Carr hits two doubles, Vazquez strikes out nine

Box Score
Game One: Wilmington 10, Dominican 1

RINDGE, N.H. (May 14, 2009) – Freshman shortstop Trevor Lawson (North Easton, Mass./Oliver Ames) drove home the game-winning run with an RBI single back up the middle in the top of the eighth inning on Thursday night to lead fifth-seeded Assumption to a 4-3 victory over the second-seeded and No. 28 nationally ranked Franklin Pierce University baseball team in the NCAA Division II Championship East Regional at Dr. Arthur and Martha Pappas Field. Senior first baseman Steve Carr (Nahant, Mass./Lake City CC) hit a pair of doubles and drove in a run for Franklin Pierce in defeat.

With the loss, Franklin Pierce (37-17) faces elimination at 1 p.m. on Friday against top-seeded Dominican. Assumption (33-19-1) advances to play at 7 p.m. Friday against the winner of Friday morning’s game between third-seeded Adelphi and fourth-seeded Dowling.

After the start of the game was delayed one hour and 32 minutes by rain, Franklin Pierce opened the scoring with a run in the bottom of the first inning. Sophomore designated hitter Derek Ingui (Sterling, Mass./Wachusett Regional) led off with an infield single behind third base. Freshman catcher Mike Dowd (East Bridgewater, Mass./Cardinal Spellman) followed and hit what might have been a double-play grounder to shortstop, but the throw to second base escaped into right field, allowing Ingui to move to third and Dowd to reach safely at first. Two batters later, Ingui scored on an RBI groundout to shortstop by senior left fielder Ted Lerud (Hampden, Mass./Minnechaug Regional).

Assumption immediately came back to take a 2-1 lead with two runs in the top of the second. Junior first baseman Tim Scafidi (Worcester, Mass./Burncoat) led off, dumped a single into center field, stole second and later scored on an RBI single into shallow left field by Lawson. Lawson moved to second on an infield single in the hole at shortstop by sophomore left fielder Josh Dufresne (Auburn, Mass./Auburn) and scored on a single through the left side of the infield by senior right fielder Steve Scannell (Worcester, Mass./Burncoat).

Franklin Pierce tied the game at 2-2 with a run in the bottom of the fourth inning. With two outs, graduate student center fielder Cliff Hicks (Merrimack, N.H./Merrimack HS) looped a single into shallow right field, stole second and scored on a double into the gap in left-center field by Carr.

Assumption picked up a run in the top of the fifth inning to take a 3-2 lead. Senior second baseman Mike Baillargeon (Worcester, Mass./Holy Name) led off and lofted a fly ball to left field which fell untouched for a single. Junior center fielder Derek Migrants (Ayer, Mass./Ayer) followed and drove a double into the left-center field gap to score Baillargeon all the way from first.

Franklin Pierce would tie the game at 3-3 with a run in the bottom of the seventh inning. Carr led off, punched a double down the left-field line, moved to third on a groundout and later scored when sophomore shortstop Jose Macias (Bronx, N.Y./Monroe College) reached on a throwing error by the shortstop.

Assumption took a 4-3 lead with a run in the top of the eighth inning. After a three-hour and 12-minute rain delay prior to the start of the inning, sophomore designated hitter Wally Derosier (Shrewsbury, Mass./Holy Name) clubbed the first pitch from Franklin Pierce junior right-hander Sean Keeler (Cazenovia, N.Y./Siena) into the gap in right-center field for a leadoff triple. Lawson followed and knocked a single back through the middle to drive home the run.

Junior right-hander Kyle Vazquez (Berlin, Conn./Berlin) started on the mound and did not factor in the decision for Franklin Pierce. Over seven innings, he allowed three runs on 10 hits, walked two and struck out nine. Keeler took the loss (1-1) in relief. He faced two batters, retired neither and allowed one run on two hits.

Senior right-hander Jeff Barbale (Charlton, Mass./Saint Peter-Marian) started on the hill and picked up the win (10-3) for Assumption. Over seven innings, he gave up three runs (one earned) on six hits, did not issue a walk and struck out three. Junior left-hander Andrew Quinn (Taunton, Mass./Coyle-Cassidy) retired all six batters he faced over the final two innings, including five strikeouts, to pick up his second save of the season.