STANDISH, ME – Saint Joseph's (21-3, 6-0 GNAC) fell to Bowdoin College (14-8, 2-1 NESCAC), 9-4, in a non-conference baseball contest at Larry Mahaney Diamond on Monday afternoon. Sophomore right fielder Alex Lorenc (Nanuet, N.Y.) went 2-4 with a run scored in the losing effort.
The Polar Bears used the long ball to plate three runs in the top of the second as junior first baseman Luke Regan (West Roxbury, Mass.) belted a solo shot and freshman third baseman Sam Canales (Saco, Maine) tacked on a two-run blast to put the Monks on their heels early.
St. Joe's went in the hole further when Bowdoin added a run on a Dan Findley (Duxbury, Mass.) single in the top of the third. The Monks managed to tie the contest with four runs off four hits in the bottom of the third, as Brandon Chase (Naples, Maine) put the hosts on the board with a triple to deep center, scoring Sam Butts (Saco, Maine), who reached with a single. Junior first baseman Mike Pratt (Dartmouth, Mass.) plated Butts with a deep sac fly to left two batters later and freshman catcher Nic Lops (South Portland, Maine/Cheverus) drove in classmate Joe Coyne (Duxbury, Mass.), who was hit by a pitch, with a single to right-center, cutting his team's deficit down to 4-3. St. Joe's would knot the game when Lorenc scored on a well-executed first and third steal play.
The SJC rally effort did not faze the visitors however, as the Polar Bears quickly regained the lead with two runs in their next turn at the bat. With two out Aaron Rosen (Morganville, N.J.) reached on an infield single and Kyle LeBlanc (Newburyport, Mass.) was plunked by an errant Joe Gruntkosky (Peabody, Mass.) fastball. Junior left fielder Tim McGarry (Kennett Square, Pa.) plated both runners with a seeing-eye pop-up that fell for a double between three St. Joe's players in left, lifting his team to a 6-4 cushion.
The Monks' bats fell silent for the remainder of the game as the hosts produced only six baserunners – four walks and two hits - in their final six turns at the plate, a span during which the Royal Blue saw just one runner reach second base.
In the meantime, Bowdoin added two runs in the sixth and another in the ninth to account for the 9-4 final. In the sixth, LeBlanc grounded into a double play with bases loaded, scoring a run, and McGarry produced an RBI single up the middle to lift the visitors to an 8-4 lead. The final run of the game was scored when SJC reliever Andrew Devereaux (Hope Valley, R.I.) balked with McGarry, who stole second and third after reaching with a single, in the top of the ninth inning.
Gruntkosky was hit with his first loss of the year after surrendering eight runs (seven earned) off 10 hits and two walks while fanning six in seven innings. Devereaux was effective in 1.2 innings of relief, scattering four hits and allowing one run, and junior Jimmy Kennedy (York, Maine) fanned the only batter he faced in the top of the ninth.
Bowdoin freshman starter Erik Jacobsen (Milton, Mass.) picked up his first collegiate victory after yielding four runs off six hits and two walks with a pair of K's in five frames. Reliever Jay Loughlin (Rockland, Mass.) tossed four scoreless frames, allowing two hits and two walks with three strikeouts, to earn his second save of the season.
For the Monks, Butts was 2-5 with a run scored, Chase went 2-5 with a run, a triple and an RBI, and Lops added two hits in three trips with an RBI.
For the Polar Bears, Canales went 3-4 with two runs, a home run, and two RBI, McGarry was 3-5 with a run, a double and three RBI, and Regan went 2-5 with a double and a solo homer. Findley and Jordan Edgett (Lynn, Mass.) both produced a pair of hits in the Bowdoin victory.
With the loss Saint Joseph's falls to 22-20-3 in the history of the series with Bowdoin College. Prior to this afternoon the Monks had defeated the Polar Bears in six of the last seven meetings dating back to the 2006 campaign. The loss also brings an end to the Monks' 10-game winning streak.
Saint Joseph's will play at Lasell College on Tuesday in a GNAC twinbill slated to start at 3:00 PM. Bowdoin returns to action this weekend with a three-game NESCAC East Division series at Trinity College.
Saint Joseph's College, founded in 1912 by the Sisters of Mercy, celebrates its Centennial year in 2012 with a theme of "Realize the Promise" – honoring our commitment to educating well-rounded graduates who combine career focus with classic liberal arts studies. A Private, Catholic, primarily residential, coeducational liberal arts institution, Saint Joseph's welcomes students of all ages and all faiths. The campus, located 18 miles northwest of Portland and just two hours from Boston, encompasses 350 acres along the shore of beautiful Sebago Lake in Standish, Maine. Enrollment ranges between 1,000 and 1,100 students annually. Saint Joseph's offers challenging academic programs in the liberal arts and sciences, education, nursing and business fields in a value-centered environment.
