Ravens turn second triple play of season

BOCA RATON, Fla. (March 21, 2012) – Senior catcher Anthony Boza went 3-for-4 with a double, scored twice and drove in three runs on Wednesday afternoon to lead No. 15 nationally ranked Lynn to a 10-2 victory over the Franklin Pierce University baseball team in neutral-site, non-conference play at McCusker Sports Complex. Junior right fielder Nick LaCroix (Grafton, Mass.) drove in both runs in defeat for Franklin Pierce.

With the loss, Franklin Pierce falls to 10-8 (0-0 Northeast-10), while Lynn improves to 18-7 (2-1 Sunshine State).

Lynn wasted no time opening the scoring, as the Fighting Knights struck for four runs in the bottom of the first inning and never looked back. Senior center fielder Austin Smith led off the frame with a walk and moved around to third on an errant pickoff throw. Senior second baseman Mike Diorio followed with an infield single to drive home the run, and then came around to score from first on an RBI double by Boza. After Boza moved to third on a flyout and junior right fielder Cory Elasik walked and stole second, senior third baseman Eric Herrera drove in both runs by dumping a single into right-center field.

Lynn extended the lead to 5-0 with a run in the bottom of the fourth inning. Elasik led off with a walk, stole second, stole third and then scored an unearned run while junior left fielder Paul Stortini reached on a two-out error.

The Fighting Knights pushed the lead all the way to 8-0 with three runs in the bottom of the fifth on an RBI single to center by Boza and a two-run homer to left by Elasik, his third of the season.

Franklin Pierce plated its only two runs of the ballgame, both unearned, in the top of the sixth inning. With one out, junior shortstop Dan Kemp (Sturbridge, Mass.) reached on an error and moved around to third two batters later, when sophomore first baseman Zach Mathieu (Derry, N.H.) pulled a first-pitch double down the left-field line. LaCroix then brought home both runs when he dumped a two-run single into left-center field.

Lynn added single runs in the sixth and seventh to create the 10-2 final. With one out in the sixth, Stortini mashed his first home run of the season, a solo shot to left field. In the seventh, Diorio walked, stole second, moved to third on a wild pitch and scored on a single through the left side by Boza.

With Lynn threatening again in the bottom of the eighth inning, the Franklin Pierce defense turned its second triple play of the season. With runners at first and second, senior shortstop Kyle Radzewski hit a line drive near the center of the diamond. Ravens senior second baseman Dan Hennigan (Downingtown, Pa.) snared the liner, stepped on second base to double off the runner on second and threw to Mathieu to triple off the runner at first.

Sophomore left-hander Vladimir Camacho (Jamaica Plain, Mass.) started on the mound and took the loss (1-1) for Franklin Pierce. Over five innings, he was tagged for eight runs (seven earned) on six hits, walked three and struck out five.

Junior right-hander Kentrail Pierce took the ball and earned the win (2-0) on the hill for Lynn. Over five shutout innings, he allowed two hits, walked one and struck out seven.

The Ravens return to the field on Thursday, March 22, when they travel to Florida Tech for a non-conference contest to wrap up the 10-game Florida trip. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m. at Andy Seminick-Les Hall Field in Melbourne, Fla. 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).