Ingui 3-for-8 with home run on afternoon

Box Score: Game One
Box Score: Game Two 

RINDGE, N.H. (March 26, 2011) – Freshman left-hander Steve Hathaway (Acton, Mass.) struck out 12 in the first game and junior left-hander Gregg Downing (Queens, N.Y.) followed with 12 more strikeouts in the second game on Saturday afternoon to lead the No. 14/23 nationally ranked Franklin Pierce University baseball team to a doubleheader sweep of Saint Rose in Northeast-10 Conference play at Dr. Arthur and Martha Pappas Field. In all, Franklin Pierce pitching recorded 26 of the games' 54 outs by way of the strikeout.

With the wins, Franklin Pierce improves to 16-4 (4-0 Northeast-10) and has now won seven in a row, while Saint Rose falls to 5-9 (0-3 Northeast-10). Franklin Pierce won the first game 5-3 and took the second by a 6-1 score.

The Ravens opened the scoring in the first game with a run in the bottom of the third inning. Freshman left fielder Cal Hogan (Williamstown, N.J.) led off the inning with a walk and moved to second when freshman third baseman Josh Rouse (Milford, Conn.) followed with a walk as well. Sophomore shortstop Dan Kemp (Sturbridge, Mass.) was next and squared as if to bunt, but pulled it back as Hogan broke for third and stole the base. Saint Rose left second base uncovered in defense of the potential bunt, which allowed Rouse to steal second on the play as well. After Kemp struck out, junior second baseman Dan Hennigan (Downingtown, Pa.) lifted a sacrifice fly to right to drive home Hogan with the game's first run.

Franklin Pierce cashed in another run in the bottom of the fifth to double the lead to 2-0. Hennigan led off the frame with a walk and went first-to-third on a hit-and-run single to right by senior right fielder Mike Munoz (Bronx, N.Y.), who took second on the throw to third to try to get Hennigan. Junior catcher Mike Dowd (East Bridgewater, Mass.) followed and lifted a sacrifice fly to right to drive home Hennigan.

The Ravens made it a 4-0 game with a pair of unearned runs in the bottom of the sixth inning. Hogan led off and chopped a ball out in front of the plate and wound up on second base as the Saint Rose starter, senior right-hander Doug Dulin, threw the ball away. Rouse was next and bounced a ball to third. Sophomore third baseman Carlos Fermin attempted to tag out Hogan, who was going from second to third, but missed to put runners at the corners with nobody out. Hogan scored on a sacrifice fly to center by Kemp, while Rouse went to third on a sacrifice bunt by Hennigan and scored on an RBI double into the gap in left-center by Munoz.

Franklin Pierce added one more run in the bottom of the seventh to push the lead to 5-0 when senior designated hitter Derek Ingui (Sterling, Mass.) led off and hit his team-leading sixth home run of the season, an opposite-field shot to right field.

Saint Rose rallied for three runs in the top of the eighth to cut the lead to 5-3. It all started with two outs, when senior catcher Nick Dowen lined a single to right field and wound up on second base as Munoz misplayed the ball. After a walk and a hit batter loaded the bases, senior right fielder Garret Keenan unloaded them when he lined a three-run double over the head of the left fielder. However, the Golden Knights would get no closer, as the next batter popped up to end the inning and the next three went down in order in the ninth.

Hathaway went to the mound for the Ravens and tossed 6.2 shutout innings to pick up the win (2-0). He allowed just two hits, walked two and struck out 12 in his first collegiate start. Senior closer Rob Nicholas (Southborough, Mass.) pitched a perfect ninth to pick up his third save of the season.

Senior right-hander Doug Dulin toed the rubber and took the loss (0-1) for Saint Rose. Over 5.2 innings of work, he allowed four runs (two earned) on three hits, walked seven and struck out four.

In the second game, Franklin Pierce opened the scoring with a run in the bottom of the third inning. Rouse led off, lined a single to center and moved to second on a wild pitch. After a hit batter and a Kemp sacrifice bunt put runners at second and third, Hennigan hit a sacrifice fly to right field to give the Ravens the 1-0 lead.

The Ravens pushed the lead to 2-0 with a run in the bottom of the fourth. With one out, Ingui drove a single to right field and then stole both second and third base. Freshman first baseman Zach Mathieu (Derry, N.H.) followed and hit an RBI groundout to shortstop.

Another run, unearned, in the bottom of the fifth made it a 3-0 game. With two outs, Kemp reached on error by Saint Rose freshman third baseman Jevonte Osterhout. Kemp scored from first when Hennigan smoked a triple the other way into the gap in right-center.

Saint Rose got on the board with a run in the top of the sixth to cut the lead to 3-1. Junior shortstop Jesse Burba led off and grounded a single back through the middle. He took second on a passed ball, moved to third on a wild pitch and scored on an RBI groundout by senior center fielder Ryan Price.

The Ravens added two runs in the bottom of the seventh to extend the lead to 5-1. Sophomore center fielder Nick LaCroix (Grafton, Mass.) led off and pulled a double down the left-field line. He moved to third on an errant pickoff throw and scored two batters later on an RBI single back through the middle by freshman left fielder Calvin Graves (Boston, Mass.). Graves went first-to-third on a hit-and-run single by Kemp and scored on an RBI groundout to second by Hennigan.

Franklin Pierce added an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth on a lead-off double by Dowd and an RBI single by Mathieu to create the 6-1 final.

Downing took the ball and authored a gem for the Ravens in the second game. He scattered six hits over eight innings, allowed one run, walked one and recorded a career-best 12 strikeouts to pick up the win (2-0).

Junior right-hander Richard Egloff took the hill and took the loss (0-1) for Saint Rose. Over 6.2 innings, he allowed five runs (four earned) on eight hits, hit a batter and struck out one.

The Ravens return to the field on Sunday, March 27, when they remain home to host Bentley in a Northeast-10 Conference contest. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Dr. Arthur and Martha Pappas Field.

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).