STANDISH, ME – Saint Joseph's (30-4, 13-1 GNAC) and Johnson & Wales University (23-15, 11-3 GNAC) split a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) doubleheader at Larry Mahaney Diamond on Friday afternoon. The Monks blanked the Wildcats 8-0 in the opener and the visitors came from behind to win the nightcap, 7-5.
GAME ONE
Junior starting pitcher Chad Rafferty (Keene, N.H.) tossed a complete-game shutout in the opener, scattering six hits with two walks and nine strikeouts to improve to 7-0 on the year. The Monks produced more than enough offense with four runs in the second and went on to double their cushion with another four-spot in the fourth to account for the 8-0 final.
Sophomore third baseman Lincoln Sanborn (Standish, Maine) started the scoring in the second, plating Nic Lops (South Portland, Maine/Cheverus) with single to left, and went on to touch the plate on a Brandon Chase (Naples, Maine) base hit to make it a 2-0 game. Senior shortstop Dan Achorn (Bow, N.H.) drove in Chase and Sam Butts (Saco, Maine), who reached with a walk, with a triple to right field to extend his team's lead to 4-0 through two complete frames.
Achorn sparked the Monks again in the fourth when the hosts scored four runs off five hits and a JWU miscue, all with two out. With Achorn on second, catcher Joe Coyne (Duxbury, Mass.) just missed his first career home run, doubling high off the left field wall to send the senior sprinting home. Junior first baseman Mike Pratt (Dartmouth, Mass.) traded places with Coyne with a two-bagger of his own and went on to score on an Alex Lorenc (Nanuet, N.Y.) base hit. Lorenc would score when the next batter, Lops, singled through the left side and the ball was bobbled by JWU shortstop Alex Pezzuto (Hastings, N.Y.), making it an 8-0 game in favor of the hosts.
For the Monks, Achorn was 2-3 with a run, a double, a triple, and two RBI, Lorenc went 2-4 with a run and an RBI, and Lops added two hits in three trips with a run scored.
For the Wildcats, junior first baseman Brian Olofson (Highlands, N.J.) and junior designated hitter Pete Rosa (Ambler, Pa.) both went 2-3 in a losing effort. Starting pitcher Aldo Morales (Miami, Fla.) falls to 3-6 on the year after allowing eight runs (seven earned) off 10 hits and three walks in 3.2 innings. Freshman pitcher John Burns (Hillsdale, N.J.) was effective, allowing just one baserunner – via base on balls – in 2.1 innings of relief duty.
GAME TWO
The nightcap game stood at a 1-1 tie through three innings as Lops worked a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the first for the Monks and Wildcats junior right fielder James Reyes (Providence, R.I.) plated Joe Coppola (Ridgewood, N.J.) with a single in the top of the third.
St. Joe's took the lead in the bottom of the fourth when sophomore left fielder Alex Markakis (Lynnfield, Mass.) singled, moved to second on a Sanborn sac bunt, and scored on a Chase single through the right side.
The Monks seemed to have the game under control after scoring three runs off three hits and a JWU error in the bottom of the fifth. Pratt led off the frame by belting his team-leading fifth home run deep beyond the left field wall and Lorenc, who singled and stole second base, crossed the plate on a Markakis two-bagger to lift the Royal Blue to a 4-1 advantage. Butts went on to plate Markakis with a fielder's choice, providing the hosts with a four-run cushion through five.
The sweep was not in the cards for the Monks however, as the Wildcats put up six runs off seven hits and an SJC error – all with two outs - in the top of the seventh to steal the nightcap victory. Andrew Devereaux (Hope Valley, R.I.) replaced St. Joe's starter Joe Gruntkosky (Peabody, Mass.) to start the inning and worked two quick outs, but was in trouble after the next two hitters – Pezzuto and Jack Hocking (Hanover, Mass.) – reached with base hits. Senior reliever Kyle Neagle (Lisbon Falls, Maine) took over on the hill for Devereaux but fared no better, as the first batter he faced – Olofson – plated both of the aforementioned runners with a double to right-center.
After the next batter – Rosa – was plunked with an errant fastball, Neagle was lifted in favor of freshman Alex Valenti (Lawrence, Mass.), who gave up a three-run homer to sophomore Jake Dickerson (Garnet Valley, Pa.), allowing the visitors to gain their first lead of the day, 6-5. Pinch-hitter Tyler Pacheco (East Hampstead, N.H.) singled up the middle and scored two batters later when Matt Newsome (Providence, R.I.) singled through the left side, giving the Wildcats a two-run cushion heading into the bottom of the seventh.
For the Monks, Pratt went 2-4 with a solo home run, Markakis was 2-4 with two runs, a double and an RBI, and Chase went 2-3 with a double and an RBI. Gruntkosky allowed one run off six hits and three walks while fanning four but did not factor in the decision. Valenti falls to 1-2 on the year after giving up two runs (one earned) off four hits without recording an out and freshman lefty Steve Carlberg (Dover, N.H.) stopped the bleeding in the seventh by striking out the only batter he faced.
For the Wildcats, Pezzuto was 3-4 with a run, Dickerson went 2-4 with a run, a double, a homer, and three RBI, Newsome added two hits and an RBI in four trips, and Hocking was 2-4 with a run scored. JWU starter Shawn Haugh (Tampa, Fla.) improves to 6-0 on the season despite giving up five runs off nine hits and four walks with five K's in six innings. DePalma, who allowed one hit and fanned one in the seventh, picked up his sixth save of the season.
With the split Saint Joseph's is now 11-6 in the history of the series with Johnson & Wales University. The game-one victory provided the Monks with the team's 10th 30-win season in program history and seventh in the last eight seasons.
Saint Joseph's will host Daniel Webster College in a non-conference contest at 12:00 PM on Saturday. Johnson & Wales hosts Lasell College on Saturday in a GNAC twinbill slated to begin at 12:00 PM.
