Wright silences Ravens bats with five-hit, 15 strikeout performance

SAUGET, Ill. (May 26, 2008) – Shippensburg University, ranked 21st in this week’s Collegiate Baseball magazine Division II poll, stayed alive at the 2008 NCAA Division II Baseball Championships and eliminated No. 14/15 Franklin Pierce University with a 9-2 victory in game five of the championships, hosted by Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville, the University of Missouri-Saint Louis, the Gateway Grizzlies Baseball Club and the Village of Sauget, at GCS Ballpark this evening.

Shippensburg (39-25) will face the loser of tonight’s game between #7/11 University of Central Missouri (46-15) and No. 2/4 Sonoma State University (51-13) on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. (EST). Franklin Pierce, Northeast Region champions for the third-straight year and NE-10 Tournament winners two-straight years, wraps up its season with a 43-15 record overall, 20-10 in the NE-10.

“Obviously we didn’t do as well as we would have like to out here,” said Franklin Pierce Head Coach Jayson King. “We’ve been fortunate enough to be here three times (in a row), but we’re trying to get to the next level and it just didn’t happen for us this year.”

Shippensburg rode the left arm of junior Matt Wright (McClure, Pa.), who scattered five hits while striking out 15 for the complete-game win (9-4). He allowed the two earned runs and walked four. Wright settled down to allow just one hit after the third inning, retiring 13-straight batters after a two out walk in the fourth before Franklin Pierce drew a leadoff walk in the ninth. He also struck out 8 of 13 Raven batters from the fourth through seventh innings and collected a strikeout in every inning, striking out the side twice.

“Early in the game they were hitting my breaking ball pretty well,” said Wright. “Later in the game coach kept calling fastballs and it got me through.”

Junior Tyler Redick (Fairfield, Pa.) paced the Raiders ten-hit attack, finishing 3-for-5 with a home run, three runs scored and two RBI. Sophomore Kevin Scholly (State College, Pa.) was 2-for-2 with a pair of walks, a double and three runs scored, while junior Kasey Kuhns (Three Springs, Pa.) hit 2-for-3 with two RBI.

“The guys played well tonight and Matt had a tremendous effort,” said Shippensburg Head Coach Matt Jones. “We’re happy to still be here and to get the University’s first ever win at the World Series and stick around a little longer.”

Senior Kevin Renaud (Southbridge, Mass./Southbridge) hit 1-for-4 with a double and drove in both Franklin Pierce runs. Junior Cliff Hicks (Merrimack, N.H./Merrimack) finished 1-for-3 with a run scored.

Sophomore lefthander Brian Maloney (Brockton, Mass./Brockton) suffered the loss (8-2), allowing seven earned runs on six hits and six walks with two strikeouts over 3.1 innings.

Shippensburg took advantage of some first inning wildness from Maloney, sending ten batters to the plate and scoring four runs on just a pair of hits, but five walks. Maloney walked three Raider batters with the bases loaded after sophomore Rick Shumway (Shippensburg, Pa.) reached on an infield single with the bases full.

Franklin Pierce got two of those runs right back in the top of the second, loading the bases with a walk, single and hit batter. Renaud drove in both runs with a two-out ground rule double down the right field line that would have cleared the bases if it hadn’t hopped the fence.

Shippensburg opened a five-run lead (7-2) in the fourth as senior Justin Garber (Elizabethtown, Pa.) led off with an infield single, before Redick lined a two-run home run to right center with on out. Scholly chased Maloney with a single through the left side and later scored the Raider’s third run of the frame on a single through the right side by Kuhns.

The Raiders tacked on some insurance with two runs in the eighth. Redick scored when Shumway reached on an error and Scholly scored on a sacrifice fly to right by junior Sean Killian (Columbia, Pa.).