Hicks clubs pair of home runs

Box Score

RINDGE, N.H. (May 10, 2009) – Graduate student center fielder Cliff Hicks (Merrimack, N.H./Merrimack HS) went 2-for-3 with a pair of home runs and drove in six runs on Sunday afternoon to lead the Franklin Pierce University baseball team to a 25-6 win over Assumption in the Northeast-10 Conference Baseball Championship at Dr. Arthur and Martha Pappas Field. With the win, Franklin Pierce (36-16) forces a winner-take-all championship game against Assumption (32-18-1) later this afternoon.

The 25 runs is the most scored by a team in a game in the Northeast-10 Championship since the conference switched to wood bats in 2003. It also marks the second-most runs scored in school history for Franklin Pierce. The only time the Ravens have scored more runs in a game was a 29-9 victory over Curry on April 7, 1999.

Franklin Pierce opened the scoring in the bottom of the second inning, as they sent 12 batters to the plate and scored eight times. The keynote address in the inning came from Hicks, who clubbed a two-run home run, his fourth of the season, just to the left of center field. Also in the inning, senior left fielder Ted Lerud (Hampden, Mass./Minnechaug Regional) drove home his ninth and 10th runs of the tournament with a two-run single to right-center and junior second baseman Cody Kauffman (Blue Bell, Pa./Univ. of Massachusetts) poked a run scoring triple down the right-field line. Sophomore shortstop Jose Macias (Bronx, N.Y./Monroe College) drove in a run in the inning with a single back up the middle and freshman catcher Mike Dowd (East Bridgewater, Mass./Cardinal Spellman) brought home a run with a fielder’s choice.

The Ravens hung up 11 more runs in the bottom of the third inning to extend the lead to 19-0. Hicks provided the biggest blow of the inning with a grand slam to right field, his second home run of the game. Also in the inning, Rivers hammered a home run to right field, his sixth of the season. Ingui drove in a pair of runs with a double to right-center, Rivers picked up another RBI with a walk and Lerud brought in a run on a hit-by-pitch.

Assumption got on the board and pulled to within 19-2 in the top of the fourth inning on a two-run home run by sophomore left fielder Josh Dufresne (Auburn, Mass./Auburn), his first of the season, to left field.

Franklin Pierce pushed the lead to 20-2 in the home half of the fourth on an RBI single through the left side of the infield by Macias.

Assumption picked up a pair of runs in the top of the fifth inning to make it a 20-4 game, before Franklin Pierce made it 21-4 in the home half of the fifth on a solo home run by senior catcher Jake Ferreira (Westport, Mass./Bishop Stang).

In the top of the seventh inning, Assumption cut the lead to 21-6 when senior first baseman Mike DiReda (Shrewsbury, Mass./Saint John’s HS) hit a two-run home run just to the left of straightaway center field, his ninth home run of the season and third of the championship.

Franklin Pierce tacked on four runs in the top of the eighth inning on a three-run home run by Ingui and an RBI single by freshman center fielder Mike Szajner (Leominster, Mass./Leominster) to create the 25-6 final.

Senior left-hander Alex Szymanski (Londonderry, N.H./Northern Essex CC) started and picked up the win (6-1) on the mound for Franklin Pierce. Over five innings, he allowed four runs on 10 hits, walked one, threw a wild pitch, hit a batter and struck out five.

Sophomore right-hander Zach Jacques (Jefferson, Mass./Saint John’s HS) started and took the loss (5-3) for Assumption. In two innings of work, he was touched up for eight runs (seven earned) on seven hits, walked two and struck out two.