Ravens club seven home runs over two games

Game One Box Score
Game Two Box Score

RINDGE, N.H. (April 4, 2009) – Senior first baseman Steve Carr (Nahant, Mass./Lake City CC) went 3-for-6 with two home runs and drove in seven runs on Saturday afternoon as the Franklin Pierce University baseball team swept a non-conference doubleheader from Saint Michael’s at Dr. Arthur and Martha Pappas Field. Franklin Pierce hitters combined for seven home runs in the two games, on a day which saw a consistent wind blowing out to right-center field. Junior center fielder Matt Beaulieu (Littleton, Mass./Lawrence Academy) went 3-for-7 with a home run, drove in three runs and scored twice on the afternoon for Saint Michael’s.

Saint Michael’s struck first in the opening game with a run in the top of the first inning. Freshman left fielder Tim McDonnell (Durham, N.H./Oyster River) led off, dropped a bunt single up the third-base line and moved to second on a single through the left side by Beaulieu. Two batters later, the bases were loaded when junior third baseman Tim Pilczak (Cohasset, Mass./Kents Hill School) and freshman first baseman Chad Estey (New Haven, Vt./Mount Abraham Union) followed with a walk to drive home McDonnell from third.

The Purple Knights extended the lead to 2-0 with a two-out solo home run to right field by McDonnell in the top of the second inning.

Franklin Pierce would tie the game 2-2 with a pair of runs in the bottom of the third inning. With two outs, sophomore shortstop Jose Macias (Bronx, N.Y./Monroe College) worked a walk, stole second and came in to score when sophomore designated hitter Derek Ingui (Sterling, Mass./Wachusett Regional) followed with a two-run home run, his first of the season, which landed just beyond the fence in right field.

Franklin Pierce then scored four times in the bottom of the fourth inning to take a 6-2 lead. Junior right fielder Kevin Rivers (Bristol, Conn./Bristol Eastern) led off with a double into the gap in left-center and senior left fielder Ted Lerud (Hampden, Mass./Minnechaug Regional) followed with a walk. After the wind turned a fly ball to right field by fifth-year center fielder Cliff Hicks (Merrimack, N.H./Merrimack HS) into a single off the fence to load the bases, freshman third baseman Ben Benigno (Trumbull, Conn./Trumbull) followed with a sacrifice fly to center field to drive home Rivers from third. Carr then crushed a three-run home run, his second of the season, just to the right of dead center field.

The Ravens added a run in the bottom of the sixth inning to create the 7-2 final. Hicks led off with a double into the gap in right-center and scored when Benigno followed and lined an RBI single into right field.

Sophomore right-hander Robbie Beaudoin (Somerset, Mass./Somerset) started on the mound and picked up the win (2-0) in the first game for Franklin Pierce. Over five innings, he gave up two runs on five hits, walked one, hit a batter and struck out seven.

Freshman right-hander Austin Ziskie (Chevy Chase, Md./Bethesda Chevy Chase) started on the hill and took the loss (1-3) for Saint Michael’s. In five-plus innings on the rubber, he surrendered seven runs on eight hits, walked three, hit a batter and struck out five.

In the second game, Saint Michael’s opened the scoring with a run in the top of the second inning. With one out, freshman shortstop Patrick Lawler (Franklin, Mass./Franklin) clubbed a double to the warning track in deep left center and came in to score two batters later when McDonnell bounced an RBI double just inside the bag at third base.

Franklin Pierce took the lead with a pair of runs in the bottom half of the second. Hicks led off with a doubleheader over the head of the right fielder and scored two batters later when Carr crushed his second home run of the day, and third of the season, well beyond the fence it right-center field.

Saint Michael’s reclaimed the lead, 3-2, with two runs in the top of the third inning. With one out, Pilczak worked a walk. Estey followed and hit what might have been a double-play ball, except it went through the legs of Lerud, who was playing second base in the second game for Franklin Pierce, to put runners on first and second. After a hit batsman loaded the bases, sophomore catcher Jeff Dukette (Northfield, Vt./Northfield) lined a two-run single into left field to plate both Pilczak and Estey.

Franklin Pierce tied the game at 3-3 when freshman designated hitter Mike Dowd (East Bridgewater, Mass./Cardinal Spellman) led off the bottom of the third with a solo home run, his team-leading fourth of the season, which just cleared the fence in straightaway left field.

Saint Michael’s again reclaimed the lead at 4-3 with a run in the top of the fourth inning. With one out, junior center fielder Matt Beaulieu (Littleton, Mass./Lawrence Academy) worked a walk and moved around to third when senior second baseman Ryan Reather (Riverton, Utah/Juan Diego Catholic) poked a hit-and-run single through the right side. Pilczak followed with a sacrifice fly to center field to drive home the run.

Franklin Pierce answered immediately with eight runs in the bottom half of the fourth to take an 11-4 lead. Benigno led off the inning and went the other way to right field for his first career home run. Also in the inning, Ingui launched a two-run home run to left-center field and Carr drove in a pair of runs with a bases-loaded single to center. Rivers and Macias drove home the other two runs with an RBI single each.

Saint Michael’s crept back in the game with four runs in the top of the fifth inning to cut the lead to 11-8. Lawler led off with a walk, stole second and scored on a single back up the middle by senior right fielder Jake Chadwick (Hampton, N.H./Winnacunnet). After a walk to McDonnell, Beaulieu lifted a three-run home run, his first of the season, which came down just beyond the fence in right field.

The Ravens re-opened a seven-run lead at 15-8 with four runs in the bottom half of the fifth. Macias led off with a double inside third base and down the left-field line. After a walk to Ingui, Dowd knocked a two-run double into the gap in left-center field. Rivers followed and hammered a two-run home run, his third of the season, well beyond the 365-foot sign in right-center field.

Saint Michael’s created the 15-9 final with an unearned run on an RBI single by Pilczak in the top of the seventh inning.

Freshman right-hander Nate Sermini (Great Barrington, Mass./Monument Mountain) started on the mound in the second game for Franklin Pierce and did not factor in the decision. He pitched one-third of an inning before leaving with an injury, allowed no runs on no hits, walked three and struck out one. Junior right-hander Sean Keeler (Cazenovia, N.Y./Siena) picked up the win (1-0) in relief for the Ravens. Over 1.2 innings out of the bullpen, he surrendered one run on one hit, walked one and struck out one.

Junior right-hander Mike Robert (Wellesley, Mass./Babson) started on the hill and took the loss (0-2) in the second game for Saint Michael’s. Over 3.2 innings, he gave up 11 runs (10 earned) on 11 hits, walked one, hit a batter, threw two wild pitches and struck out two.

The Ravens (13-11, 4-2 Northeast-10) return to the field on Sunday, April 5, when they travel to Southern Connecticut State for a Northeast-10 Conference doubleheader. First pitch is scheduled for noon at The Ballpark at SCSU in New Haven, Conn. Franklin Pierce next plays at home on April 8 against Southern Connecticut State at 3:30 p.m. Saint Michael’s (2-9) returns to action on April 7 at home against Norwich.