Wild pitch on intentional walk attempt plates winning run in ninth

RINDGE, N.H. (May 1, 2002) - A bizarre finish saw Franklin Pierce University
claim its first ever victory over the University of Massachusetts Lowell in Northeast-10 Conference baseball action at Crystal Field this afternoon.

With runners on second and third and no outs in the bottom of the ninth, UMass Lowell decided to intentionally walk Franklin Pierce junior Dan Close (Leominster, Mass./Leominster) to load the bases. However, River Hawks right-hander Dave Ouellette saw ball two sail to the backstop enabling Franklin Pierce's Eric Burney (Rockville, Conn./Rockville) to scamper home with the winning run.

The inning began with Burney reaching base on an Ouellette throwing error on a chopper between the mound and the third base line. Franklin Pierce senior Scott Loiseau (Worcester, Mass./St. Peter Marian) reached when UML first baseball Cliff Towne dropped an Ouellette throw on a sacrifice bunt. Ravens junior Paul McAuliffe (Foxboro, Mass./Foxboro) sacrificed the two runners into scoring position, which set the tables for the wild ending.

Franklin Pierce junior Chris Shank (Westminster, Mass./Oakmont Regional) was the beneficiary of the good luck as he matched teammate Jon White (Medford, Mass./Arlington Catholic) with his school-record eighth win of the season. Shank (8-1) allowed four runs, three earned, on nine hits with seven strikeouts and just one walk in his sixth complete-game effort of the season.

Close finished two-for-three at the plate with a homerun and an RBI. Sophomore Dante Blancarte (Amesbury, Mass./Amesbury) extended his hitting streak to a team season-long 16 games as he finished 2-4 with a homerun and an RBI. Junior Mike Callahan (Worcester, Mass./St. Peter Marian) was 2-4 with a double and a run scored.

Ouellette suffered the loss (2-2) as he allowed the one unearned run and no hits in 1.1 innings of relief. He relieved UML starter Brad Laurin who allowed four earned runs on ten hits with four strikeouts and a walk in seven innings of work.

Junior Scott Lavalley sparked the River Hawks offense by hitting 2-4 with a homerun and two RBIs. Classmate Michael Regan finished 2-3, while Allen Mottram was 2-4.

Franklin Pierce took a 1-0 lead in the second inning as freshman Bear Dunn (Charlton, Mass./Shepherd Hill) laced an RBI single.

UML took the lead in the fourth inning when Lavalley followed Sean Kerrigan's two-out double with a homer to right field.

After Franklin Pierce knotted the score in the bottom of the fourth with a Loiseau homer, the River Hawks took a 4-2 lead in the fifth. Sophomore Todd Colescored as classmate Adam McCusker reach on a fielder's choice. McCusker later scored when Burney mishandled a Mottram single in left.

Blancarte belted a solo homer in the bottom of the fifth to pull Franklin Pierce within one and Close knotted the game at 4-4 with another solo homer in the seventh.

The win puts Franklin Pierce a half-game ahead of Southern Connecticut State University for the final NE-10 playoff spot. The Ravens are still one game behind College of Saint Rose in the loss column for second place as they posted a 10-4 win over Markey Division-leading Bryant College in Albany, N.Y., this afternoon. Franklin Pierce closes to within two games in the loss column of first place.

Franklin Pierce (25-16, 18-10 NE-10) returns to action on Friday afternoon when it opens a four-game weekend series with American International College at Crystal Field at 3:30 p.m. UMass Lowell (24-15, 20-11 NE-10) hosts Saint Anselm College tomorrow afternoon.

 Batteries:
FP: Chris Shank and Al Medeiros
UML: Brad Laurin, Dave Ouellette (8th) and Matt Tupman

WP: Shank (8-1)
LP: Ouellette (2-2)
HR: Lavalley (7); Loiseau (8); Close (12); Blancarte (12).