Ravens face elimination at 3 p.m. Saturday

RINDGE, N.H. (May 20, 2011) – Sophomore center fielder Mike Cleary went 2-for-3 with a pair of walks, drove in three runs and scored once on Friday night to lead fourth-seeded and No. 8/20 nationally ranked Southern Connecticut State to a 9-2 win over the second-seeded and No. 15/25 Franklin Pierce University baseball team on the second day of the NCAA Championship East Regional, hosted by Franklin Pierce University at Dr. Arthur and Martha Pappas Field. Franklin Pierce pitching walked 13 batters in the game, while the lineup left 11 men on base, including seven in scoring position.

With the loss, Franklin Pierce falls to 39-13 and will play an elimination game at 3 p.m. Saturday against fifth-seeded Massachusetts Lowell. The Ravens are now forced to win four games in a row to complete their defense of last year's regional title. With the win, Southern Connecticut State improves to 40-6-1 and will play top-seeded Adelphi at 11 a.m. Saturday.

SCSU opened the scoring with a pair of runs in the bottom of the second inning. With two outs, freshman second baseman T.K. Kiernan started things when he legged out an infield single on a ball that Franklin Pierce junior second baseman Dan Hennigan (Downingtown, Pa.) ran down behind the bag at second. Kiernan moved to second on a single through the left side by Cleary and both runners scored when junior designated hitter Matt Pessy went the other way and dumped a double inside the right-field line.

The Owls added two more in the bottom of the fifth inning to double the lead to 4-0. Senior catcher Nick DeProspo led off the frame with a walk and moved to second on a single through the right side by senior left fielder Kyle Rosadino. DeProspo scored when junior first baseman Ryan Geffert followed with an RBI single to left that also pushed Rosadino to second. After a sacrifice bunt put runners at second and third and an intentional walk loaded the bases, Kiernan singled to left to drive home Rosadino.

SCSU broke things open with three runs in the bottom of the sixth to make it a 7-0 game, thanks in large part to a lack of command by Franklin Pierce pitching. Three different Ravens pitchers combined to issue five walks (one intentional), and each of the three runs in the inning scored via walks with the bases loaded.

Franklin Pierce got on the board with a pair of unearned runs in the top of the seventh. Sophomore shortstop Dan Kemp (Sturbridge, Mass.) singled and later scored while Hennigan reached on an error. Meanwhile, junior pinch hitter Isaac Wenrich (Westlawn, Pa.) reached on a fielder's choice and later scored on an RBI single by senior designated hitter Derek Ingui (Sterling, Mass.).

SCSU created the 9-2 final with two runs on an eighth-inning single by Cleary.

Junior left-hander Gregg Downing (Queens, N.Y.) started and took the loss (9-2) on the mound for Franklin Pierce. He lasted just 3.1 innings, allowed two runs on three hits, walked four and struck out one. He was fortunate to avoid more damage, as he departed with the bases loaded and one out in the fourth before sophomore right-hander Joe Flynn (Plymouth, Mass.) worked out of the jam.

In addition to the nine runs, SCSU left the bases loaded three times and stranded 13 men on base over their eight offensive innings.

Sophomore left-hander Steve Landell started and picked up the win (6-1) for Southern Connecticut State. Over seven innings, he allowed two unearned runs on seven hits, walked three and struck out four.

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).