Camacho shines out of the bullpen

MANCHESTER, N.H. (March 28, 2012) – Sophomore left-hander Vladimir Camacho (Jamaica Plain, Mass.) tossed 6.2 shutout innings with 10 strikeouts out of the bullpen on Wednesday afternoon, as the Franklin Pierce University baseball team played to a 1-1 tie with Saint Anselm in Northeast-10 Conference play at Sullivan Park. The game was halted due to darkness after nine innings of play.

With the tie, Franklin Pierce is now 12-9-1 (1-1-1 Northeast-10, 0-0-1 Northeast Division), while Saint Anselm is 8-13-1 (1-3-1 Northeast-10, 0-0-1 Northeast Division).

Saint Anselm picked up the first run of the game in the bottom of the third inning to take a 1-0 lead. Senior third baseman Jeffrey Criscuolo led off and drove a double into the gap in left-center field. He would move to third on a bunt and later score on a wild pitch. The damage in the inning could have been worse, as junior right-hander Ryan Thompson (Calgary, Alberta) was chased from the game with one out and the bases loaded. Camacho took over and induced an infield fly and a ground ball to work out of the jam without surrendering further runs.

Meanwhile, the Ravens' offense generated opportunities, but struggled to cash in for most of the game. Franklin Pierce left two runners in scoring position in the second and stranded a runner at second in the third before leaving the bases loaded in the sixth inning. The Ravens again got a runner in scoring position in the seventh, but with two outs, freshman pinch runner Ryan Boswell (Bedford, Mass.) was ultimately picked off of second base to end the inning.

Franklin Pierce finally plated an unearned run in the top of the eighth inning to tie the score at 1-1. Senior second baseman Dan Hennigan (Downingtown, Pa.) led off the inning and worked a walk, the only base on balls for the Raven lineup on the afternoon. Junior shortstop Dan Kemp (Sturbridge, Mass.) followed and pushed a sacrifice bunt to third base, which Criscuolo made the play on. With third base temporarily abandoned, Hennigan started to attempt to go first-to-third on the play, but stuttered between second and third as Saint Anselm junior first baseman Robert Kelly came off the bag with the ball. Hennigan eventually broke for third, which was now covered by senior left-hander John Healy, but Kelly's throw went high. Healy leaped after the ball, to no avail, and landed on a sliding Hennigan as he came down, shaking up both players. The ball sailed out of play down the third-base line, which resulted in Hennigan being awarded home to score the tying run.

Each team threatened late as well, as the Ravens left a runner at second in the top of the ninth and Saint Anselm stranded a runner at third in the home half of the inning before the game became a tie after it was called due to darkness. In all, Franklin Pierce left six runners in scoring position in the game.

Thompson made his first start of the year on the mound for Franklin Pierce. Over 2.1 innings of work, he allowed one run on two hits, walked two (one intentionally) and struck out one. Camacho went the final 6.2 innings, did not allow a run on three hits and a walk and struck out 10.

Healy fired 7.1 innings for Saint Anselm without allowing an earned run, before coming out of the game after the collision with Hennigan. He surrendered just the one unearned run, scattered seven hits, walked one and struck out six. Junior right-hander James Farrignton threw shutout ball over the final 1.2 innings, allowed one hit, did not issue a walk and struck out three.

The Ravens return to the field on Saturday, March 31, when they travel to Massachusetts Lowell for a Northeast-10 Conference doubleheader to start a three-game weekend series. First pitch is scheduled for noon at LeLacheur Park in Lowell, Mass. 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).