Munoz, Dowd, Ingui each collect three hits in first game

Box Score vs. Molloy
Box Score vs. C.W. Post 

BOCA RATON, Fla. (March 19, 2011) – Junior catcher Mike Dowd (East Bridgewater, Mass.) recorded four hits, including two triples and a home run, over two games on Saturday afternoon as the No. 8/10 Franklin Pierce University baseball team piled up the runs in a 9-3 victory over Molloy and an 11-3 win over C.W. Post in non-conference, neutral-site play at Santaluces Sports Complex. Dowd, senior right fielder Mike Munoz (Bronx, N.Y.) and senior designated hitter Derek Ingui (Sterling, Mass.) each chalked up three hits in the game against Molloy.

With the victories, Franklin Pierce moves to 14-4 (0-0 Northeast-10), while Molloy falls to 8-9 (0-0 East Coast) and C.W. Post drops to 1-15 (0-0 East Coast). Franklin Pierce played as the home team in both contests.

In the first game, against Molloy, the Ravens opened the scoring with a pair of runs in the bottom of the second inning, when freshman first baseman Zach Mathieu (Derry, N.H.) started the inning with a single. Junior first baseman Isaac Wenrich (Westlawn, Pa.) followed and laid down a sacrifice bunt, but reached on an error and wound up at second base as Mathieu went around to third. After a wild pitch scored Mathieu and moved Wenrich to third, freshman left fielder Cal Hogan (Williamstown, N.J.) grounded out the shortstop and picked up an RBI as Wenrich scored.

Franklin Pierce pushed the lead to 4-0 with another pair of runs in the bottom of the third. Munoz started things with a single, then stole second and moved to third on a throwing error by the catcher. He would later score on a wild pitch. Later in the inning, Ingui worked a one-out walk, stole second and scored on an RBI single by Mathieu.

Molloy got on the board with an unearned run in the top of the fourth to cut the lead to 4-1. With one out, senior catcher Robert LaRusso doubled and later came into score when sophomore left fielder Erik Pyle reached on an error.

The Ravens further distanced themselves with two more runs in the bottom half of the fourth to make it a 6-1 lead. Freshman center fielder Calvin Graves (Boston, Mass.) led off with a double, moved to third on a flyout and scored on an RBI double by Munoz, who would later score on an RBI double by Ingui.

Molloy again struck for an unearned run in the top of the sixth to trim the lead to 6-2. With two outs, sophomore second baseman Greg Walsh reached on an error, stole second and scored on an RBI single by junior third baseman Frank Marchisello.

Franklin Pierce put the game on ice with two more runs in the sixth and another in the seventh to stretch the lead as far as 9-2. In the sixth, Dowd and Ingui hit back-to-back one-out, solo home runs, their first and fifth round-trippers of the season, respectively. In the seventh, Munoz hit a two-out single and came all the way around to score on a triple by Dowd.

Pyle later doubled and scored on an RBI groundout in the top of the eighth for Molloy to create the 9-3 final.

Freshman right-hander Kevin McGowan (Nashua, N.H.) started, threw eight innings and picked up the win (1-0) on the mound for Franklin Pierce. He allowed three runs (one earned) on seven hits, walked one and struck out four.

For Molloy, sophomore left-hander Larry Ulip took the ball, threw a complete game and took the loss (3-4) on the hill. He surrendered nine runs (eight earned) on 16 hits, walked four and struck out one.

In the second game, C.W. Post was betrayed by its own defense out of the gate, as Franklin Pierce racked up five unearned runs in the bottom of the first inning and never looked back. Though the Pioneers defense set the table, it was the Ravens' bats that did the most damage late in the inning, as Hogan cracked a two-out, two run double in the frame and immediately scored when freshman shortstop Josh Rouse (Milford, Conn.) followed with an RBI double of his own.

C.W. Post picked up a run in the top of the second inning to briefly cut the lead to 5-1. Sophomore third baseman Kevin Chenicek was hit by a pitch to start the inning and later moved to third as singles by freshman right fielder Ryan Sloane and sophomore center fielder David Saldana loaded the bases. That turned the lineup back to the top of the order, where sophomore shortstop Casey McKay provided the RBI single.

However, that would be the only run the Pioneers scored off of the Franklin Pierce starter, freshman right-hander Ryan Leach (Farmingdale, Maine), over six innings. Meanwhile, the Ravens tacked on three runs in the second and three more in the fifth to effectively put the game out of reach at 11-1. In the second, junior second baseman Dan Hennigan (Downingtown, Pa.) led off with a single and scored on an RBI triple by Dowd, who would later score on an RBI double by Ingui, who would later score on an RBI single by Hogan. It was the third RBI of the game for Hogan, who was making just the fourth start of his career, all coming in the last two days.

In the fifth inning, it was freshman center fielder Ross Lincoln (Woodstock, Conn.) who had the big blow with a two-run double, while Munoz knocked home a run in the inning as well.

C.W. Post picked up a pair of unearned runs in the top of the ninth to create the 11-3 final.

Leach picked up his second win of the season (2-0) on the hill for Franklin Pierce in the second game. Over the six innings, he allowed just the one run on seven hits, walked one and struck out six.

Junior right-hander Paul Bischoff started and took the loss (0-3) on the rubber for C.W. Post. Over just two innings, he surrendered eight runs (three earned) on eight hits, walked two and struck out one.

The Ravens return to the field on Tuesday, March 22, when they return home to host their home-opener against Saint Anselm in a Northeast-10 Conference contest. First pitch is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. at Dr. Arthur and Martha Pappas Field in Rindge, N.H.

For more information on Franklin Pierce Athletics, please visit the official website of Franklin Pierce Athletics (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu). Also be sure to follow the Ravens through the Department of Athletics' official Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/FranklinPierceRavens), its YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/franklinpiercesports) and its Twitter feed (http://twitter.com/FPUathletics).