Ravens rally for 5-2 win in game one behind Savastano’s ninth-inning homer, roll to 9-1 victory in nightcap as Cote fires seven strong innings

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. (March 9, 2008) – Franklin Pierce University, ranked fourth in this week’s pingbaseball.com Division II poll and fifth both in the Collegiate Baseball magazine and National Collegiate Baseball Writers of America (NCBWA) rankings, swept a non-conference doubleheader against Philadelphia University at Alumni Field today. The Ravens rallied for a 5-2 victory in game one, before coasting to a 9-1 decision in the nightcap.

Freshman Derek Ingui (Sterling, Mass.) hit a combined 3-for-6 with three runs scored, a triple and three RBI for Franklin Pierce in the doubleheader, while junior preseason All-American Scott Savastano (Plymouth, Mass./Plymouth North) was a combined 3-for-7 with a triple, two home runs, three runs scored and five RBI for the Ravens.


Franklin Pierce 5, Philadelphia 2 (Game 1)

In game one, Franklin Pierce rallied from a 2-1 deficit after five innings to post the victory when Ingui delivered an RBI single and Savastano roped a two-run home run as the Ravens scored three runs in the top of the ninth to cap the victory.

Ingui was 1-for-3 with the RBI and run scored, while Savastano finished 1-for-5 with a homer and two RBI. Senior Kevin Renaud (Southbridge, Mass./Southbridge) was 2-4 with a double and run scored, while grad student Jake Christman (Newton, Mass./Newton South) and junior Steve Carr (Nahant, Mass.) each chipped in with a double and RBI.

Senior All-Region reliever Tyler Bishop (Milford, Mass./Milford) picked up the win on the mound (1-1), striking out four of the five batters he faced in 1.2 perfect innings of relief. Sophomore Kyle Vazquez (Berlin, Mass./Berlin) got the start and allowed two runs, one earned, on three hits with six strikeouts and four walks over seven innings.

Sophomore Tyler Mentzer (Gettysburg, Pa./Delone Catholic) hit 2-for-3 for Philadelphia with an RBI, while senior Jason Hartley (Levittown, Pa./Neshaminy) was 1-3 with a double and RBI.

Senior Andrew Bednarek (Sea Isle City, N.J./Ocean City) took the loss for the Rams, allowing four runs, three earned, on four hits with two strikeouts and four walks over three innings.

Philadelphia opened the scoring in the second as Hartley delivered an RBI double that scored sophomore Mike Anderson (Waldwick, N.J./Waldwick) who reached with a leadoff walk. Franklin Pierce tied it in the fourth as Renaud led off with a double and scored on a double by Carr.

The Rams took the lead again in the fifth when junior Dan Ellmer (Trenton, N.J./Nottingham) reached on an error and later scored on a Mentzer single. The Ravens tied it again in the seventh when senior Matt Anderson (Medford, Mass./Medford) drew a leadoff walk and later scored on a sacrifice fly from Christman.


Franklin Pierce 9, Philadelphia 1 (Game 2)

Franklin Pierce completed the sweep as it jumped out to a 6-0 lead after two innings and led 7-0 after three and never looked back.

Franklin Pierce got a complete game effort from junior Tom Cote (Swanzey, N.H./Monadnock Regional) as he earned his first win of the season (1-0), allowing just an earned run while scattering seven hits and three walks with ten strikeouts over seven innings in his first start of the season.

Savastano paced the offense, hitting 2-for-2 with his second homer of the day, a triple, two runs scored and three RBI. Ingui hit 2-3 with a triple, two runs scored and two RBI, while Christman finished 2-4 with two runs scored.

JungMin Lee (Seoul, Korea) was 2-for-3 for Philadelphia with an RBI.

Sophomore Rob Fisher (Langhorne, Pa./Archbishop Ryan) suffered the loss (0-1) for the Rams, allowing seven runs, six earned, on seven hits with two strikeouts and three walks over four innings.

Franklin Pierce struck first with a three-run homer by Savastano, his second in as many at bats in the double-header. The Ravens added three more in the second as Ingui delivered a two-run triple and scored on a passed ball. Franklin Pierce added a single run in the third, before capping its scoring with a two-run fifth.

Franklin Pierce (4-1, 0-0 NE-10) is back in action on Friday when it faces Adelphi University, ranked third in the Northeast Region, in a split doubleheader in Boca Raton, Fla., at 9 a.m., and Fort Lauderdale, Fla., at 6 p.m.