Ingui picks up two hits in defeat

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (March 15, 2011) – Senior first baseman Dusty Maggs went 3-for-3 with a pair of two-run home runs and drove in six runs on Tuesday evening as Nova Southeastern defeated the No. 8/10 nationally ranked Franklin Pierce University baseball team, 11-3, in non-conference play at NSU Baseball Complex. Senior designated hitter Derek Ingui (Sterling, Mass.) went 2-for-4 and scored a run in defeat for Franklin Pierce.

With the loss, Franklin Pierce falls to 9-2 (0-0 Northeast-10), while Nova Southeastern improves to 14-7 (2-1 Sunshine State).

Nova Southeastern opened the scoring with two runs in the bottom of the second inning to take a lead it would never relinquish. With two outs, junior designated hitter Daniel Petitbon worked a walk and Maggs followed with a home run to right field, his third of the season.

The Sharks added a run in the bottom of the third to briefly push the lead to 3-0. Junior left fielder Nikko Echevarria led off the inning and pushed a triple into the left-field corner and then scored on a wild pitch.

Franklin Pierce got on the board and cut the lead to 3-2 with a pair of runs in the top of the fourth. Ingui led off with a single to right and moved to second when freshman first baseman Zach Mathieu (Derry, N.H.) was hit by a pitch. After a sacrifice bunt moved the runners to second and third, Ingui scored on a wild pitch, which also moved Mathieu to third. Senior right fielder Mike Munoz (Bronx, N.Y.) followed with a sacrifice fly to center to drive home the second run of the inning.

Nova Southeastern answered with two runs of its own in the bottom of the inning to reclaim the three-run lead at 5-2. Senior catcher Haven Fitzsimmonds led off with a walk and moved around to third on a double into the gap in right-center by Petitbon. Maggs followed with a single to right to drive home his third and fourth runs of the ballgame.

The Ravens picked up an unearned run in the top of the fifth to pull within two runs at 5-3. Freshman center fielder Calvin Graves (Boston, Mass.) was hit by a pitch to start the inning and moved to second on a passed ball. After he tagged up and moved to third on a flyout, freshman left fielder Nick LaCroix (Grafton, Mass.) hit a ground ball to third base that was mishandled to allow Graves to come in to score.

However, Nova Southeastern would break things wide open with five runs in the bottom half of the fifth to all but put the game away. Maggs had the big blow of the inning with his second two-run home run of the game, this one a towering shot to straightaway center field. Also in the inning, senior shortstop Luis Penate doubled and scored, both junior right fielder Areo Regoli and senior center fielder Andrew Durden hit RBI singles and Fitzsimmonds knocked home a run with a double.

The Sharks added a run in the eighth on an RBI groundout by Penate to create the 11-3 final.

Junior right-hander Nate Sermini (Great Barrington, Mass.) started on the mound and took the loss (0-1) for Franklin Pierce. Over four-plus innings, he surrendered eight runs on seven hits, walked three, threw a pair of wild pitches and struck out five.

Senior right-hander Chris Roman started for Nova Southeastern, but did not factor in the decision. Over 4.1 innings of work, he allowed three runs (two earned) on four hits, walked two, hit two batters, threw a wild pitch and struck out four. Junior left-hander Mauricio Rodriguez picked up the win (1-0) out of the bullpen for the Sharks. Over 2.2 innings of shutout relief, he allowed three hits and struck out four.

The Ravens return to the field on Wednesday, March 16 when they visit Lynn for a non-conference contest. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m. at McCusker Sports Complex in Boca Raton, Fla.

For more information on Franklin Pierce Athletics, please visit the official website of Franklin Pierce Athletics (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu). Also be sure to follow the Ravens through the Department of Athletics' official Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/FranklinPierceRavens), its YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/franklinpiercesports) and its Twitter feed (http://twitter.com/FPUathletics).