Harwich, Mass. - The Saint Joseph's College (30-12) baseball squad ended their run in the NCAA New England Regional with a 12-7 loss to #3 seed Williams College (26-9) in the elimination game at Whitehouse Field today. The Monks mounted a fierce four-run rally in the seventh, but couldn't overcome the deficit.
The Ephs took advantage of back-to-back 2-out doubles down the right field line by Paul Morgan and Sean Gleason to plate two runs in the top of the first.
The Monks (30-12) got one back in the bottom of the frame as SR Keil Martin (Saco, ME) reached on an error by SS Paul Morgan and went to third on a single by SR Luke Enman (Milan, NH). JR Dustin Spiller (Gorham, ME) scored Martin with a sacrifice fly to left and St. Joe's made it 2-1.
The Williams' offense kept working in the second with two hits and a bunt by Ryan Fote to load the bases. James DiCosmo hit an RBI-single to add a run and Morgan ripped a 2-RBI single to put the Ephs up 5-1. The Monks made a pitching change for SR Ben Cutter (Westbrook, ME) and FR Mike Burdin (Gardiner, ME) took the mound with runners on first and third and closed out the inning.
The SJC bats responded in the bottom of the second with singles by FR Ben Grant-Roy (Biddeford, ME) and JR Andrew Wood (South Portland, ME), but SR Chris Doughty (Windham, ME) hit into a double play. With Grant-Roy on third, St. Joe's plated a run on a wild pitch followed by a walk by JR Brian Schools (Gorham, ME). Schools moved to third on a hit by SO Wade Oliver (Owls Head, ME) and Martin drew a walk to load the bases with two outs, but Enman grounded out to second base.
Burdin looked strong in the third, facing three batters and allowing no hits. Spiller looped a single to right-center to begin the bottom of the stanza but was caught stealing. Clapp singled and went to third on a double by Grant-Roy. Wood reached on a fielder's choice and Doughty struck out to end the inning.
Williams extended the lead with 3 runs in the fifth to go up 8-2 and the Monks sent SO Andrew Pooler (Somesville, ME) to the mound with one out and runners on second and third. Pooler fielded a hard bouncing shot by DiCosmo to get the second out of the inning and Chris Kenny grounded out to Enman for the third out.
Spiller crushed a solo home run over the fence in right center field in the bottom of the fifth as the Monks worked to chip away at the 8-3 lead. With two outs, Wood drilled a shot to right center but the rally came up short after a fly out to center.
The Ephs added two runs on two hits and two errors in the seventh to make it 10-3. St. Joe's rallied in the bottom of the frame, loading the bases with two hits and walk and scoring two runs off a double by Doughty to close the gap to 10-5 and force a Williams pitching change. FR Ricky Sarmento (Lowell, MA) drew a walk to load the bases and Oliver hit a sacrifice fly to add a run and the Monks scored again after a failed pick-off attempt at first made it 10-7.
FR Andrew Keirstead (Westbrook, ME) took the mound for St. Joe's in the eighth and Doughty went to right field and made a spectacular catch to begin the inning. After a fly out to center, Keirstead surrendered a double down the left field line to Brown but got the third out on a pop-up to short.
Williams began the ninth with a pair of singles and the Monks intentionally walked Kenny to load the bases but the strategy did not pay off as Morgan hit a 2-RBI single to left to put the Ephs up 12-7. St. Joe's failed to get on base in the ninth and Williams advances to face the loser of the 1:00 p.m. Western New England College/Eastern Connecticut game tonight at 8:00 p.m.