#20/29 Franklin Pierce Captures Second-Straight Title
Ingui collects three hits,
including home run, as third-seeded Ravens hold off second-seeded
Southern Connecticut State, 6-4, in NE-10 Championship
RINDGE, N.H. (May 11, 2008) – Third-seeded Franklin
Pierce University, ranked 20th in this week’s National
Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) and
pingbaseball.com Division II polls and 29th in the Collegiate
Baseball magazine rankings, opened a 6-0 lead after five innings
and held off a late rally to collect a 6-4 victory over
second-seeded Southern Connecticut State University, among teams
receiving votes in the NCBWA poll, and claim its second-straight
Northeast-10 Conference Baseball Championship, presented by Diamond
Sports and UBS/The Ricciardi Group, at Dr. Arthur and Martha Pappas
Field this afternoon.
Franklin Pierce (39-12, 20-10 NE-10) earns the
Northeast-10’s automatic berth into the NCAA Division II
Championships after claiming its second-straight NE-10 title and
third overall (2005, 2007, 2008). The Ravens are the odds on
favorite to host the NCAA II Northeast Regional for the
fourth-straight year when they receive the fifth NCAA Tournament
berth in program history later tonight. Southern Connecticut State
(36-17, 24-6 NE-10) is likely to receive one of the three at-large
bids to the regional after reaching the NE-10 championship round
for the fourth time.
Freshman Derek Ingui (Sterling, Mass./Wachusett
Regional) led Franklin Pierce’s ten-hit attack,
going 3-for-5 with a home run, stolen base and two RBI. Junior
Cliff Hicks (Merrimack, N.H./Merrimack) was
2-for-5 with a home run, while junior preseason All-American
Scott Savastano (Plymouth, Mass./Plymouth North)
hit 2-for-3 with a stolen base and run scored. Sophomore
Matt Skeffington (Auburn, N.H./Pendleton) finished
1-for-4 with a double and two RBI.
Junior lefthander Tom Cote (Swanzey, N.H./Monadnock
Regional) earned the win (4-2), allowing two earned runs
on four hits and six walks to go with six strikeouts in 5.1 innings
of work. Junior righthander Mike Adams (Orchard Park,
N.Y./Orchard Park) notched his second save of the season,
entering with two runners on base and one out in the eighth. He
worked around a walk that loaded the bases in the inning, retiring
the next two batters before pitching a scoreless ninth. In 1.2
scoreless innings, Adams yielded just a hit and a walk with two
strikeouts.
Junior Chris Barile (Holbrook, N.Y./Sachem) hit 2-for-3 with an
RBI and run scored for Southern Connecticut. Freshman Nick DeProspo
(Worcester, Mass./St. John’s) was 2-for-4 with a run scored,
while senior Paul Izzo (Cohoes, N.Y./Cohoes) finished 1-for-3 with
a run scored.
Junior Justin Cox (Newburgh, N.Y./Newburgh Free Academy) suffered
the loss on the mound for the Owls (6-4), allowing six earned runs
on eight hits and five walks while striking out three in four-plus
innings of work.
Franklin Pierce opened the scoring with a three-run third. Junior
Steve Carr (Nahant, Mass./St. Mary’s) drove
in the first run with a one-out RBI single through the left side.
Skeffington added a two-run double a batter later. The Ravens
extended their lead with two in the fourth on Ingui’s two-run
homer to left center, then Hicks led off the fifth with his fourth
homer of the season.
Southern Connecticut got on the scoreboard with a two-run sixth.
Barile drew a bases loaded walk, before DeProspo scored on a
groundout. The Owls drew even closer with two unearned runs in the
eighth. Izzo scored when sophomore Greg Malen (Stamford,
Conn./Salisbury) reached on an error, while the second run scored
when junior Mo Davidson (Winsted, Conn./Northwestern Regional)
reached on an error. Southern threatened for more, but Adams came
on, and after a wild pitch and walk loaded the bases with one out,
worked out of the jam by getting a pop out and ground out to second
base. Adams surrendered a two-out single in the ninth, but stranded
the runner on first by getting Owls pinch-hitter Billy Hite
(Shelton, Conn./Notre Dame HS) to strikeout looking to end the
game.
Franklin Pierce senior reliever Tyler Bishop (Milford,
N.H./Milford) was named Tournament MVP at the conclusion
of the championship. He notched saves in two of the Ravens four
NE-10 Tournament contests this week.