Wenrich clubs two-run double

Box Score

RINDGE, N.H. (May 9, 2010) – Junior first baseman Angelo Bruno hit an RBI double in the top of the 10th inning on Sunday afternoon to lift fourth-seeded Stonehill to a 5-4 victory over the No. 25/26 nationally ranked and second-seeded Franklin Pierce University baseball team in the final game of the Northeast-10 Conference Championship, hosted by Franklin Pierce at Dr. Arthur and Martha Pappas Field. Sophomore first baseman Isaac Wenrich (Westlawn, Pa.) went 2-for-4 with a two-run double for Franklin Pierce in defeat. For his efforts, Bruno was named the Championship's Most Valuable Player.

With the loss, Franklin Pierce falls to 36-14-1 and is expected to receive an at-large bid to the NCAA Baseball Championship. Stonehill captures the Northeast-10 Championship, improves to 29-16 and receives the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Championship. The six participating teams for the East Regional and their seeds will be announced in a selection show at 10 p.m. Sunday on ncaa.com.

Franklin Pierce opened the scoring with a run in the bottom of the second inning. With one out, Wenrich pushed a single into left field. He moved to second on a single by freshman shortstop Dan Kemp (Sturbridge, Mass.) and scored when senior second baseman Cody Kauffman (Blue Bell, Pa.) pulled an RBI single down the left-field line.

Stonehill answered and evened things at 1-1 with a run in the top of the third inning. With one out, senior center fielder Rob Von Stein clubbed a triple to the fence in center field and scored on a sacrifice fly to center by junior shortstop Brenden Shepard.

The Skyhawks picked up two more runs in the top of the sixth to take a 3-1 lead. After a single through the middle by senior second baseman Mitch Davis, junior third baseman Scott Hackett hammered a two-run home run to right field, his second of the season.

Franklin Pierce answered with three of its own in the home half of the sixth to jump to a 4-3 lead. After singles by junior left fielder Mike Munoz (Bronx, N.Y.) and senior right fielder Phil Hendricks (Pittsfield, Maine), Wenrich pushed a two-run double into the gap in left-center field. Also in the inning, junior designated hitter Eric Pearson (Webster, N.H.) singled through the left side and later scored on an RBI single by Kauffman.

Stonehill capitalized on wildness from Franklin Pierce right-hander T.J. Ferguson (Westmoreland, N.H.) to tie the game at 4-4 in the top of the seventh. Von Stein singled to left-center with one out, then took second, third and home on wild pitches over the course of the inning.

The Skyhawks later picked up the championship-winning run in the top of the 10th inning. Davis led off the frame with a walk, took second on a wild pitch, moved to third on a groundout and scored on an RBI double down the left-field line by Bruno. Shepard moved from shortstop to the mound for the bottom of the 10th and stranded the tying run at second to preserve the victory.

Junior right-hander Rob Nicholas (Southborough, Mass.) started on the mound and did not factor in the decision for Franklin Pierce. Over six innings, he allowed three runs on six hits, walked one and struck out six. Junior left-hander Brian Maloney (Brockton, Mass.) took the loss (3-4) out of the bullpen. In three innings of work, he allowed one run on one hit, walked one and struck out five.

Sophomore left-hander Matt Olsen started for Stonehill and also did not factor in the decision. Over 5.1 innings, he allowed three runs on five hits, walked two, hit three batters, threw a wild pitch and struck out three. Sophomore right-hander Michael Von Stein threw 3.2 innings, allowed one unearned run on three hits, walked two, threw a wild pitch and struck out six to pick up the win (3-1). Shepard pitched the scoreless 10th to pick up his fourth save of the season.

All-Northeast-10 Conference Championship Team
Richard McCarren – Adelphi
Taylor Candage – New Haven
Nick DeProspo – Southern Connecticut State
Ryan O'Rourke – Merrimack
Eric Pearson – Franklin Pierce
Brian Maloney – Franklin Pierce
Scott Hackett – Stonehill
Brenden Shepard – Stonehill
*Angelo Bruno – Stonehill

* - Most Valuable Player