Softball Splits DH with Stonehill; Wins Game Two By A Score of 3-1
Baxter drives in a pair during the day; Johnson pitches game-two gem
LEOMINSTER, Mass. (April 6, 2011) -- The Franklin Pierce
University softball team returned to action on Wednesday following
a two-week break to due inclement weather, and split a doubleheader
with Stonehill at Lassie Field in Leominster, Mass. The Ravens
fought hard in game one, despite dropping a 5-1 decision, but
rebounded in game two to post a 3-1 triumph. Franklin Pierce moved
to 3-11 and 1-1 in the Northeast-10, while Stonehill moved to 8-14
and 4-2 in league play.
Senior pitcher Kayla Johnson (Hudson, N.H.)
turned in an outstanding performance in the circle for Franklin
Pierce in game two as she pitched a complete game, while yielding
just one run on five hits with five strikeouts and only a walk, to
earn the win and improve to 2-5 on the season.
Johnson retired the side in the first and third innings, and the
only run she gave up was a solo home run to Nicole Eisenmann in the
sixth inning. However, Johnson did not flinch and retired five of
the final six batters she faced over the sixth and seventh innings
to nail down the win for Franklin Pierce. She struck out Kaitlin
Andrews with two outs in the seventh to officially seal the
win.
Franklin Pierce got all the offense and runs it needed in the
fourth inning as the Ravens scored three times to take a 3-0 lead.
Jayme Bilafer (Concord, Mass.) singled through the
right side to lead off the frame and was moved to second a batter
later when freshman Jamie Wiley (Cape Vincent,
N.Y.) laid down a successful sacrifice bunt. After a
Jessica Furtado (Taunton, Mass.) walk,
Alexa Demsey (Maidstone, Vt.) came on to pinch
run, and the Ravens had runners on first and second with just one
out. Meaghan O'Neal (Littleton, Mass.) couldn't
advance the runners as she struck out, but Rachel Baxter
(Cumberland, R.I.) then stepped to the plate and slapped a
single to right field. The Stonehill right-fielder misplayed the
ball, as it got past her, which enabled Bilafer and Demsey to come
home on the play to give the Ravens a 2-0 lead. Baxter would put
Franklin Pierce up by three runs moments later as she scored on a
wild pitch.
Bilafer had two hits and a run scored in the game, while Baxter
got credit for the Ravens' lone RBI with her fourth-inning base
hit. Furtado also had a base hit in the game.
Despite the game one loss, Franklin Pierce battled hard and held a
1-0 lead following two innings of play as Baxter roped an RBI
single in the second inning, scoring Furtado, who earlier in the
frame led off with a single back through the middle of the
infield.
But Stonehill scored a run in both the fourth and fifth innings,
and pushed across three more in the sixth to pull off the
come-from-behind win. Four Franklin Pierce errors were the main
reason for the late barrage of runs that Stonehill scored.
Franklin Pierce junior pitcher Jessica Wiley (Cape
Vincent, N.Y.) got the start and went all seven innings
before falling to 1-6 on the season. Despite the setback, Wiley
turned in a solid performance as only two of the five runs she
yielded were earned. She gave up eight hits, but struck out two and
allowed only one walk.
The Ravens return to action Thursday when they travel to
Manchester to take on Saint Anselm in a doubleheader beginning at 3
p.m. Franklin Pierce returns to Rindge this weekend with a pair of
doubleheaders on Saturday and Sunday, both beginning at 12 p.m. On
Saturday, the Ravens will play host to Pace, and then on Sunday,
will take on Adelphi.
For more information on Franklin Pierce softball, please visit the
team's page at athletics.franklinpierce.edu(.) To follow the
program even further, please visit Franklin Pierce Athletics on
YouTube (www.youtube.com/FranklinPierceSports), Twitter
(www.twitter.com/FPUathletics) and Facebook
(www.facebook.com/FranklinPierceAthletics).