Kemp drives home two, Thompson fans eight

RINDGE, N.H. (March 24, 2011) – Sophomore shortstop Dan Kemp (Sturbridge, Mass.) went 2-for-4 with an RBI single and an RBI double on Thursday afternoon to lead the No. 14/23 nationally ranked Franklin Pierce University baseball team to a 5-1 win over Saint Anselm in Northeast-10 Conference play at Dr. Arthur and Martha Pappas Field. Sophomore right-hander Ryan Thompson (Calgary, Alberta) tossed seven innings without allowed an earned run and struck out eight on the mound for Franklin Pierce.

With the victory, Franklin Pierce improves to 16-4 (2-0 Northeast-10), while Saint Anselm falls to 8-9 (0-2 Northeast-10). Thursday's game was originally scheduled to be played at Saint Anselm, but was moved to Franklin Pierce due to unplayable field conditions at Sullivan Park in Manchester, N.H. Per Northeast-10 policy, Saint Anselm played as the home team and batted in the bottom half of each inning.

The Ravens struck to open the scoring with a pair of runs in the top of the second inning. Senior designated hitter Derek Ingui (Sterling, Mass.) led off the inning with a walk and moved to second when freshman first baseman Zach Mathieu (Derry, N.H.) followed and pulled a single into left field. After a sacrifice bunt moved the runners to second and third, freshman left fielder Cal Hogan (Williamstown, N.J.) hit a ground ball to second to drive home Ingui and move Mathieu over to third. Mathieu would score two batters later on an RBI single to left by Kemp.

Franklin Pierce picked up a run in the top of the fourth to extend the lead to 3-0. Sophomore center fielder Nick LaCroix (Grafton, Mass.) started things with a one-out, line-drive single back through the middle of the diamond. He stole second and scored three batters later when Kemp clubbed an RBI double into the gap in left-center.

The Ravens made it 4-0 with another run in the top of the fifth. After the first two batters were retired, Ingui laced a single back through the middle and stole second. Mathieu followed and pulled a single through the left side of the infield to pick up the RBI.

Franklin Pierce pushed the lead as high as 5-0 with a run in the top of the sixth. Junior second baseman Dan Hennigan (Downingtown, Pa.) started things with a two-out single back through the middle and moved up to second on an errant pickoff throw with senior right fielder Mike Munoz (Bronx, N.Y.) at the plate. Munoz then hammered a line drive to straightaway center that fooled Saint Anselm senior center fielder T.J. Murphy, who misjudged the ball and allowed it to get over his head and all the way out to the fence. Hennigan trotted into score as Munoz motored all the way around to third for an RBI triple.

Saint Anselm picked up its only run of the game with an unearned tally in the bottom of the sixth to create the 5-1 final. With one out, senior right fielder James Garrigan reached with a walk and moved around to third when Murphy yanked a double down the left-field line. Garrigan would later score on a passed ball.

Thompson took the ball and fired seven innings without allowing an earned run to pick up the win (5-0) for the Ravens. He scattered four hits, allowed just the one unearned run, walked two, hit two batters and struck out eight.

Sophomore right-hander Robert Kelly went to the mound and took the loss (3-1) for Saint Anselm. Over five innings, he allowed four runs on eight hits, walked two, hit a batter and struck out two.

The Ravens return to the field on Saturday, March 26, when they remain home to host Saint Rose in a Northeast-10 Conference doubleheader. First pitch is scheduled for noon at Dr. Arthur and Martha Pappas Field.

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).