Franklin Pierce Hangs Tough in Pair of Losses
Hastings plates two in seventh in 4-3 win; Ravens no-hit in 3-0 loss to Midland Lutheran
Boxscore vs.
Hastings
Boxscore vs. Midland
Lutheran
Kristen Tracy drove in a pair of
runs on Thursday against Hastings.
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TUCSON, Ariz. (March 20,
2008) – The Franklin Pierce University softball team
continued to play better, yet still came up on the short end of a
pair of losses on Thursday at the Tucson Invitational Games. The
Ravens took a one-run lead into the bottom of the seventh before
falling to Hastings College, 4-3, on Thursday morning before the
team was no-hit by Midland Lutheran College in the afternoon,
losing 3-0.
Hastings 4, Franklin Pierce 3
Franklin Pierce scored three runs in the top of the seventh inning
to take a 3-2 lead headed into the bottom of the frame, but
Hastings plated a pair in the team’s final at-bat to escape
with a 4-3 victory.
Freshman Emily Griffin (Leominster,
Mass./Leominster) went 2-for-4 with a double, while
sophomore Kristen Tracy (Putnam Valley, N.Y./Walter
Panas) had the only two runs batted in of the game for
Franklin Pierce.
Hastings made use of its last at-bat against the Ravens, scoring
twice to steal away the win. The Broncos’ Angela Wagner
(Denver, Colo.) led off the bottom of the seventh with a solo home
run, knotting the game at three. Sara Sidey (Train, B.C.) then
worked a walk off Raven freshman Kayla Johnson (Hudson,
N.H./Alvirne) and eventually scored the game-winning run
on a fielding error by Griffin.
Johnson continued to pitch well for Franklin Pierce, despite
taking the loss (1-2). The freshman righthander threw all seven
innings, giving up four runs (three earned) on six hits, striking
out five and walking two.
After being held without a run for the first six innings, the
Raven offense sprung to life in its last at-bat, scoring three
times to take a brief lead. Sophomore Jenna Hunt
(Winchendon, Mass./Murdock) began the inning by reaching
on an error, and a double by Griffin and a walk to junior
Elaine Matthews (Roslindale, Mass./Archbishop
Williams) loaded the bases for the Ravens. Tracy followed
with a two-run double to tie the game at two, and Matthews scored
the go-ahead run later in the inning on a wild pitch.
Becky Aalto did not allow an earned run against Midland
Lutheran on Thursday.
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Midland Lutheran 3,
Franklin Pierce 0
Franklin Pierce ran into the terrific pitching of Midland Lutheran
sophomore Kelly Sladek (Cordova, Neb.) in its second game, as
Sladek no-hit the Ravens on the way to a 3-0 win. Sladek threw a
complete-game shutout for the Warriors, walking one while striking
out 11 batters.
Senior Becky Aalto (Hubbardston, Mass./Gardner)
pitched well on the Raven side, as she allowed all three of her
runs in the third inning. A leadoff single was followed by a Raven
error, and Aalto nearly got out of the jam by striking out the next
two batters. However, Natalie Meduna (Weston, Neb.) followed with
an RBI single and Amanda Hullinger (Omaha, Neb.) added a two-run
single to provide all the offense Sladek would need.
Aalto (0-2) threw five-plus innings, giving up 10 hits but only
allowing the three runs, all unearned. She also struck out three
and walked one. Junior Courtney Jacobs (Fitchburg,
Mass./Fitchburg) came on in relief after Aalto allowed the
first two batters of the sixth inning to reach, retiring the next
three batters for one scoreless inning of work.
Franklin Pierce (1-7, 0-0 NE-10) concludes its run at the Tucson
Invitational Games tomorrow, with a pair of games against Simon
Fraser University at 11:30 a.m. and Hope International University
at 1 p.m. local time. Hastings (10-9, 3-1 GPAC) takes on Hope
International and Simon Fraser later today, while Midland Lutheran
(7-4, 0-0 GPAC) faces off with the University of Wisconsin-Eau
Claire this evening.