Northeast-10 Championship Game Two: Bulldogs Drop Decisive Championship Game 4-3 to Franklin Pierce; Await NCAA Tournament Selection Show Sunday Night
BRYANT BASEBALL
May 13, 2007
Northeast-10 Championship Game Two: Bulldogs Drop
Decisive Championship Game 4-3 to Franklin Pierce; Await NCAA
Tournament Selection Show at 8 p.m.
Game 2 Boxscore
LOWELL, MASS. - The Bryant baseball team dropped a one-run decision to Franklin Pierce 4-3 in the Northeast-10 Championship game Sunday and will await tonight's selection show at 8 p.m. on ncaasports.com to see if they are selected to the NCAA Tournament.
With the score tied at three, Keith Renaud scored on a wild pitch, the first pitch thrown by Luke Cowan (Atlanta, GA) to give the Ravens the 4-3 lead in the seventh. The pitch appeared to hit the batter, Kevin Rivers, but it was ruled a wild pitch instead resulting in the go-ahead run scoring.
Cowan relieved Bulldog ace Eric Loh (Old Greenwich, CT) who pitched 6.2 innings and threw over 100 pitches, while pitching on just three days rest. Loh scattered 12 hits and allowed four runs.
The Bulldogs got on the board first as Mike Rocco (Tewskbury, Mass.) beat out an infield single, and Jay Alexander (Simsbury, CT) never stopped running from second, beating the throw home to give his team the early 1-0 lead.
Kevin Rivers evened the score in the second when he launched his sixth home run of the season over the right-center field wall. The Ravens then loaded the bases with nobody out after three straight singles but Loh escaped any damage getting two ground outs and a strike out to erase the threat.
Bryant came right back scoring a run without a hit as Nick Campbell (Raynham, Mass.) popped a ball to short right field that was dropped by Jake Christman, enabling Dave Muscatello (Hopkinton, Mass.), who also reached on an error, to score.
The Ravens came back with two of their own in the third as Loh surrendered two unearned runs with two outs on a fielding error.
Campbell's hustle in the sixth resulted in Bryant tying the game, as Jeff Vigurs (South Windsor, CT) blooped a double into right-center that fell right past the outstretched glove of Vinny Pannell. Campbell never stopped running on the play and scored from first to tie the game at three.
Tom Cote (7-1) picked up the win for the Ravens. He went eight innings, giving up just three hits, and one earned run, while throwing 102 pitches. Loh was the hard-luck loser for the Bulldogs.
Tyler Bishop notched the save in the ninth, retiring the Bulldog in order to end the game.
Bryant slips to 32-22 after dropping both championship games to the Ravens. They will await tonight's announcement at 8 p.m. on ncaasports.com to see if they were selected to the Division II NCAA Tournament as at-large team.
Linescore: Franklin Pierce 4, Bryant University 3 (May 13, 2007 at Lowell, Mass.) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Bryant University... 101 001 000 - 3 3 1 (32-22) Franklin Pierce..... 012 000 10X - 4 12 2 (45-9) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Pitchers: Bryant University - Loh; Cowan(7). Franklin Pierce - Cote; Bishop(9). Win-Cote(7-1) Save-Bishop(9) Loss-Loh(7-3) T-2:18; HR FPC - Rivers.
2007 Northeast-10
Tournament
Wednesday May 9 - Single Elimination
Game 1: #6 SCSU 2 at #3 Bryant 4 3:30 pm
Game 2: #5 Bentley 2 at #4 Pace 5 3 pm
Friday May 11 - Double Elimination at Lowell
Game 3: #3 Bryant 5 vs. #2 Lowell 4 (14
innings)
Game 4: #4 Pace 6 vs #1 Franklin Pierce 7
Saturday May 12 at Lowell
Game 5: #2 Lowell 0 vs. #4 Pace 4 (UMass Lowell eliminated)
Game 6:#3 Bryant 7 vs. #1 Franklin Pierce 4
Game 7: #4 Pace 1 vs. #1 Franklin Pierce 5 (Pace Eliminated)
Sunday May 13 at Lowell
Game 8: #3 Bryant 2 vs #1 Franklin Pierce
4
Game 9: #3 Bryant 3 vs. #1 Franklin Pierce
4 (Bryant Eliminated) FPC wins NE-10 Tournament