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Franz paces offense, Grady earns 1st win as Saints rout Plattsburgh 15-4

Posted 4/18/13

Senior center fielder Carter Franz went four for five with two doubles, a triple and a home run as part of a 17-hit St. Lawrence University offensive outburst and freshman Frank Grady earned his …

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Franz paces offense, Grady earns 1st win as Saints rout Plattsburgh 15-4

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Senior center fielder Carter Franz went four for five with two doubles, a triple and a home run as part of a 17-hit St. Lawrence University offensive outburst and freshman Frank Grady earned his first collegiate pitching victory as the Saints routed Plattsburgh State 15-4 at Tom Fay Field Wednesday afternoon improving to 13-8 on the season.

Franz and shortstop Chris Fernandez drove in three runs each and outfielder Brian Magoveny hit a two run homer run as the Saints scored nine runs against two different Plattsburgh pitchers in the first two innings and were never threatened. Grady pitched four scoreless innings before giving up two runs in the top of the fifth. He worked out of that inning without further damage and relievers Michael Dell'Olio, Eric McGuire and Andrew Weitzel kept the Saints in front the rest of the way.

The Saints jumped on Plattsburgh starter Colin Crawford in the bottom of the first as Brian Palermo and Magoveny had back to back singles and Franz doubled to right center, scoring Palermo. Back-to-back sacrifice flies by Khifer O'Connor and Jeff Kott plated two more runs and the Saints made it 4-0 when Kevin Prindle singled and scored on Paul Piatelli's double.

It went to 9-0 in the bottom of the second as Palermo was hit by a pitch with one out and Magovney hit a towering homer over the left field fence. Franz then tripled to right center and scored on a passed ball, O'Connor walked, moved to third on Kott's single and scored on Prindle's double and Kott came around to score when Fernandez singled up the middle.

SLU picked up two more runs off Shunsuke Sigimoto in the bottom of the fourth when Kott doubled, Piatelli walked and after a wild pitch, Fernandez delivered a two-run single to center.

Plattsburgh, now 9-17, finally broke the scoring ice against Grady, who walked none and struck out one, scoring two runs on doubled by J.D. Springer and Shane Houppert and a single by Brian Latulipe.

The Saints got one run back in the bottom of the fifth as Franz doubled, moved to third on a double play ball and scored when Mark Syron singled to right. Plattsburgh scored a run in the top of the seventh off Dell'Olio as Springer singled and Houppert doubled him home and the Cardinals made it 12-4 in the top of the eighth as Ben Weightman hit a two-out run-scoring double against McGuire. Weitzel came on to get the final out and shut Plattsburgh down the rest of the way.

The Saints tacked on three more runs, all unearned, in the bottom of the eighth. Palermo singled with two out, went to second on a wild pitch and reached when Chris Conlon reached on an error. Franz then lined a two-run homer over the right field fence, his fourth of the season.

SLU will return to Liberty League play Saturday and Sunday with doubleheaders at Rensselaer.