Junior Alex McCormick pitched eight-plus solid innings for
the Skyhawks in a losing effort.
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#30 Franklin Pierce Slips
Past Stonehill, 2-1
Pearson's pinch-hit
RBI single in the top of the ninth the difference
Boxscore
EASTON, Mass. (April 20,
2010) – Franklin Pierce University, ranked
30th in this week's Collegiate Baseball
magazine Division II poll, scored the go-ahead run in the top of
the ninth with a pinch-hit RBI single from junior Eric
Pearson (Webster, N.H./Merrimack Valley) to claim a 2-1
victory over Stonehill College, ranked seventh in the most recent
NCAA Division II East Regional rankings, in Northeast-10 Conference
baseball action at Lou Gorman Field this afternoon.
Pearson's game-winning single
to left came with two outs to drive in senior Phil
Hendricks (Pittsfield, Maine/Maine Central Institute).
Hendricks led off the ninth with a single up the middle and then
stole second and advanced to third on a balk after Stonehill
sophomore lefthander Michael Von Stein (Trumbull,
Conn./Trumbull) had entered the game and gotten a pair of
strikeouts.
Junior right-hander Jose
Macias (Bronx, N.Y./Monroe College) earned the win (6-0)
on the mound for Franklin Pierce, allowing just an unearned run on
four hits with ten strikeouts and four walks over eight innings.
Junior Rob Nicholas (Southborough,
Mass./Algonquin Regional) worked around a hit and a walk
in the ninth to post his ninth save of the season.
Hendricks finished 2-for-4 with a
stolen base and the run scored to lead Franklin Pierce at the
plate. Senior Cody Kauffman (Blue Bell,
Pa./Wissahickon) hit 2-for-3 with a
double and run scored, while freshman Nick LaCroix
(Grafton, Mass./Grafton) batted 2-for-4 for the Ravens.
Senior Shane Franz hit 2-for-4 to lead Stonehill at the
plate. (PHOTO BY Richard Orr)
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Junior right-hander Alex
McCormick (Weymouth, Mass./Cardinal Spellman) was nearly
as impressive in his eight-plus innings on the mound for Stonehill.
He suffered the hard-luck loss (3-3) by allowing the two earned
runs on seven hits with six strikeouts and a walk for the
afternoon.
Senior Shane Franz
(Cazenovia, N.Y./Cazenovia) hit 2-for-4 for Stonehill,
while classmate Mitch Davis (Bow, N.H./Bow) was
1-for-4 with a run scored. Junior Scott Hackett (Bangor,
Maine/Bangor) batted 1-for-2 with a pair of walks, while
classmate Angelo Bruno (Norwalk, Conn./Norwalk)
drove in the Skyhawks lone run.
Franklin Pierce opened the scoring
in the third as Kauffman curled a double down the line in
leftfield, advanced to third on a fly out by sophomore Mike
Dowd (East Bridgewater, Mass./Cardinal Spellman) and then
scored on a ground out to short by junior Derek Ingui
(Sterling, Mass./Wachusett Regional).
Stonehill knotted the score in the
sixth as Davis legged out a single in the grass to short and
advanced to second on a throwing error by Franklin Pierce freshman
shortstop Dan Kemp (Sturbridge, Mass./Tantasqua)
on the play. A Macias wild pitch put Davis on third before Bruno
drove him in with a sacrifice fly to right.
Stonehill threatened against
Nicholas in the bottom of the ninth as sophomore Rich
McHugh (Pembroke, Mass./Thayer Academy) walked and Franz
singled through the left side to lead things off. Sophomore
Michael White (Lisbon, N.H./Lisbon Regional)
bunted the two into scoring position and Nicholas recovered nicely
after a comebacker to the mound by junior Brenden Shepard
(Boxford, Mass./Masconomet) to just get pinch-runner
Nick Nardacci (Glenmont, N.Y./Bethlehem Central)
at the plate, before escaping the jam with a ground out to second
to end the game.
Stonehill (16-15, 11-8 NE-10) is
right back in action tomorrow when it faces Saint Michael's
College for a non-conference doubleheader at historic Centennial
Field in Burlington, Vt., starting at 3 p.m. The Skyhawks return
home next Wednesday, April 28, to host Saint Anselm College for a
Northeast-10 matchup at Gorman Field at 3:30 p.m. Franklin Pierce
(27-11-1, 13-5-1 NE-10) is off until hosting Stonehill for game two
of their midweek NE-10 series on Thursday at 6 p.m.
