Christman’s four hits and four RBI lead Ravens to victory

LAKE WORTH, Fla. (March 20, 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 rankings, overcame a slow start in rolling to a 12-4 victory over Palm Beach Atlantic University at Roger Dean Stadium tonight.

Grad student Jake Christman (Newton, Mass./Newton South) led Franklin Pierce’s 14-hit attack as he batted 4-for-5 with four RBI and three runs scored. Senior Kevin Renaud (Southbridge, Mass./Southbridge) hit 2-for-5 with a double and two RBI, while junior preseason All-American Scott Savastano (Plymouth, Mass./Plymouth North) was 2-3 with an RBI and stolen base. Freshman Derek Ingui (Sterling, Mass.) rounded out the Ravens multi-hit batters, going 2-6 with an RBI.

Sophomore Kyle Vazquez (Berlin, Conn./Berlin) picked up the win for Franklin Pierce, allowing four runs, two earned, on seven hits with five strikeouts and two walks over six innings. Junior Tom Cote (Swanzey, N.H./Monadnock Regional) earned his first save with three scoreless innings of work, allowing just a hit with three strikeouts.

Junior Nick Norley (North Palm Beach, Fla.) was the lone Palm Beach Atlantic batter with multiple hits, finishing 2-for-4 with a double, RBI and run scored. Senior Zach Grau (Kalamazoo, Mich.) and sophomore Tony Livelsberger (Hanover, Pa.) were each 1-for-3 with a run scored.

Junior Isaac Hicks (Saint Louis, Mo.) suffered the loss for the Sailfish, yielding seven runs, five earned, on ten hits with three strikeouts and three walks over five innings.

PBA got on the board first with a single run in the first. Norley doubled with one out and later scored from third on a throwing error by Franklin Pierce senior catcher Matt Anderson (Medford, Mass./Medford). Franklin Pierce tied the game in the top of the second as sophomore Kevin Rivers (Bristol, Conn./Bristol Eastern) was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning and later scored on a sacrifice fly by junior Steve Carr (Nahant, Mass.).

Franklin Pierce added another run in the third to take the lead. Christman singled up the middle to lead the inning off and later scored on a double down the left field line by Rivers. The Ravens opened the game up with four in the fourth. Christman, Ingui and Savastano all collected RBI singles, before Renaud capped the inning with an RBI double.

An RBI single by Christman put Franklin Pierce in front, 7-1, in the fifth, but PBA closed the gap with a run in the home half and two in the sixth. Norley had an RBI single in the fifth, while the Sailfish scored on a balk and passed ball in the sixth.

Franklin Pierce broke the game open with three in the seventh and capped the scoring with two in the ninth. Christman had a two-run single in the seventh and Renaud collected a sac fly in the ninth before Christman scored on a passed ball.

Franklin Pierce (12-2, 0-0 NE-10) and Palm Beach Atlantic (8-21) square off again tomorrow night at 6 p.m.