Providence, R.I. – The Johnson & Wales University baseball squad split a pair of decisions against Saint Joseph's College in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference double header at the Wildcat Athletic Complex on Saturday afternoon.  The games were the first to be played on campus in school history.  Saint Joseph's posted a 5-2 win in the opener before JWU rallied for a 6-5 extra-innings victory in the nightcap.

In the opener, Saint Joseph's got on the board first on an RBI single by freshman Taylor Reuillard (Biddeford, Maine).  The Monks extended their lead to 2-0 in the top of the sixth after a run scoring single by junior Alex Markakis (Lynnfield, Mass.).  JWU cut the lead to 2-1 in the bottom of the sixth on an RBI groundout by junior Jack Hocking (Hanover, Mass.). 

In the top of the seventh, Saint Joseph's pushed across three unearned runs for the 5-2 lead.  JWU used an unearned run of their own in the bottom of the frame, but it wouldn't be enough as the visiting Monks took the 5-2 victory.  Junior Alex Lorenc (Nanuet, N.Y.) went 3-for-4 with one run and one RBI in the win while senior Chad Rafferty (Keene, N.H.) notched the complete-game win, allowing two runs on five hits with six strikeouts.

JWU took the 1-0 advantage in the bottom of the first in the nightcap after an RBI groundout by Boyes.  The Monks took the 3-1 lead in the top of the fifth after a two-run double by senior Mike Pratt (Dartmouth, Mass.). The Wildcats responded in the bottom of the frame when a run scoring grounder by Newell made the score 3-2.  St. Joe's again capitalized on a JWU error in the top of the sixth and extended the lead to 5-2 after a two run single by junior Sam Butts (Saco, Maine). 

Down to their last three outs, JWU rallied in the bottom of the seventh when junior Jake Dickerson (Garnet Valley, Pa.) led off with a double and came around to score on a groundout by Newell.  Sophomore Rob Bocchetti (East Meadow, N.Y.) singled and scored on a single by Boyes.  Reyes, who had earlier reached in a single scored on an SJC error to knot the game at 5-5 and send it into extra innings.

In the bottom of the ninth, Reyes reached on a fielder's choice and scored the game-winning run after a walk off sacrifice fly by Boyes to take the 6-5 victory.  Boyes drove in three of the runs in the victory for JWU while junior Tim Ashworth (West Chesterfield, N.H.) notched the win for the Wildcats, throwing two perfect innings of relief.

With the split JWU is now 24-12 on the season and 11-3 in the GNAC while Saint Joseph's is now 23-10 for the year and 11-3 in league play. Both teams return to conference action on Sunday, when the Monks play at Rivier University in a twinbill starting at 1:05 PM and the Wildcats host Suffolk University in a two-game set slated to begin at 12:00 PM.

COURTESY OF JOHNSON & WALES UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Saint Joseph's College is Maine's only Catholic liberal arts college, providing a supportive, personalized and career-focused education for more than 100 years. From its 350-acre campus on the shores of Sebago Lake, the College offers more than 40 undergraduate programs to a population of approximately 1,000 students. Saint Joseph's College Online provides certificates, undergraduate and advanced degrees for working adults through an online learning program. For more, visit www.sjcme.edu.