![No. 25 Baseball Sweeps Away Saint Anselm, 7-0 and 7-2](/images/bb/2007-08/action/prestoaction/Cote01.jpg?max_width=1200)
No. 25 Baseball Sweeps Away Saint Anselm, 7-0 and 7-2
Cote tosses eight shutout innings in first game
Game One Box
Score
Game Two Box
Score
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RINDGE, N.H. (April 18, 2009) –
Senior left-hander Tom Cote
(Swanzey, N.H./Univ. of Massachusetts) fired eight shutout
innings and recorded 10 strikeouts to lead the No. 25 nationally
ranked Franklin Pierce University to a 7-0 victory in the first
game of a Northeast-10 Conference doubleheader against Saint Anselm
at Dr. Arthur and Martha Pappas Field. Franklin Pierce also won the
first game, 7-2, behind a 4-for-4, two-RBI performance by junior
right fielder Kevin Rivers
(Bristol, Conn./Bristol Eastern).
Franklin Pierce opened the scoring with four runs in the bottom of
the second inning. With one out, graduate student center fielder
Cliff Hicks (Merrimack,
N.H./Merrimack HS) dropped down a bunt single, stole second
and moved to third on an infield single by freshman third baseman
Ben Benigno (Trumbull,
Conn./Trumbull). Hicks scored and Benign
o moved to second as senior first baseman Steve Carr (Nahant, Mass./Lake City CC)
followed with an RBI single through the right side. After a double
steal put runners at second and third, junior second baseman Cody Kauffman (Blue Bell, Pa./Univ. of
Massachusetts) chopped a ball back to the pitcher that was
mishandled and allowed Benigno to score from third. Sophomore
shortstop Jose Macias (Bronx,
N.Y./Monroe College) then looped an RBI double into center
field to drive home Carr.
The Ravens pushed the lead to 6-0 with a pair of runs in the
bottom of the seventh inning. With one out, sophomore designated
hitter Derek Ingui (Sterling,
Mass./Wachusett Regional) worked a walk and came around to
score when freshman catcher Mike
Dowd (East Bridgewater, Mass./Cardinal Spellman) followed
with a two-run home run to left-center field, his fifth of the
season.
Franklin Pierce tacked on a run in the bottom of the eighth inning
to create the 7-0 final. Benigno led off, pulled a double over the
head of the left fielder, moved to third on a groundout and scored
on an RBI single into right-center by Kauffman.
Cote threw eight shutout innings to pick up the win (6-2) for
Franklin Pierce. He surrendered six hits, walked two, threw a wild
pitch and finished one shy of his career high with 10
strikeouts.
Freshman left-hander John Healy (Cranston, R.I./Cranston East)
started, threw seven innings and took the loss (2-3) for Saint
Anselm. He was touched up for six runs (five earned) on nine hits,
walked one, threw a wild pitch and struck out four.
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Franklin Pierce opened the scoring
in the second game with a run in the bottom of the first inning.
Ingui led off with an infield single in the hole at shortstop,
stole second and came in to score on a double to left field by
Rivers.
The Ravens would extend the lead to 4-0 with three runs in the
bottom of the third inning. With two outs, senior left fielder
Ted Lerud (Hampden,
Mass./Minnechaug Regional) worked a walk and moved to second
on an infield single by Hicks. Lerud would score and Hicks moved to
third when Benigno followed with an RBI double just inside the
left-field line. Carr then lined a two-run single into left field
to score both Hicks and Benigno.
Franklin Pierce added another run in the bottom of the fourth
inning to push the lead to 5-0. With one out, Ingui went the other
way and poked a triple into the right-field corner. He would score
two batters later on a single through the left side by Rivers.
The Ravens made it a 7-0 game with two runs in the bottom of the
sixth inning. Ingui led off with a single back through the middle
and moved to second when Dowd was hit by a pitch. After a sacrifice
bunt moved the runners to second and third, Ingui would score when
Lerud looped a single into shallow center field and Dowd scored on
an RBI groundout by Hicks.
Saint Anselm got on the board and created the 7-2 final with a
pair of runs in the top of the eighth inning. With one out,
sophomore second baseman Steven Panza (Watertown, Mass./Watertown)
lined a single into right-center field, and moved to second on a
single through the right side by senior shortstop Ben Gunn
(Vineyard Haven, Mass./Martha’s Vineyard). After a single to
right-center by sophomore center fielder TJ Murphy (Reading,
Mass./Reading) loaded the bases, freshman third baseman Daniel
DeCoste (Chelmsford, Mass./Chelmsford) followed and looped a
two-run single into left field to drive home Panza and Gunn.
Senior left-hander Alex Szymanski
(Londonderry, N.H./Northern Essex CC) started and tossed
eight innings to pick up the win (3-1) for Franklin Pierce in the
second game. He allowed two runs on seven hits, walked one, threw a
wild pitch and struck out seven.
Freshman right-hander Bret Bartlett (Duxbury, Mass./Duxbury) threw
the first three innings and took the loss (1-1) on the hill for
Saint Anselm. He was touched up for four runs on seven hits, walked
one and did not record a strikeout.
The win in the second game marked to 200th career conference victory for Franklin Pierce head coach Jayson King.
The Ravens (22-14, 13-5 Northeast-10) return to the field on Sunday, April 19, when they make the return trip to Saint Anselm (12-22, 8-11 Northeast-10) for a Northeast-10 Conference contest. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Sullivan Park in Manchester, N.H. Franklin Pierce next plays at home on April 21 against Pace at 6:05 p.m.