VENICE, FL - The St. Joe's baseball team opened up their spring
trip with a doubleheader against NEWMAC opponent Worcester
Polytechnic Institute and lost the opener, 3-0, despite a solid
pitching performance from starter SO Pat
Moran (Winterport, ME). The Monks used a team
effort to defeat the Engineers in the second game, 10-7.
Moran went 3-3 with 2 RBI and SO Ben
Grant-Roy (Biddeford, ME) knocked in 3 runs and had two
hits in the win. SO Andy Pooler
(Somesville, ME) registered the win in relief. The doubleheader was
the season's first games for both New England Region teams.
In the opening game, the Monks' Moran and
Engineers junior righty Conor Fahey (Cumberland, RI) locked heads
in a classic pitcher's duel. It appeared that Fahey would roll
through the St. Joe's lineup, as struck out 3 SJC batters in the
first two innings. Although the Monks batsmen made adjustments to
counteract the whiffs, the Royal Blue was unable to plate a run in
the game. St. Joe's had two runners on base in the 4th, 6th and 7th
innings. Fahey threw a complete game shutout and scattered 3 hits
with 5 strikeouts and 5 walks in the game. Moran
also went the distance and allowed 4 hits, 2 earned runs, struck
out 3 and walked one. WPI scored an unearned run in the 3rd inning
and padded their lead with 2 runs in the 6th inning. SO Mark Dignum
(Albany, NY) hit a double to knock in teammate JR Ethan Brown
(Lunenberg, MA), who had earlier singled. Dignum later scored on a
Moran wild pitch to make the score 3-0.
JR Wade Oliver (Owls Head, ME), SR Brian
Schools (Gorham, ME) and SR Luke Enman
(Milan, NH) each had singles to account for the three SJC hits.
Enman also tallied two walks in the game. Monks FY
catcher Ian Lee (Hampden, ME) played an
outstanding game behind the plate, throwing out two would-be
Engineers basestealers.
The Monks were down 3-0 after WPI sent eight hitters to the plate
in the first inning. JR Scott McKnee (Falmouth, MA) hit a triple
over the head of centerfielder Wade
Oliver to send two Engineers home and SO Cody
McGregor (Westfield, MA) later doubled to send McKnee across the
plate to help stake the early lead. SO lefthanded starting pitcher
Kyle Dorr (Berwick, ME) settled down and posted
goose eggs in each of the next three innings to give the Royal Blue
an opportunity to mount a comeback bid.
The Monks scored runs in both the first and second innings to
lessen the WPI lead to 3-2 heading into the bottom of the fourth
inning before the SJC bats came alive. The Monks offense posted 5
runs on 4 hits in the inning with the big hit coming by way of a
double off the bat of first basemen Ben Grant-Roy
that plated two runs. Pat Moran singled home a run
and SO catcher Travis Adams (Saco, ME) also hit a
double and knocked in a run during the inning which saw the Monks
take a 7-3 lead.
St. Joe's added a run in the 5th inning when Wade
Oliver blasted a double down the left field line that
brought home teammate FY John Swasey (South
Berwick, ME) and went on to add two more runs in the 6th inning off
a Grant-Roy triple and an Adams
sacrifice fly. The Monks held a 10-5 lead going into the seventh
inning before the Engineers' Scott McKnee cranked a two-run home
run over the leftfield fence off SJC closer Brian
Schools to bring his team back within striking distance.
Schools settled in, however, and would not allow
another WPI baserunner to complete the game and provide the Monks
with a victory for the split.
For the Monks in the second game, Pat Moran was
3-3 with 2 runs and 2 RBI; Ben Grant-Roy 2-4 with
2 runs, 3 RBI, a double and a triple; Travis Adams
2-3 with a double and 2 RBI and SO Ricky Sarmento
was 2-2 with a double in the win. FY Eric LaBatte
(Rochester, NH) posted his first career collegiate hit with a
single in the 5th inning as a pinch hitter.
For the Engineers, Scott McKnee was 2-4 with 4 RBI and Cody
McGregor went 2-3 in the loss.
The 1-1 Monks will continue on their southern swing with a single
game against NEWMAC opponent Clark University on Tuesday, 3/3 at
10:00 AM. The game is a nine inning contest.