HARWICH, MA – Sixth-seeded Saint Joseph's (31-13, 12-2 GNAC) defeated #3 Wheaton College (29-11, 13-5 NEWMAC), 4-2, in Game 3 of the 2011 NCAA DIII Baseball New England Regional Tournament at Whitehouse Field on Wednesday evening. Starting pitcher Chad Rafferty '13 (Keene, NH), now 6-1 on the season, fanned 11 batters and scattered eight hits in 8.1 innings to earn the victory on the mound.
With the game tied at two-apiece and two out in the top of the sixth, junior shortstop Dan Achorn (Bow, NH) delivered the game-winning hit, an RBI double to left center to send third baseman Alex Markakis '14 (Lynnfield, MA) scampering home. The Monks pushed across an insurance run in the top of the ninth when senior catcher Ian Lee (Hampden, ME) plated classmate Chris Campbell (Rochester, NH), who led off the frame with a base hit, with a single to left field.
For the Monks, Campbell went 3-4 with two runs while Lee, Achorn, and sophomore first baseman Mike Pratt (Dartmouth, MA), who drove in the Monks' first two runs, recorded two hits apiece. Freshman reliever Joe Gruntkosky (Peabody, MA) recorded the final two outs of the game to notch his third save of the season.
Third baseman Dan Haugh '12 (Andover, MA) and shortstop Eric Jensen '13 (Gorham, NH) both went 2-5 for the Lyons in a losing effort. Starting pitcher Frank Holbrook '13 (Middletown, RI), now 7-1, suffered his first loss of the 2011 campaign after allowing three runs (two earned) off five hits and two walks in six innings.
Relievers Kevin Calabro '11 (Andover, MA) and David Longley '12 (Brunswick, ME) both tossed scoreless innings and Wheaton closer Ryan Grant '14 (Easton, MA) allowed a run off two hits and two walks in the ninth inning.
The Monks struck first with a run in the top of the opening frame, as Campbell led off the game with an infield hit, moved up a bag on a Sam Butts '13 (Saco, ME) sac bunt, and scored when Pratt singled to right field.
The Lyons answered with a pair of runs in the home half the first inning when Haugh doubled in first baseman Eric Laliberte '11 (Nashua, NH) and Jensen scored on a Sean Munley '11 (Ewing, NH) sacrifice fly to center. As it played out, the #3 seed would not cross the plate for the remainder of the contest.
Wheaton's one-run lead lasted until the top of the third when center fielder Nate Martin '13 (Chebeague Island, ME) led off with a walk and scored on another Pratt single to tie the game, 2-2.
The Lyons stranded 11 runners on base and went just 1-8 with runners in scoring position. Wheaton had golden opportunities with the bases loaded in the fourth and fifth, but Rafferty shut the door on both occasions. In addition, Munley was cut down between third and home on a failed suicide squeeze attempt in the eighth inning.
The Monks' hitters went 4-12 with runners in scoring position and all four of the SJC runs were scored with two out. The Lyons struck out a season-high 12 times in the loss and have now scored two runs or less just four times this spring.
The Monks lost to the Lyons by a 6-1 margin in the opening week of the season, but have now topped the perennial New England contender in consecutive NCAA Tournament contests. St. Joe's eliminated Wheaton with a 9-7 triumph in the 2010 New England Regional held at Eastern Connecticut State University.
Saint Joseph's, the #8 team in the latest New England Intercollegiate Baseball Association (NEIBA) poll, advances to the winners' bracket and will play the #7 Husson/#2 Western New England victor tomorrow evening at 8:00 PM. Wheaton, ranked 19th in the latest D3baseball.com national poll and first in the NEIBA poll, will face the Husson/WNEC loser tomorrow at 1:00 PM.
