Kemp hits grand slam; Macias, Maloney author superb starts

Game One Box Score
Game Two Box Score

RINDGE, N.H. (May 1, 2010) – Freshman shortstop Dan Kemp (Sturbridge, Mass.) hit a game-changing grand slam in the bottom of the fourth inning on Saturday afternoon to lead the No. 24 nationally ranked Franklin Pierce University baseball team to a 10-2 victory over Adelphi in the first game of a Northeast-10 Conference doubleheader at Dr. Arthur and Martha Pappas Field. Franklin Pierce also won the second game, 9-1, behind seven shutout innings and nine strikeouts from junior left-hander Brian Maloney (Brockton, Mass.).

With the victories, Franklin Pierce improves to 33-12-1 (19-6-1 Northeast-10), while Adelphi falls to 29-17 (15-11 Northeast-10) with the losses. Both teams have already clinched their spot in the 2010 Northeast-10 Conference Baseball Championship, to be held May 6-9 at the home of the highest seed with access to a lighted field. The host site and tournament schedule will be announced on Sunday.

In the first game, Franklin Pierce opened the scoring with a run in the bottom of the second inning. Freshman center fielder Nick LaCroix (Grafton, Mass.) got things started with a two-out single to center field and then stole second. He moved to third on an infield single deep in the hole at shortstop by sophomore first baseman Isaac Wenrich (Westlawn, Pa.) and scored on a broken-bat single into right field by junior designated hitter Eric Pearson (Webster, N.H.).

Adelphi would go without a baserunner until junior left fielder Richard McCarren led off the top of the fourth inning. He turned on a fastball and knocked it over the right-field fence for a solo home run to tie the game at 1-1.

Franklin Pierce answered with six runs of its own in the home half of the fourth to break the game open and take a 7-1 lead. Junior third baseman Derek Ingui (Sterling, Mass.) led off with a double the other way down the right-field line and scored when junior left fielder Mike Munoz (Bronx, N.Y.) bounced an RBI single back through the middle and took second on the throw to the plate in an attempt to throw out Ingui. After senior right fielder Phil Hendricks (Pittsfield, Maine) singled through the middle to put runners at the corners, LaCroix put a single back up the middle as well to drive home Munoz.

After a sacrifice bunt moved runners to second and third, Adelphi elected to walk Pearson intentionally to pitch to Kemp. The freshman shortstop clobbered a fastball into the parking lot beyond the fence in left-center field for the grand slam, his second home run of the season.

The Ravens would add a run in the fifth to make it 8-1 when Hendricks pulled a one-out single through the left side of the infield and later scored on a wild pitch. In the seventh, LaCroix worked a walk and later scored on a double-play ball to make in 9-1. Franklin Pierce pushed it to 10-1 when Munoz drove in a run with a groundout in the eighth. Adelphi created the 10-2 final on an RBI single by sophomore second baseman Craig Matteo in the top of the ninth.

Junior right-hander Jose Macias (Bronx, N.Y.) started and picked up the win (8-0) on the mound for Franklin Pierce. Over seven innings, he allowed one run on three hits, walked one and struck out 10.

Junior right-hander Keith Couch took the ball and took the loss (5-2) for Adelphi. Over just 3.1 innings, he was touched up for seven runs on 10 hits, walked one and struck out two.

In the second game, Franklin Pierce opened the scoring with a run in the bottom of the second inning. Wenrich led off with a single up the middle and moved to second when Pearson followed with a single through the left side of the infield. Later in the inning, sophomore catcher Mike Dowd (East Bridgewater, Mass.) pulled an RBI single through the left side.

The Ravens would push the lead to 4-0 with three more runs in the bottom of the third inning. Munoz led off with a monstrous, line-drive home run to straightaway center field, his third of the season. After Hendricks reached on an error, LaCroix drove him home with a double into the gap in left-center. LaCroix wound up on third as the throw came home to try to throw out Hendricks. LaCroix would later score from there on a sacrifice fly to center by Pearson.

Franklin Pierce extended the lead to 5-0 in the fifth, when Hendricks reached on an infield single and later scored on an RBI single by Wenrich. In the seventh, LaCroix led off with a walk and stole second. He would move to third on a wild pitch and score as the catcher's throw to third ricocheted into left field to make the lead 6-0.

Adelphi picked up a run in the top of the eighth to make it 6-1 when junior shortstop Matt Barle led off with a single to center and later scored when sophomore pinch-hitter Robert Eysel bounced into an RBI fielder's choice. Franklin Pierce would create the 9-1 final with three runs in the bottom half of the eighth on an RBI single by Hendricks and a two-run home run down the left-field line by LaCroix, his team-leading seventh of the season.

Maloney took the ball for Franklin Pierce in the second game and picked up the win (3-3) after seven shutout innings. He allowed three hits, did not issue a walk, threw a wild pitch and struck out nine.

Junior right-hander Robert Nixon started and took the loss (9-2) for Adelphi. Over 4.1 innings, he allowed five runs (three earned) on 12 hits and struck out four.