Macias strikes out 13 in first game; Flynn fans 10 in second

Game One Box Score
Game Two Box Score

RINDGE, N.H. (March 6, 2010) – Junior right-hander Jose Macias (Bronx, N.Y.) threw 8.1 scoreless innings and struck out 13 in the first game, and freshman right-hander Joe Flynn (Plymouth, Mass.) threw eight innings, allowed one run and struck out 10 in the second game on Saturday afternoon as the No. 15/17 nationally ranked Franklin Pierce University baseball team swept a non-conference doubleheader from Nyack at Dr. Arthur and Martha Pappas Field. The Ravens won the first game 4-0 and took the second game 11-1.

With the wins, Franklin Pierce improves to 3-0 (0-0 Northeast-10), while Nyack falls to 0-3 (0-0 Central Atlantic) with the pair of losses.

In the first game, Franklin Pierce opened the scoring with three runs in the home half of the third inning. Senior second baseman Cody Kauffman (Blue Bell, Pa.) led off, was hit by a pitch and moved to second on a looping single to right field by freshman designated hitter Drew Larson (Bridgewater, Mass.). After a fly ball to right field moved Kauffman to third, junior third baseman Derek Ingui (Sterling, Mass.) lined an RBI single to center field. Graduate student first baseman Mike Augustine (Kingston, N.Y.) followed and reached on a fielder’s choice that saw Ingui eliminated at second. Augustine stole second, took third on a passed ball and scored an unearned run on a wild pitch.

The Ravens would add an unearned run in the bottom of the seventh to push the lead to 4-0. Freshman center fielder Nick LaCroix (Grafton, Mass.) led off, was hit by a pitch, moved to second on another hit batsman, took third on a passed ball and scored on a sacrifice fly to center field by sophomore catcher Mike Dowd (East Bridgewater, Mass.).

Macias picked up the win (1-0) for Franklin Pierce. Over 8.1 shutout innings, he allowed three hits, walked two, hit a batter, threw three wild pitches and struck out 13. Junior right-hander Rob Nicholas (Northboro, Mass.) recorded the final two outs of the game, including a strikeout, to pick up his first save of the season.

Sophomore Kevin Earlie started on the mound and took the loss (0-1) for Nyack. Over 5.1 innings, he allowed three runs (two earned) on four hits, walked three, hit a batter, threw a wild pick and struck out four.

Franklin Pierce wasted no time opening a lead in the second game, with three runs in the bottom of the first. With one out, Dowd poked a single into right-center field and moved up to second when Ingui lined a single into shallow center. Junior left fielder Mike Munoz (Bronx, N.Y.) followed and launched his first home run as a Raven over the fence in left-center to give Franklin Pierce a 3-0 lead.

The Ravens then broke it open with four more runs in the bottom of the second to push the lead to 7-0. It started with two outs, when Larson pulled a single to left field and moved around to third when Dowd yanked a ball inside the bag at third and down the line for a double. Larson would score and Dowd would move to third as Ingui struck out but reached first base on a wild pitch. Munoz followed with a shot which one-hopped the fence in right-center for a ground-rule double which drove in Dowd and moved Ingui around to third. Augustine then brought home both runners when he looped a single which dropped in front of the Nyack center fielder.

Franklin Pierce added another run in the bottom of the fifth to move the lead to 8-0. Senior right fielder Phil Hendricks (Pittsfield, Maine) led off, pulled a double inside the bag at third, moved to third on a wild pitch and scored on a sacrifice fly to center field by LaCroix. The Ravens would tack on their ninth run when sophomore Ben Benigno (Trumbull, Conn.) pinch hit and grounded into an RBI fielder’s choice in the bottom of the seventh.

Junior designated hitter Carlos Hidalgo scored the first and only run of the game for Nyack on a wild pitch in the top of the eighth after singling back up the middle to lead off the inning. Franklin Pierce answered with an RBI groundout by sophomore shortstop Dan Poirier (Lunenburg, Mass.) and an RBI single by freshman second baseman Brandon Chase (Naples, Maine) to create the 11-1 final.

Flynn started on the mound, tossed eight innings and picked up the win (1-0) in the second game for Franklin Pierce. He allowed one run on four hits, walked one, threw a wild pitch and struck out 10.

Sophomore Wayne Richardson took the rubber, threw five innings and took the loss (0-1) for Nyack. He surrendered eight runs on nine hits, walked two, threw three wild pitches and struck out two.

The Ravens return to the field on Sunday, March 7, when they travel to Adelphi for a non-conference doubleheader. First pitch is scheduled for noon at William J. Bonomo Memorial Field in Garden City, N.Y. Franklin Pierce next plays at home on Thursday, March 25 against Saint Anselm at 3:30 p.m.