Jacobs, Beagan combine to no-hit Franciscan

Box Score vs. Indiana Tech
Box Score vs. Franciscan

CLERMONT, Fla. (March 17, 2009) – Senior pitcher Courtney Jacobs (Fitchburg, Mass./Fitchburg) and sophomore pitcher Caitlin Beagan (Warwick, R.I./Pilgrim) combined to throw a no-hitter on Tuesday afternoon to lead the Franklin Pierce University softball team to a 6-0, neutral-site, non-conference victory over Franciscan at the National Training Center. Earlier in the day, Franklin Pierce was defeated, 4-1, by Indiana Institute of Technology.

In the first game of the day, Indiana Tech scored a run in the bottom of the first inning and two runs in the bottom of the third to jump to a 3-0 lead. Franklin Pierce struck for its only run of the game in the top of the fifth inning. Freshman infielder Keryn Shannon (Dracut, Mass./Dracut) provided a pinch-hit single, the first hit of her career, and came around to score on a triple by sophomore second baseman Emily Griffin (Leominster, Mass./Leominster). Indiana Tech would add one run in the bottom of the sixth to create the 4-1 final.

Sophomore pitcher Kayla Johnson (Hudson, N.H./Alvirne) threw a complete game in the circle for Franklin Pierce and took the loss (0-2). Over six innings, she gave up four runs (two earned) on seven hits, issued no walks and struck out four.

In the second game of the day, Jacobs and Beagan allowed just one baserunner and no hits to Franciscan over eight innings, as the game ended early in an eight-run rule victory for the Ravens. Jacobs pitched the first five innings to pick up the win (2-1), as she walked one and struck out seven. Beagan pitched a perfect sixth inning to finish off the combined no-hitter.

Offensively, senior infielder Elaine Matthews (Roslindale, Mass./Archbishop Williams) finished 2-for-4 with an RBI and freshman Jamie Verner (Natick, Mass./Natick) added a 2-for-4 performance of her own. Jacobs helped her own cause as she brought home a run with a sacrifice fly. Freshman infielder Meaghan O’Neal (Littleton, Mass./Littleton) drove in a run via the sacrifice fly as well.

The Ravens (2-4, 0-0 Norteast-10) return to the field on Wednesday, March 18, with a pair of neutral-site, non-conference games at the National Training Center. The Ravens will take on Nyack at 9:30 a.m. before playing St. Thomas Aquinas at 11:30 a.m. Franklin Pierce’s first home games are a doubleheader scheduled for Sunday, March 29 against Southern New Hampshire at noon.