Adams fires four-hit shutout in Ravens 5-0 victory in game one; Maloney and Bishop combine to pitch Ravens to 2-1 victory in nightcap

ALBANY, N.Y. (May 1, 2008) – Franklin Pierce University, ranked 16th in this week’s pingbaseball.com Division II poll and among teams receiving votes in the Collegiate Baseball magazine rankings, concluded its regular season by sweeping a Northeast-10 Conference baseball doubleheader against The College of Saint Rose at Bleecker Stadium this afternoon. The Ravens posted a 5-0 victory in game one before coming from behind to notch a 2-1 triumph in the nightcap.

Three Franklin Pierce pitchers held Saint Rose to one unearned run and six hits (none for extra bases) over the two games, combining to strike out 27 batters on the evening. Junior preseason All-American Scott Savastano (Plymouth, Mass./Plymouth North) was a combined 4-for-9 with a double, stolen base and RBI in the doubleheader, while classmate Steve Carr (Nahant, Mass./St. Mary’s) hit 3-for-7 with an RBI and run scored on the day.

Sophomore Jake Perez (North East, Pa./Cathedral Prep) hit a combined 2-for-5 with a stolen base and RBI for Saint Rose.


Franklin Pierce 5, Saint Rose 0 (Game 1)

Franklin Pierce scored single runs in the fifth through ninth innings and rode a four-hit shutout by junior All-Region righthander Mike Adams (Orchard Park, N.Y./Orchard Park) to a 5-0 victory in game one of the doubleheader.

Adams scattered four singles over the complete-game shutout performance, yielding just one walk, but working around four hit batters, while striking out a career-best 11 batters to pick up his eighth win of the season (8-1). Five of his first six outs recorded in the game were by strikeout.

Senior Matt Anderson (Medford, Mass./Medford) hit 2-for-3 with a double and two RBI to lead the Ravens offense. Sophomore Kevin Rivers (Bristol, Conn./Bristol Eastern) was 2-for-4 with an RBI and run scored, while Scott Savastano finished 1-for-4 with a double, stolen base and RBI. Freshman Derek Ingui (Sterling, Mass./Wachusett Regional) chipped in by batting 1-for-3 with a run scored.

Senior Casey Deuel (Queensbury, N.Y./Queensbury) hit 1-for-2 for Saint Rose, while freshman Sean Weber (East Schodack, N.Y./Columbia) led a trio of Golden Knights who were 1-for-3, also drawing a walk.

Junior righthander Nick DeMidio (Scotia, N.Y./CBA) suffered the loss on the mound for Saint Rose, allowing four runs, three earned, on nine hits with a strikeout and no walks over 7.1 innings.

Neither team could put a run across the plate through the first four innings, but Franklin Pierce struck for the only run it would need in the fifth, with the benefit of two Saint Rose errors. Grad student Jake Christman (Newton, Mass./Newton South) reached on an error and later scored on a throwing error by DeMidio on a pickoff attempt at first.

The Ravens doubled their lead in the sixth as Rivers led off with a single to right and later scored on a sacrifice fly by Anderson. Senior Kevin Renaud (Southbridge, Mass./Southbridge) singled and scored on a ground out by Savastano in the seventh and Anderson followed a single to center by junior Cliff Hicks (Merrimack, N.H./Merrimack) with an RBI double down the leftfield line in the eighth. Franklin Pierce rounded out its scoring in the ninth with Ingui drawing a one-out walk and later scoring on a sac fly by Rivers.


Franklin Pierce 2, Saint Rose 1 (Game 2)

Franklin Pierce got more strong pitching performances, this time from sophomore lefthander Brian Maloney (Brockton, Mass./Brockton) and senior reliever Tyler Bishop (Milford, N.H./Milford) in notching a 2-1 victory over Saint Rose in the nightcap.

Maloney improved to 6-1 on the season as he allowed just an unearned run on two hits with a career-best 13 strikeouts, while walking one, in 6.2 innings of work. Bishop pinned down his sixth save of the season, allowing just a walk in 2.1 scoreless and hitless innings, fanning three.

Scott Savastano was 3-for-5 for the Ravens, while Steve Carr hit 2-for-4 with an RBI. Jake Christman finished 2-for-3 with an RBI.

Jake Perez was 1-for-2 at the plate for Saint Rose with a stolen base and RBI. Sophomore Derek Marshall (Malone, N.Y./Franklin Academy) hit 1-for-4.

Junior Jeremiah St. Louis (Tupper Lake, N.Y./Tupper Lake) suffered the loss on the mound (3-8), yielding two runs, just one earned, on ten hits and three walks with seven strikeouts over six innings.

After being shut out in game one, Saint Rose got on the board in their first at bat in the nightcap. Sophomore Ryan Price (Binghamton, N.Y./Binghamton) drew a one-out walk, stole second and advanced to third on a throwing error by the Ravens first baseman on the play, before scoring on a two-out infield single by Perez.

Franklin Pierce drew even in its next at bat as Carr singled with one out, reached second on a wild pitch and later scored on a ground out by Christman. The Ravens plated what would stand as the winning run in the sixth. Cliff Hicks led off with a bunt single, advancing to second on a throwing error on the play, before scoring on a single by Carr.

Franklin Pierce (35-12, 20-10 NE-10) now awaits its seeding for next week’s Northeast-10 Conference Tournament. The Ravens can be seeded as high as third or as low as fifth, meaning they will play in Wednesday’s first round. Official pairings and game times will be announced on Monday. Saint Rose sees its season come to a close with a 14-34 record overall, 9-21 in NE-10 play.