Dowd clubs pair of doubles, Mathieu drives home two

RINDGE, N.H. (March 27, 2011) – Junior catcher Mike Dowd (East Bridgewater, Mass.) went 2-for-4 with a pair of doubles on Sunday afternoon, giving him four in his last two games, to lead the No. 14/23 nationally ranked Franklin Pierce University baseball team to a 5-1 win over Bentley in Northeast-10 Conference play at Dr. Arthur and Martha Pappas Field. Freshman first baseman Zach Mathieu (Derry, N.H.) hit 2-for-4 with a double, drove in two runs and scored in the win for Franklin Pierce.

With the win, Franklin Pierce improves to 19-4 (5-0 Northeast-10) and has won eight straight games, while Bentley falls to 6-12 (0-3 Northeast-10).

The Ravens jumped on the board early with a pair of runs in the bottom of the first to take a 2-0 lead. With one out, senior right fielder Mike Munoz (Bronx, N.Y.) worked a walk and moved to third when Dowd clubbed a ball that one-hopped the fence in the gap in right-center for a ground-rule double. Senior designated hitter Derek Ingui (Sterling, Mass.) followed and lined a ball right at the center fielder to score Munoz with a sacrifice fly. Mathieu then scorched a single back up the middle to drive home Dowd from second.

Bentley answered with a run in the top of the second to immediately cut the lead in half at 2-1. Senior right fielder Chris Hardy led off, worked the count full and deposited the payoff pitch beyond the right-field fence for his team-leading eighth home run of the season.

The Ravens immediately reclaimed the two-run lead with a score in the bottom half of the second. With two outs, sophomore shortstop Dan Kemp (Sturbridge, Mass.) pulled a single into left field and stole second. He came in to score when junior second baseman Dan Hennigan (Downingtown, Pa.) dropped an RBI single inside the right-field line.

Franklin Pierce added a pair of insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth to create the 5-1 final. With one out, Ingui flipped a single to right field and came all the way around to score when Mathieu laced a double into the gap in right-center. Mathieu would then score on a single inside the right-field line by sophomore center fielder Nick LaCroix (Grafton, Mass.).

Senior left-hander Brian Maloney (Brockton, Mass.) started on the mound and picked up the win (5-1) for the Ravens. Over six innings, he allowed one run on two hits, walked two (one intentionally) and struck out four. Freshman right-hander Kevin McGowan (Nashua, N.H.) threw shutout ball over the final three innings, allowed four hits, walked one and struck out six to pick up his first career save.

Sophomore right-hander John Yohe started, went five innings and took the loss (2-2) on the hill for Bentley. He allowed three runs on eight hits, walked one and struck out three.

The Ravens return to the field on Wednesday, March 30, when they make the return trip to Bentley for a Northeast-10 Conference contest. First pitch is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. at DeFelice Field in Waltham, Mass.

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).