney improved to 5-0 on the season as he allowed just two runs, one earned, on two hits, but five walks, to go with nine strikeouts over seven innings. Junior All-Region right-hander Mike Adams (Orchard Park, N.Y./Orchard Park) collected his first save of the season with a scoreless ninth, striking out one, while allowing a hit and a walk.

Senior All-Region outfielder Kevin Renaud (Southbridge, Mass./Southbridge) paced the Ravens offense, hitting 2-for-4 with a double, RBI and run scored. Junior preseason All-American Scott Savastano (Plymouth, Mass./Plymouth North) was 2-for-3 with two runs scored, while classmate Steve Carr (Nahant, Mass./St. Mary’s) collected two RBI.

Junior Kevin Vona (Belmont, Mass./Belmont) had two of Bentley’s three hits on the afternoon, finishing 2-for-3 with a double. Freshman James Roche (Arlington, Mass./Arlington) had the other hit (double) and drove in both Bentley runs.

Sophomore Matt Boudrow (Dedham, Mass./Dedham) suffered the loss (0-5), allowing three runs, just one earned, on five hits with five strikeouts and five walks over six innings.

Both teams scored twice in the first inning. Franklin Pierce got on the board when Carr delivered a two-run single with the bases loaded and two out. Bentley answered in the home half as the first two batters walked and got into scoring position on an error before scoring on a two-run double to center by Roche.

The game remained knotted at two before Franklin Pierce broke the tie with a run in the sixth. Freshman Derek Ingui (Sterling, Mass./Wachusett Regional) led off with a pinch-hit double and later scored on a delayed double steal of home with grad student Jake Christman (Newton, Mass./Newton South) with two outs. The Ravens added two insurance runs in the seventh. Renaud laced an RBI double to right center and later scored on a balk.

Bentley loaded the bases in the ninth with two outs on a pair of walks and a single, but junior Billy DeMarino (Hudson, N.H./Alvirne) tracked down a fly ball off the bat of sophomore Charlie Pagliarulo (Medford, Mass./Medford) on the warning track in left to escape the jam.

Franklin Pierce (24-6, 9-4 NE-10) is back in action tomorrow when it hosts rivals Southern Connecticut State University at 3:30 p.m. Bentley (13-20, 8-10 NE-10) visits Saint Anselm College on Tuesday at 3:30 p.m.