Kemp, LaCroix homer

MANCHESTER, N.H. (April 25, 2012) – Junior first baseman Robert Kelly went 3-for-5, scored three runs and drove in three on Wednesday afternoon to lead Saint Anselm to a 14-4 win over the No. 21/27 nationally ranked Franklin Pierce University baseball team in Northeast-10 Conference Northeast Division play at Sullivan Park. Junior shortstop Dan Kemp (Sturbridge, Mass.) and junior right fielder Nick LaCroix (Grafton, Mass.) hit home runs in defeat for Franklin Pierce.

With the loss, Franklin Pierce falls to 28-13-1 (15-5-1 Northeast-10, 9-4-1 Northeast Division), while Saint Anselm improves to 22-19-2 (14-8-1 Northeast-10, 10-4-1 Northeast Division). The win moves Saint Anselm into first place in the Northeast Division by a half-game.

Saint Anselm never surrendered the lead after opening the scoring with three runs in the bottom of the first inning. Sophomore shortstop Tito Lluberes led off with a walk and moved to second when junior second baseman Richie Manzi worked a walk as well. Kelly followed with an RBI single into right-center to drive home the game's first run before the Ravens could record an out. After back-to-back strikeouts and another walk to load the bases, the other two runs would be unearned, as Kemp committed errors on back-to-back groundballs to shortstop.

The Hawks kept the accelerator down and plated two more runs in the bottom of the second to push the lead to 5-0. With one out, Manzi singled to center, but was erased at second as Kelly reached on a fielder's choice. Kelly went to second on a single through the left side of the infield by senior right fielder Daniel DeCoste and scored on an RBI single to right-center by sophomore left fielder Dan Lagasse, which also pushed DeCoste around to third. He would score from there as freshman designated hitter Mike Hayden followed with a run-scoring single through the left side.

Franklin Pierce got on the board with a run in the top of the third to cut the lead to 5-1. Kemp led off the inning and drove a ball to the power alley in right-center for his seventh home run of the season. It marked the latest high note in what has been a breakout offensive season for the shortstop in 2012. Over his first two seasons, Kemp had a .252/.303/.316 career slash line (AVG/OBP/SLG) with 16 career extra-base hits, including four home runs. Thus far in 2012, he is hitting .322/.371/.503 over 171 at-bats with 16 extra-base hits, including seven home runs.

Saint Anselm got the run back in the home half of the third to push the lead back to five runs at 6-1 and then added another in the bottom of the fifth to make it 7-1. In the third, senior third baseman Jeffrey Criscuolo led off with an infield single, moved to second on a groundout and scored on an RBI single to center by Lluberes. In the fifth, junior center fielder Andrew Chandler worked a lead-off walk, stole second and scored three batters later on an RBI single to center by Kelly.

Franklin Pierce briefly made things interesting again with a pair of runs in the top of the sixth. Sophomore first baseman Zach Mathieu (Derry, N.H.) reached on an error to lead off the inning, and LaCroix followed with a line-drive home run to straightaway center field, his second of the season.

Saint Anselm broke the game open in the bottom of the seventh inning, when it sent 13 men to the plate and scored seven runs to stretch the lead to 14-3. Criscuolo had the biggest blow of the inning with a two-run double to right field, while Chandler, Kelly and Manzi each hit RBI singles. Both Lagasse and sophomore catcher Nate Gonya were hit by pitches with the bases loaded to force home runs.

Franklin Pierce plated a run in the top of the ninth to create the 14-4 final. Freshman pinch hitter Dan Carroll (Tinton Falls, N.J.) led off with a walk, moved to third on a double into the gap in left-center by freshman pinch hitter Chris Berry (Warren, N.J.) and scored on an RBI groundout by sophomore pinch hitter Ross Lincoln (Woodstock, Conn.).

Junior right-hander Ryan Thompson (Calgary, Alberta) started on the mound and suffered the loss (2-2) for Franklin Pierce. Over just three innings, he allowed six runs (four earned) on seven hits, walked four (one intentionally) and struck out three.

Senior right-hander Neil Hesek took the ball and picked up the win (4-4) for Saint Anselm. In seven innings on the hill, he allowed three runs (two earned) on six hits, walked three and struck out seven.

The Ravens return to the field on Friday, April 27, when they travel to Assumption for a Northeast-10 Conference contest. First pitch is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. at Lou Gorman Field in Worcester, Mass. Franklin Pierce next plays at home on Saturday, April 28, in a doubleheader against Merrimack at noon.

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).