Baseball Falls to #13/21 Franklin Pierce 11-1
RINDGE, N.H. – The Merrimack baseball team suffered an 11-1 setback to No. 13/21 Franklin Pierce at Pappas Field Thursday afternoon. The Warriors losing streak runs to five games as they drop to 7-12 overall and 0-7 in the Northeast-10. The Ravens improve to 23-6 on the year and 9-2 in league action.
Merrimack registered nine hits on the day from nine different players. Freshman Sam Novicki (Winchester, Mass.) recorded his first collegiate base knock in the ninth inning.
Franklin Pierce jumped ahead with a pair of runs in the bottom of the first inning. The Ravens loaded the bases with no outs but the Warriors were able to turn a double play while the game's first run crossed the plate. The home team added another run in the frame on an RBI double by Zach Mathieu.
Franklin Pierce manufactured five runs on four hits in the second inning to grab a 7-0 lead.
Tim Curran (South Weymouth, Mass.) picked up Merrimack's first hit of the game with a single in the fourth frame.
The Ravens plated two runs in the fourth and the fifth inning to claim a commanding 11-0 advantage. Mathieu added two RBIs with a double to right center in the fifth, to finish with three on the afternoon.
In the seventh inning, Paul Manganiello (Levittown, N.Y.) raked a pinch hit double followed by a walk to Brandon Cox (Nashua, N.H.) and a single by Mark O'Flynn (Ipswich, Mass.) to load the bases for the Warriors. Alex Ciullo (Fall River, Mass.) drove in the visitors' lone run with a one-out single to score Manganiello.
Franklin Pierce owned a 14-9 edge in hits while each team stranded 12 runners on base. Merrimack left the bases loaded in the fifth and seventh inning.
Conner McMahon (Westfield, Mass.) tossed 4.2 innings on the mound for Merrimack and fanned three batters. The Warriors' bullpen pitched outstandingly in the final 2.1 innings, preventing the Ravens from scoring and allowing just two hits. Keith Johansen (Tyngsborough, Mass.) hurled 1.1 innings of relief with one strikeout. Chris Pinette (Norwood, Mass.) and Bill Humphrey (South Easton, Mass.) each worked one inning to close out the game.
With a pair of Northeast-10 Conference doubleheaders on tap for the weekend, Merrimack will look to claim its first league victory of the 2011 season. The Warriors will host The College of Saint Rose at Warrior Diamond Saturday, April 9 before visiting Saint Anselm Sunday, April 10.
