Softball Rebounds to Win Game 2 in DH at Merrimack; Emily Griffin Lifts Team to Win with Solo Homer
Ashley Noke drives in a pair of runs in game two
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. (April 12, 2011) -- The Franklin
Pierce University softball team rebounded from an 8-3 game one loss
to Merrimack on Tuesday, to pick up a satisfying 4-3 triumph over
the Warriors in game two in North Andover, Mass. Franklin Pierce
moved to 5-19 overall and 3-9 in the Northeast-10, while Merrimack
moved to 13-12 and 8-4 in league play.
Senior infielder Emily Griffin (Leominster,
Mass.) had a strong offensive game for the Ravens in the
second contest. She went 3-for-3 from the plate, including a home
run, and scored a pair of runs. Her solo shot came in the top of
the seventh inning with one out, and the blast broke a 3-3 tie and
ultimately lifted the Ravens to victory.
Merrimack's Monique Gosselin got her team on the board in the
second inning with a solo homer, but Franklin Pierce rallied with
two runs in the third to take a slim 2-1 lead. Ashley Noke
(Cumberland, R.I.) drove in a run on a single, and
Rachel Baxter (Cumberland, R.I.) scored the second
run of the inning off a Merrimack error.
The Warriors tied the game in the bottom half of the frame, and
both teams would exchange a run in the fifth inning. Griffin
singled to lead off the fifth and Noke brought her home with a
double.
Senior pitcher Kayla Johnson (Hudson, N.H.) got
the start in the circle for the Ravens and turned in a solid
performance by going the distance and yielding just three runs on
eight hits to earn the win.
In game one, the Ravens were limited to just three hits, while the
Warriors collected 15. Griffin stroked two of her team's three
hits. Merrimack pushed a run across in the bottom of the first
inning as Kristen LeMay doubled to lead off the frame and would
eventually come in to score on a sacrifice fly from Kara
Melillo.
But the Ravens responded with two runs in the next inning when
Griffin singled to center field, driving in Baxter and
Jessica Furtado (Taunton, Mass.). Baxter drew a
walk to lead off the inning and she moved up to second as Furtado
followed by reaching on a Merrimack error.
Merrimack retook the lead in the third as the Warriors plated four
runs to go on top 5-2. The highlight of the inning was a two-run
home run from Ashley Perry, who smashed a ball down the left-field
line over the wall.
Nicole Pratt (Gardner, Mass.) helped the Ravens
get a run back in the fourth on an RBI groundout, but Merrimack
continued to add to its lead with three runs in the fifth to open
up an 8-3 lead and cruise in for the win.
Jessica Wiley (Cape Vincent, N.Y.) started in the
pitching circle for Franklin Pierce and took the loss after she
went four innings giving up six runs on 11 hits. Kelli Jo Deardorff
went the distance in earning the win for the Warriors.
Franklin Pierce is off Wednesday, but returns to action Thursday
when the Ravens travel to Springfield, Mass., to face American
International in a doubleheader beginning at 3 p.m.
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).