Sophomore right-hander fans 13

EASTON, Mass. (April 20, 2011) – Sophomore right-hander Ryan Thompson (Calgary, Alberta) tossed a three-hit shutout and matched his career high with 13 strikeouts on Wednesday afternoon as the No. 14/16 nationally ranked Franklin Pierce University baseball team posted a 3-0 win over Stonehill in Northeast-10 Conference Play at Lou Gorman Field. Junior second baseman Dan Hennigan (Downingtown, Pa.) hit 2-for-3 with a walk, scored one run and drove in another in the win for Franklin Pierce.

With the win, Franklin Pierce improves to 30-7 (16-3 Northeast-10) and completes the two-game season sweep of Stonehill, which falls to 25-12 (10-7 Northeast-10). It marks the 10th straight season of 30 or more wins for Franklin Pierce, which has reached at least 35 wins every season since 2006.

Franklin Pierce is now two games ahead of Southern Connecticut State (13-4 Northeast-10) and 2.5 in front of Massachusetts Lowell (12-4 Northeast-10) at the top of the conference standings. SCSU lost, 4-0, at Adelphi (11-5 Northeast-10) on Wednesday and will host Adelphi on Thursday, while Franklin Pierce and Massachusetts Lowell play non-conference games. The Ravens need just two more conference wins to clinch a berth in the Northeast-10 Championship for the 11th straight season.

Thompson was nothing short of brilliant on the mound on the way to his team-leading eighth win of the season (8-1). After working around a pair of two-out, first-inning singles, he allowed only three base runners the rest of the way: a lead-off walk in the third, a one-out walk in the fourth and a lead-off single in the fifth, after which he retired the final 15 batters of the ballgame. Thompson recorded 10 of his 13 strikeouts against the top five spots in the Stonehill lineup as he matched his career high set earlier this year, when he struck out 13 Mercy batters over seven innings on March 4. Thompson faced four batters with runners in scoring position in the game and struck out three of them.

Franklin Pierce got Thompson the only run he would need in the top of the second inning. Junior third baseman Isaac Wenrich (Westlawn, Pa.) led off with a walk, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt and took third on a flyout to right field. That turned the lineup back to the top for Hennigan, who pulled an RBI single through the left side of the infield.

The Ravens added an unearned run in the top of the fifth to double the lead to 2-0. Senior right fielder Mike Munoz (Bronx, N.Y.) led off and reached on a fielding error by Stonehill sophomore shortstop Michael Zeiner. Munoz stole second and scored two batters later on an RBI single to right field by senior designated hitter Derek Ingui (Sterling, Mass.).

Franklin Pierce added another run in the top of the seventh to create the 3-0 final. With one out, Hennigan walked, moved to second on a groundout and scored on an RBI single by junior catcher Mike Dowd (East Bridgewater, Mass.).

Junior left-hander Eric Haughn started on the mound, went seven innings and took the loss (5-2) for Stonehill. He allowed three runs (two earned) on six hits, walked four and struck out two.

The Ravens return to the field on Thursday, April 21, when they return home to host Saint Michael's in a non-conference doubleheader. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m. at Dr. Arthur and Martha Pappas Field in Rindge.

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).