Ravens Score Early, Take Down Skyhawks 5-2

Joey Santabara threw 2.2 innings of two hit relief for the Skyhawks on Tuesday

  

Ravens Score Early, Take Down Skyhawks 5-2

Boxscore

Easton, Mass. - Franklin Pierce scored three runs in the first inning and that proved to be the difference as Stonehill managed two runs as the fell to the conference's top team 5-2 at Lou Gorman Field on Tuesday afternoon. 

Stonehill drops to 21-20 and 11-14 in NE-10 play with the loss while the Ravens improve to 29-15 and 20-6 in conference action. 

Sophomore Tom Marino (Garden City, N.Y.) had two hits on the afternoon, while fellow classmate Scott Hackett (Bangor, Maine) and freshman Kyle Shepard (Boxford, Mass.) each went 1-4 with an RBI. 

Franklin Pierce jumped on the board with three runs in the top of the first, courtesy of a Ted Lerud three-run dinger, however the Skyhawks answered back in the bottom of the frame.  

Shortstop Mitch Davis (Bow, N.H.) walked to lead off and came all the way around from first to score on Hackett's double to left center. Senior Nate Weber (Hanson, Mass.) then singled to move Hackett over to third, but three consecutive outs ended the Stonehill threat. 

Franklin Pierce added to their lead in the top of the second on a one out RBI double by Derek Ingui and stretched the lead to 5-1 in the top of the fourth as Steve Carr led off with a triple and scored on a single by Cody Kaufman. 

In the bottom of the fourth, Angelo Bruno (Norwalk, Conn.) hit a lead off double over the centerfielder's head and came around on a one out single by freshman Shepard, but a walk and two strikeouts left Stonehill with a 5-2 deficit. 

The Ravens put runners on first and second with one out in the seventh, but Shepard caught a line drive in right field and doubled up Kevin Rivers on second to end the threat while starter Tom Cote kept the Skyhawk bats at bay through seven, allowing six hits while striking out eight. 

Stonehill went down 1-2-3 in the eighth but Marino opened the last of the ninth with a single.  Shepard came up next and grounded into a 4-6-3 double play before a Shane Franz (Cazenovia, N.Y.) strikeout ended the game. 

Freshman Eric Haughn (Pembroke, Mass.) took the loss for the Skyhawks who return to action on Wednesday when they take on Merrimack with first pitch set for 3:30 p.m.