Pratt tallies three hits for Ravens

CLERMONT, Fla. (March 13, 2010) – Junior outfielder Nicole Pratt (Gardner, Mass.) recorded three hits on Saturday, but the Franklin Pierce University softball team lost its first two games of the season in neutral-site play at the National Training Center. The Ravens were defeated by Grand Valley State, 6-0, in the morning, before falling to Saint Joseph's (Ind.), 3-2, in the afternoon.

The Franklin Pierce offense found itself stifled in the first game, as the Ravens came up with only three hits. Pratt, sophomore first baseman Keryn Shannon (Dracut, Mass.) and sophomore third baseman Meaghan O'Neal (Littleton, Mass.) all collected singles for Franklin Pierce in the season opener.

Grand Valley State scored the only runs it would need in the first inning, when it plated four, and tacked on two more in the top of the fifth.

In the circle, junior right-hander Kayla Johnson (Hudson, N.H.) started, pitched five innings, allowed six runs (two earned) on eight hits, walked three, struck out three and took the loss (0-1) for Franklin Pierce. Freshman right-hander Rachel Allen (Hull, Mass.) followed and pitched two scoreless innings, allowed one hit, walked one and struck out one.

Franklin Pierce woke up the bats in the second inning, as the Ravens struck for two runs on eight hits and did not commit an error in the field. O'Neal and senior first baseman Kiley Molinari (Meriden, Conn.) each drove home runs with RBI singles for Franklin Pierce, while Pratt and junior second baseman Emily Griffin (Leominster, Mass.) each knocked a pair of singles. Freshman shortstop Aimee Lamoureux (East Brookfield, Mass.) and sophomore catcher Jamie Verner (Natick, Mass.) rounded out the offense with a single apiece.

The game went scoreless into extra innings, when Franklin Pierce opened things up with a run in the top of the eighth. However, Saint Joseph's would answer with a run of its own in the bottom half to force a ninth inning. The Ravens pushed across a run in the top of the ninth, but would lose the contest when Saint Joseph's struck twice in the bottom half of the inning.

Sophomore right-hander Jessica Wiley (Cape Vincent, N.Y.) went the distance in the circle for Franklin Pierce in the second game. Over 8.2 innings, she allowed three runs on six hits, walked one and struck out two.

The Ravens return to the field on Sunday, March 14, when they meet Molloy in a neutral-site, non-conference doubleheader. First pitch is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. at the National Training Center.