Ravens take game one 5-0 behind eight scoreless from Maloney, rally for 6-5 extra innings decision in nightcap

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (March 16, 2008) – Franklin Pierce University, ranked sixth in this week’s pingbaseball.com Division II poll, seventh in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) poll and 11th in the Collegiate Baseball magazine rankings, swept a non-conference doubleheader against Dominican College at the Santaluces Sportsplex. The Ravens posted a 5-0 victory in game one, before rallying from three runs down for a 6-5 win in ten innings in the nightcap.


Franklin Pierce 5, Dominican 0 (Game 1)

In game one, sophomore Brian Maloney (Brockton, Mass./UMass Dartmouth) tossed eight scoreless innings to lead Franklin Pierce to a 5-0 victory.

Maloney scattered five hits and four walks over the eight shutout innings with ten strikeouts to earn his first win of the season (1-0). Junior Vinny Gemma (Revere, Mass./St. John’s Prep) closed the game out by retiring all three batters he faced in the ninth.

Senior Matt Anderson (Medford, Mass./Medford) led the Ravens offense as he hit 2-for-4 with an RBI and stolen base. Junior Cliff Hicks (Merrimack, N.H./Merrimack) was 1-for-2 with a pair of walks, two runs scored and two steals.

Franklin Pierce opened the scoring in the top of the first as grad student Jake Christman (Newton, Mass./Newton South) walked, stole second and scored on a single from junior preseason All-American Scott Savastano (Plymouth, Mass./Plymouth North). The Ravens added a run in the second when Hicks walked, stole second and scored on an Anderson single.

Franklin Pierce scored twice in the third with Savastano drawing a walk and scoring on a single from sophomore Kevin Rivers (Bristol, Mass./Bristol Eastern). Senior Kevin Renaud (Southbridge, Mass./Southbridge) singled a later scored on a passed ball. The Ravens rounded out the scoring in the ninth as Hicks walked and scored on an RBI ground out by senior Tyler Bishop (Milford, N.H./Milford).


Franklin Pierce 6, Dominican 5 (10 innings) (Game 2)

Franklin Pierce rallied from an early three run deficit to claim a 6-5 victory in ten innings in the nightcap. Kevin Rivers singled and later scored the winning run on an error during a sacrifice bunt attempt by Cliff Hicks in the bottom of the tenth.

Rivers finished 2-for-5 with two runs scored, while Hicks was 2-for-4 with two RBI. Freshman Derek Ingui (Sterling, Mass.) was 2-3 with a walk and run scored, while Matt Anderson hit 2-4 with two RBI.

Tyler Bishop blew a save chance, yielding a run in the top of the ninth that forced extra innings for Dominican, but recovered with a scoreless tenth to earn the win (2-1). He allowed one earned run on two hits with a walk and no strikeouts over two innings. Sophomore Tyler Sykes (Sterling, Mass./St. Peter Marian) got the start for the Ravens and allowed three earned runs on four hits with five strikeouts and three walks over three innings. Vinny Gemma added a scoreless inning of relief for the Ravens, allowing a hit and a walk with a strikeout.

Dominican opened the scoring with a three-run third, but Franklin Pierce answered with two in the fourth. Ingui walked and Scott Savastano singled before scoring in a two-run single by Hicks. The Chargers scored a run in the seventh before the Ravens took their first lead with a three-run eighth. Two Ravens were hit by pitches in the inning and Anderson delivered a two-run single. Kevin Renaud also scored on an error.

Dominican forced extra innings with a run in the top of the ninth. Freshman Michael Munoz (Bronx, N.Y.) hit for the cycle for the Chargers.

Franklin Pierce (10-1, 0-0 NE-10) returns to action on Tuesday when it visits Lynn University at 3 p.m. Dominican (2-6, 0-0 CACC) visits Nova Southeastern University tomorrow at 6 p.m.