MALDEN, MA – Saint Joseph’s improved to 19-9 overall and 7-3 in conference play with a pair of lopsided victories over GNAC opponent Emerson College (11-11, 5-5 GNAC) on Sunday evening. Junior outfielder Todd Keneborus (Hollis Center, ME/Cheverus) was red hot with the bat, having gone 7-9 with four runs, 10 RBI, three doubles, two triples and a home run in the conference twinbill.
The Monks slammed four home runs in the first game, a 16-2 win over the Lions, and added a pair of long balls in the closing contest, which was a 12-1 triumph for the Royal Blue.
Keneborus, Travis Adams '10 (Saco, ME), Mike Burdin '10 (Gardiner, ME) and Craig Woodbrey '10 (Gorham, ME) left the yard in the opener, while Pat Moran '10 (Winterport, ME) and Ben Grant-Roy '10 (Biddeford, ME) went deep in the nightcap.
Lions pitcher and leadoff hitter Peter Karl ’10 (Wallingford, CT) provided his team with a short-lived lead, as the senior captain turned on Moran’s first offering and sent it over the left field fence to put Emerson up 1-0 early in the opener.
Karl managed to keep the Monks off the board for the first two frames, but Saint Joseph’s scored ten runs off nine hits and four taters in the top of the third to chase the starter and gain a commanding lead. Keneborus, Adams, Woodbrey and Burdin all hit long balls during the inning.
With the big lead in tow, Moran was on cruise control, allowing three hits over his final four innings and left the game after six frames with six strikeouts and five hits allowed. Jimmy Kennedy ’13 (York, ME) took over for Moran in the seventh and surrendered back to back doubles before sitting down three straight with strikeouts.
Chris Campbell ’11 (Rochester, NH) was 2-3 with two runs and his first career triple, Burdin went 2-4 with three runs and three RBI, Keneborus drove home seven and was 4-5 with two runs, two triples and a jack and Grant-Roy went 2-5 with an RBI in the opener. Adams scored twice and plated a pair and Mike Pratt ’13 (Dartmouth, MA) chipped in with two runs scored in the blowout.
Moran earned the victory in the opener to improve to 4-1 on the year, while Karl fell to 3-2 after allowing 10 earned runs and 10 hits with a walk in 2.2 innings.
St. Joe’s featured a new look in the nightcap, with four new starters in the lineup, but the result was similar, as the Monks showed their depth by scoring 12 runs off 10 hits to complete the sweep.
Saint Joseph’s struck first with three runs in the first inning, as Keneborus plated two with a triple to right and scored when the next hitter, Grant-Roy, hit a sac fly to center field.
The Monks doubled their cushion with three runs in the fourth, as Sam Butts ’13 (Saco, ME), Burdin and Adams notched an RBI apiece to help the Royal Blue post a 6-0 lead. The Lions managed to score a run in the bottom of the fourth after an infield error to make it a 6-1 game.
St. Joe’s put any thought of a Lions’ comeback to rest with six runs in the top of the fifth. Burdin and Keneborus drove home runs before Grant-Roy and Moran sent back-to-back home runs sailing out of the park and Nick Saunders ’13 (Brooksville, ME) sent Jon Dahms ’12 (Gorham, ME), who reached with a double, with a two-bagger of his own to cap the game scoring.
Sam Murray ’12 (Walpole, MA) posted one of his finest games to date, yielding just four hits with six K’s in six innings, and is now 3-1 during his sophomore season. Emerson starter Zak Levine ’12 (Beverly, MA) was hit with the loss, and falls to 3-4 on the season, after surrendering six earned runs, eight walks and three hits in 3.2 innings.
Burdin was 2-2 with three runs, two RBI and a double, Keneborus went 3-4 with two runs, three RBI, two doubles and a triple, Grant-Roy plated three runs, and Woodbrey scored twice in the closing contest.
Karl went 2-4 with a double for the Lions and Geoff Lopes ’12 (Falmouth, MA) added a two-base hit in the losing effort.
St. Joe’s will host Thomas College in a non-conference doubleheader on Tuesday at 4:00 PM. Emerson will play at Massachusetts Maritime Academy on Tuesday at 3:00 PM.