FROM CBB NEWS SOURCES
Bryant 10 LIU-CW Post 3
Rindge, NH – After a string of one-run losses, the #2 Bryant Bulldogs made sure they’re elimination game with #6 C.W. Post was never close, grabbing an early lead and cruising to a 10-3 win.
Nick Campbell (Raynham, Mass.) got the scoring started in the top of the first by bringing home Jason Alexander (Simsbury, CT) with a sacrifice fly. Alexander led off the game with a double down the right field line.
In the third, the Bulldogs put four more on the board thanks to three-run homer by Pat McKenna (Orange, CT). After a Dave Muscatello (Hopkinton, Mass.) RBI single, the Bulldogs had a 5-0 lead and never looked back.
The support was plenty for sophomore Brent Almeida (Fairhaven, Mass.) who went the full nine innings for the complete game win. Almeida (4-4) shut out the Pioneers for the first seven innings before allowing three runs in the eighth.
Pat O’Connor (Mattapoissett, Mass.) added a home run and the Bulldogs battered Pioneer pitching with 14 hits. Four Bulldogs finished the game with multiple hits: Muscatello and McKenna had three apiece and Alexander, and Mark Dondero (Medfield, Mass.) both had a pair each. Six of the nine Bulldog starters drove in runs and seven scored.
The Bulldogs were also helped by a shaky Pioneer defense that committed seven errors in the game. C.W. Post starter Bobby Kay took the loss, surrendering 8 runs in 4.1 innings.
The win is the fortieth of the season for the Bulldogs and moves them to Game 8 of the Northeast Regional Saturday at 6:30pm against the winner of this afternoon’s Caldwell-Dowling game. The loss ends the season for C.W. Post with a 29-27 final record.
Franklin Pierce 7 Southern Connecticut 3
RINDGE, N.H. (May 16, 2008) – Top-seeded and host Franklin Pierce University, ranked 14th in this week’s pingbaseball.com Division II poll and 21st in the Collegiate Baseball magazine rankings, eliminated third-seeded Southern Connecticut State University, ranked 26th in the pingbaseball.com poll, with a 7-3 victory in game five of the 2008 NCAA Division II Northeast Regional Championships at Dr. Arthur and Martha Pappas Field this afternoon.
Franklin Pierce (41-12) will face the winner of tonight’s final game between fifth-seeded Dowling College (29-17) and fourth-seeded Caldwell College (33-17), which was suspended due to rain and will conclude tomorrow at 3 p.m. Dowling holds a 1-0 lead after two innings. The Ravens will face the winner of that game at 6:30 p.m.
Second-seeded Bryant University (40-20) avoided elimination in today’s opening game with a 10-3 victory that eliminated sixth-seeded LIU-C.W. Post (29-27). The Bulldogs will face the loser of tonight’s suspended game tomorrow at 10 p.m.
Southern Connecticut State completes its season with an overall record of 36-19.
“I thought our team battled hard and had the top seed even for six innings,” said Southern Connecticut Head Coach Tim Shea. “We had that one bad inning where we gave then five runs and it kind of broke our back a little bit.”
Sophomore lefthander Brian Maloney didn’t allow an earned run over eight innings, scattering five hits while striking out eight to earn his eighth win of the season.
Sophomore lefthander Brian Maloney (Brockton, Mass./Brockton) earned his eighth win of the season (8-1) on the mound for Franklin Pierce, allowing just an unearned run on five hits with eight strikeouts and three walks over eight innings of work. Senior All-Region righthander Tyler Bishop (Milford, N.H./Milford) notched his ninth save of the season, striking out the only batter he faced after entering the game with runners on first and third after Southern had scored twice to put the tying run on deck.
“(Brian) has been doing a great job for us all year,” said Franklin Pierce Head Coach Jayson King. “He’s a tough match up for (Southern Connecticut) with three good pitches that he can throw at any time, with a lot of lefties in their lineup.”
Senior All-Region centerfielder Kevin Renaud (Southbridge, Mass./Southbridge) paced the Ravens offensive attack, which collected 13 hits, batting 3-for-5 with a home run and three RBI. Junior Steve Carr (Nahant, Mass./St. Mary’s) was 3-for-3 at the plate with an RBI and run scored, while classmate Cliff Hicks (Merrimack, N.H./Merrimack) hit 2-for-4 with an RBI and run scored. Freshman Derek Ingui (Sterling, Mass./Wachusett Regional) finished 2-for-4 with a double.
Junior Karl Derbacher (Northford, Conn./North Branford) hit 2-for-5 with two RBI for Southern Connecticut. Freshman Nick DeProspo (Worcester, Mass./St. John’s) was 1-for-3 with an RBI.
Junior captain Steve Carr was 3-for-3 with an RBI and run scored.
Senior Toby Nylin (Pleasant Valley, Conn./Northwestern Regional) took the loss for the Owls (5-3), allowing six runs, just two earned, on 11 hits with four strikeouts and no walks in 5.2 innings of work.
The two teams combined to strand five runners over the first three innings, before each scored unearned runs in the fourth. Senior Anthony Fiorillo (New Haven, Conn.) drew a lead off walk for the Owls and advanced to third when freshman Andrew Babb (Hopkinton, Mass./Ashland) reached on an error. DeProspo followed by lofting a sacrifice fly to deep center to score Fiorillo.
Franklin Pierce answered in the home half as senior Matt Anderson (Medford, Mass./Medford) led off with a single, was sacrificed to second by Carr and scored when Hicks reached on another Southern error. The Ravens took control of the contest with a five run sixth, four of which were unearned due to a pair of Owl errors. Hicks drove in the go-ahead run with a single to center and later scored on a sac fly to center by grad student Jake Christman (Newton, Mass./Newton South). Renaud put the Ravens up 6-1 with a three-run homer to left.
Franklin Pierce added a seventh run in the seventh as junior preseason All-American Scott Savastano (Plymouth, Mass./Plymouth North) drew a leadoff walk and later scored on a single up the middle by Carr.
Southern forced Franklin Pierce to bring on its All-Region closer by loading the bases with one out in the ninth. Derbacher chased the Ravens second reliever of the inning, junior Alex Szymanski (Londonderry, N.H./Londonderry), with a two-out two-run single to right center with the bases loaded.
Dowling 2 Caldwell College 0 (Suspended after 2 innings)
RINDGE, N.H. (May 16, 2008) – Due to inclement weather in the Rindge area, Friday night’s scheduled matchup between fourth-seeded Caldwell College and fifth-seeded Dowling College was suspended after two innings of play. The game will be completed on Saturday afternoon beginning at 3 p.m.
Those spectators that had purchased a pass for Friday’s games will be allowed into Pappas Field to watch the completion of the Caldwell-Dowling game only. The stands will be cleared following that game and all spectators wishing to watch the remainder of Saturday’s games will need to purchase a Saturday pass.
As a result of the suspension, all game times have been moved back one time-slot. Please consult the revised schedule below for updated game times, and check the NCAA Northeast Regional website for all updates regarding scheduling for the remainder of this weekend.
REVISED SCHEDULE (AS OF 5/16)
Saturday, May 17
Game 6: #5 Dowling vs. #4 Caldwell, 3 p.m.
Game 7: #1 Franklin Pierce vs. Game 6 Winner, 6:30 p.m.
Game 8: #2 Bryant vs. Game 6 Loser, 10 p.m.
Sunday, May 18
Game 9: Game 7 Loser vs. Game 8 Winner, 2 p.m.
Game 10: Game 7 Winner vs. Game 9 Winner, 5:30 p.m.
Monday, May 19
Game 11: If necessary, noon
