Ravens rally from 4-1 deficit

Box Score

PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y. (April 23, 2009) – Sophomore shortstop Jose Macias (Bronx, N.Y./Monroe College) went 3-for-4, drove in a run and scored twice on Thursday afternoon as the Franklin Pierce University baseball team scored twice in the fifth and twice in the seventh to rally from a 4-1 deficit and post a 5-4 victory over Pace in Northeast-10 Conference play at Finnerty Field. Freshman designated hitter Tyler Hart (Poughquag, N.Y./Arlington) hit 3-for-3 with a pair of doubles, drove in a run and scored another in defeat for Pace.

Franklin Pierce opened the scoring with a run in the top of the first inning. Sophomore designated hitter Derek Ingui (Sterling, Mass./Wachusett Regional) led off with a single down the right-field line and moved to second on a single through the left side by freshman catcher Mike Dowd (East Bridgewater, Mass./Cardinal Spellman). Junior right fielder Kevin Rivers (Bristol, Conn./Bristol Eastern) followed with a bunt single to load the bases and Ingui came home to score when graduate student center fielder Cliff Hicks (Merrimack, N.H./Merrimack HS) bounced into a fielder’s choice.

Pace scored twice in the bottom of the third inning to take a 2-1 lead. Freshman right fielder Patrick Chaputian (Sea Cliff, N.Y./North Shore) led off with a single to center field and moved to second on a single through the left side by Hart. After a sacrifice bunt moved the runners to second and third, junior second baseman JJ Conrad (Hamburg, N.J./Wallkill Valley) knocked a single down the left-field line to score Chaputian and move Hart to third. Hart then scored on a sacrifice fly to center by senior third baseman Denis Alimonti (Jefferson Valley, N.Y./Lakeland).

Pace pushed the lead to 4-1 with two more runs in the bottom of the fourth inning. Senior center fielder Joe Cotone (Yorktown Hills, N.Y./Lakeland) led off with an infield single and moved around to third on a single through the right side by junior first baseman Vinny Dammann (Mullica Hill, N.J./Gloucester Catholic). Two batters later, Cotone scored on an RBI groundout by Chaputian which moved Dammann to second. Dammann then scored on a double into right-center field by Hart.

Franklin Pierce kick-started the rally with two runs in the top of the fifth inning to pull within a run at 4-3. With two outs, Macias singled through the left side of the infield and moved to second when Ingui walked. Both runners scored when Dowd clubbed a double into the gap in right-center.

The Ravens then completed the rally with two runs in the top of the seventh inning to take a 5-4 lead they would not relinquish. Senior first baseman Steve Carr (Nahant, Mass./Lake City CC) led off with a single to right field, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt and came in to score the tying run on an RBI single by Macias, who took second on the ensuing throw to the plate. Macias would then score on a single by Ingui.

Senior left-hander James Palmer (Stoneham, Mass./Stoneham) started on the mound and picked up the win (3-2) for Franklin Pierce. Over 6.1 innings, he surrendered four runs on 11 hits, did not issue a walk and struck out five. Sophomore right-hander Rob Nicholas (Northboro, Mass./Algonquin Regional) threw a hitless final 2.2 innings, hit a batter and struck out two to notch his sixth save of the season.

Sophomore right-hander Michael Sciarretta (Stamford, Conn./Stamford) started and took the loss (2-1) for Pace. In 6.1 innings on the hill, he allowed five runs on eight hits, walked one, hit a batter, threw a wild pitch and struck out six.

The Ravens (26-14, 17-5 Northeast-10) return to the field on Friday, April 24, when they return home to host Pace (17-23-1, 11-13 Northeast-10) in a Northeast-10 Conference contest. First pitch is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. at Dr. Arthur and Martha Pappas Field in Rindge, N.H.