Roche clubs three doubles in doubleheader

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (March 16, 2012) – Graduate student left-hander Jack Crawford (Montgomery, N.Y.) tossed a two-hit shutout (seven innings) and struck out four on Friday night to give the No. 20/22 nationally ranked Franklin Pierce University baseball team a 5-0 victory over Molloy in the second game of a non-conference, neutral-site doubleheader at NSU Baseball Complex on the campus of Nova Southeastern University. Earlier in the day, senior left-hander Chuck Fontana struck out nine while throwing a five-hitter as Molloy rallied for a 3-2 victory.

With the split, Franklin Pierce is now 9-3 (0-0 Northeast-10), while Molloy is now 7-11 (0-0 East Coast). Both games were of the seven-inning variety.

In the first game, neither team could score until the top of the sixth inning, when the Ravens broke through for two runs against Fontana. With one out, senior second baseman Dan Hennigan (Downingtown, Pa.) hit a single and moved around to third two batters later on a double by graduate student center fielder James Roche (Arlington, Mass.). Sophomore first baseman Zach Mathieu (Derry, N.H.) brought them both home with a two-run single to put Franklin Pierce out front.

Though sophomore left-hander Vladimir Camacho (Jamaica Plain, Mass.) was working on a four-hit shutout at the time, Franklin Pierce elected to go to the bullpen for the bottom of the seventh inning, when Molloy rallied for the 3-2 victory. Senior right-hander Ryan Thompson (Calgary, Alberta) made his debut, but would not record an out, as he issued a walk, hit a batter and allowed an RBI single before being pulled in favor of senior right-hander Rob Nicholas (Southborough, Mass.). Thompson would ultimately be charged with all three runs.

Nicholas hit the only batter he faced to load the bases, and was then replaced by sophomore right-hander Rob Blanc (Sandy Hook, Conn.). Blanc nearly worked out of the jam to pick up a pressure-packed save, as he struck out the first batter he faced and got the next to pop up over the infield. However, he then issued a walk to freshman pinch hitter Joe Liberatore to force home the tying run, and junior second baseman Greg Walsh followed with a game-winning RBI single.

Camacho started and did not factor in the decision on the mound for Franklin Pierce. Over six shutout innings, he allowed four hits, walked three and struck out six. Thompson took the loss (0-1) out of the bullpen.

Fontana pitched all seven innings to pick up the win (2-1) for Molloy. He allowed two runs on five hits, walked one and struck out nine.

In the second game, Franklin Pierce picked up the only two runs it would need with a two-out rally in the bottom of the first inning. Roche worked a walk to start things off, stole second and scored on an RBI double by Mathieu, who was then balked to third and scored on a single by LaCroix.

The Ravens pushed the lead to 3-0 with a run in the bottom of the third. Hennigan started the inning with a lead-off single, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt and scored on an RBI double by Roche.

Franklin Pierce rounded out the scoring with two runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to create the 5-0 final. Senior designated hitter Dan Poirier (Lunenburg, Mass.) led off the inning with a single and was lifted for freshman pinch runner Ryan Boswell (New Bedford, Mass.), who promptly stole second. Boswell would score on an RBI single by Hennigan, who would then score two batters later on an RBI double by Roche.

Crawford took the ball and went the distance in the second game to pick up the win (1-2), his first as a Raven. In the seven-inning shutout, he allowed just two hits, walked three, hit a batter and struck out four.

Senior left-hander Jason Lembo started and took the loss (1-4) on the hill for Molloy. Over 5.1 innings, he allowed five runs on nine hits, walked three and struck out four.

The Ravens return to the field on Saturday, March 17, for a pair of non-conference games. The squad will face Saint Michael's in a neutral-site game at 2 p.m. at NSU Baseball Complex before squaring off with Nova Southeastern at 6 p.m. Franklin Pierce's home opener is scheduled for Tuesday, April 3 against Southern New Hampshire at 3:30 p.m.

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).