BOSTON, MA - The Monks earned a pair of conference victories over the Emerson College Lions on Saturday, 9-1 and 7-1. SO pitcher Pat Moran (Winterport, ME) earned the victory in game one after holding the Lions without a hit for the first five innings and SO Mike Burdin (Gardiner, ME) was the winning pitcher in game two. FY Todd Keneborus (Hollis Center, ME) came through in the clutch and was 3-3 with 3 RBI's in the nightcap victory for the Monks.

GAME ONE

SJC senior Dustin Spiller (Gorham, ME) provided the Monks with a first-inning lead when he hit a single that sent home SR Brian Schools (Gorham, ME) and SR Luke Enman (Milan, NH).

St. Joe's added two more runs in the top of the third inning to stake a 4-0 lead. Enman reached on an error by the Emerson second baseman and scored on a ball that was hit by Spiller and misplayed by the Lions' shortstop. Spiller went on to score when Monks catcher FY Ian Lee (Hampden, ME) tripled to deep left field.

Spiller came through for St. Joe's again in the 4th inning with a two-out 2 RBI single that drove home Enman and SO Ben Grant-Roy (Biddeford, ME) and game the Monks a comfortable 6-0 lead. SR Andrew Wood (South Portland, ME) reached on a single and scored on a Schools sac fly earlier in the inning.

SJC pitcher Pat Moran was on cruise control for the first five innings as he allowed just one Lions runner via a walk in the 4th inning. Emerson leadoff hitter SO Peter Karl (Wallingford, CT) broke up the no-hitter bid in the bottom of the 6th with a double and later scored on a groundout to Luke Enman to score his team's only run in the game.

The Monks tacked on two insurance runs in the top of the seventh to put up the final tally, 9-5. FY Eric LaBatte (Rochester, NH) walked to open the inning and was knocked home by a Todd Keneborus triple. FY Ryan Murphy (South Weymouth, MA) followed and registered an RBI with a sac fly to center field.

For the Monks, Dustin Spiller was 2-4 with 4 RBI's, Ben Grant-Roy 2-4 with a run, JR Wade Oliver 2-5 with a double and a triple and Andrew Wood was 2-3 with a run scored. Starting pitcher Pat Moran picked up his first victory in a Monks uniform and worked 6 innings, allowed 2 hits and struck out 8 Emerson batters. FY Bryant Lausberg (Somersworth, NH) threw a scoreless inning in relief.

GAME TWO 

St. Joe's struck first again in game two when Todd Keneborus singled to drive in both Dustin Spiller and Ian Lee in the second inning.

Cleanup hitter Ben Grant-Roy hit his third home run of the year, a solo shot, in the 5th inning to give the Monks a 3-0 lead.

Emerson scored an unearned run off of SJC starting pitcher Mike Burdin in the bottom of the 6th inning to make the score 3-1, Monks. SR Kent Anderson (Kensington, MD) scored the run on a SR Nick Hesketh (South Kingstown, RI) single.

The Monks erupted for 4 runs in the top of the 6th inning cap the game scoring and take a 7-1 lead. Ian Lee started the inning with a base on balls and Todd Keneborus drove him home with a single. Keneborus was sent home with an Andrew Wood single and Wade Oliver followed with his first home run of the season, a two-run blast.

For the Royal Blue, Todd Keneborus was 3-3 with 3 RBI's and a run and Wade Oliver was 2-3 with 2 RBI's, a double and a home run. Starting pitcher Mike Burdin worked 5 2/3 innings for the win, his second of the season. Burdin scattered 8 hits and did not allow an earned run. SR Steve Stout (Gloucester, MA) and Brian Schools both threw in relief to complete the game.

St. Joe's will continue their weekend conference tilt when they play at Daniel Webster College in Nashua, NH on Sunday, April 6th. The first pitch or the two game set is scheduled for 12:00 PM.