Softball Battles Bentley in Two Tough Losses

Mandi Adee turns in strong performance in the circle in game two

RINDGE, N.H. (April 18, 2013) -- The Franklin Pierce University softball team battled Bentley tough in a doubleheader on Thursday at the FPU Softball Field in Rindge, but the Falcons came away with a pair of close wins to sweep the twinbill. The Falcons won by scores of 7-6 in game and 2-0 in game two. Franklin Pierce fell to 6-23 overall and 4-16 in the Northeast-10 (3-11 Northeast Division), while Bentley improved to 11-22 and 6-14 in league play (3-9 NE Div).

The Ravens battled hard in game one and almost overcame a three-run deficit in the bottom of the seventh inning to pull off an impressive win. Franklin Pierce trailed, 7-4, with two outs in the seventh but put together a rally with back-to-back RBI singles from Sam Conners (Jackson, N.J.) and Alicia Dean (Danvers, Mass.). Jessica Furtado (Taunton, Mass.) followed and put down an infield single to load the bases, but the Ravens could not come up with the tying run to send it into extra innings.

Conners and Dean had three and two hits, respectively, while Courtney Caputo (Stony Brook, N.Y.) smacked three hits, including a triple and scored a pair of runs.

Franklin Pierce jumped out early, 2-0, in the bottom of the first inning as Caputo and Melissa Morgan (Clifton Park, N.Y.) pulled off a double steal with the former heading home and the latter taking second. Ashley Noke (Cumberland, R.I.) followed by driving in the first of her two runs with an RBI groundout to short.

Bentley, though, responded in the top of the third by plating five runs to go up by three. Laura McDonough roped a two-run single back through the middle of the infield and Kelly Sanborn followed by bringing her in with a two-run shot over the fence in left-center field.

The Ravens got to within a run in the fifth as Megan Bird (Laconia, N.H.) worked a lead off walk and came around to score as Caputo ripped a triple to right field. Caputo eventually came around to score in the inning on an infield single by Noke

Bentley pushed across two more in the seventh before Franklin Pierce tried to rally in the bottom of the inning.

Senior starting pitcher Rachell Allen (Hull, Mass.) took the loss to fall to 4-8 despite going a full seven innings. She yielded seven runs on 11 hits, but only two of the runs were earned. Allen also struck out four and walked two. Her counterpart, Carly Taitz, earned the win to improve to 4-8 as she allowed six runs (four earned) on 11 hits with five strikeouts and a pair of walks.

Caitlin Betz was the story of game two as the Bentley hurler tossed a complete-game three-hit shutout to run her record to 3-4 on the year. She retired the Ravens in order in the first, third and fifth innings, and the only time the Ravens mustered up a threat came in the bottom of the seventh inning as they put runners on second and third with two outs, but a groundout ended that.

Bentley staked Betz to a 2-0 lead even before she made a toss as the Falcons scored twice in the top of the first on consecutive RBI singles from McDonough and Sanborn. 

The two, run-scoring singles came off starter Mandi Adee (Kinderhook, N.Y.), but the rookie settled down after that frame and followed with six outstanding innings despite suffering the loss to fall to 2-4. Over the final six innings, Adee kept her team in the game by scattering four hits, striking out four and issuing just a pair of walks. 

Franklin Pierce returns to action Saturday when the Ravens travel to face Stonehill in a doubleheader beginning at 12:30 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/FranklinPierceRavens). Fans wishing to purchase Franklin Pierce softball apparel can do so on the athletic department's online store at athletics.franklinpierce.edu/store(.)