STANDISH, ME – Saint Joseph's College (10-6, 2-0 GNAC) routed Rivier University (0-16, 0-4 GNAC) in both ends of a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) baseball doubleheader at Larry Mahaney Diamond on Saturday afternoon, winning the opener 13-3 and completing the sweep with a 10-0 triumph in the nightcap. Senior outfielder Alex Lorenc (Nanuet, N.Y.) was 6-8 with five runs, two doubles, a home run and eight RBI in the two victories.
GAME ONE
In the opener, the Monks plated four runs off four hits and three Rivier errors in the first inning, when junior catcher Joe Coyne (Duxbury, Mass.) lofted a two-run homer and Lorenc rapped an RBI single.
The Raiders responded with a run in the second and two in the third to cut the hosts' lead down to 4-3. Sophomore designated hitter Alan Nahigian (Saugus, Mass.) led off the second with a single to right and later scored on a groundout and sophomore second baseman Taylor Black (West Springfield, Mass.) doubled home a run and eventually scored on an error to make it a one-run game.
Saint Joseph's went on to put the game out of reach by scoring three in the fourth, four in the fifth and two in the sixth. In the fourth, senior center fielder Louie Vigars (Stratham, N.H.) tripled home sophomore Tim Beaudette (Uxbridge, Mass.) and trotted home on a single by Lorenc, who scampered home on an infield error to make it a 7-3 game.
Lorenc provided all the offense in the fourth with one swing, as the senior slugger put an exclamation point on a breakout day with a grand slam well beyond the left field wall to put the Monks on top by an 11-3 score. Beaudette and Vigars both reached after being hit by a pitch and freshman shortstop Max McCoomb (South Berwick, Maine) walked in between the plunked batters to load the bases. Rivier Head Coach Anthony Perry then removed freshman Gehrig Deaver (Glenwood, N.J.) in favor of sophomore reliever Spencer Aguiar (Malden, Mass.), whom Lorenc greeted with a four-run jack on the first pitch he saw.
Saint Joseph's capped the contest with two runs in the seventh, as freshman catcher Dan Donovan (Lynn, Mass.) plated Beaudette, who tripled to lead off the inning, with a sac fly to center and freshman Cejay Suarez (Abington, Mass.) singled and scored on a Mike Kinch (Newton, Mass.) base hit to account for the 13-3 final.
A total of 12 hitters recorded at least one hit in the lopsided victory, with Lorenc leading the charge by going 4-4 with three runs, a homer and a career-high six RBI. Senior third baseman Alex Markakis (Lynnfield, Mass.) was 2-3 and Beaudette went 2-3 with three runs, a triple and a stolen base.
Senior pitcher Lincoln Sanborn (Standish, Maine) improved to 2-0 on the season after allowing three runs (two earned) off four hits and three walks with five K's while senior Chris Bryant (Gray, Maine) and freshman Keenen Lowe (Westbrook, Maine) combined to toss a pair of scoreless innings to close out the contest.
Junior southpaw Steve Carlberg (Dover, N.H.), who pitched at Saint Joseph's as a freshman, suffered the loss after yielding seven runs (six earned) off nine hits and a walk with one strikeout in four innings. Aguiar surrendered three runs off three hits, two hit batsmen and a walk without recording an out and Deaver finished the game, giving up three runs on seven hits over two frames.
GAME TWO
In the nightcap, the Monks scored a single run in the bottom of the second, four in the third and five in the sixth en route to claiming another convincing victory.
In the second, sophomore left fielder Taylor Reuillard (Biddeford, Maine) singled, stole second, moved to third when Markakis drew a free pass, and scored on a fielder's choice off the bat of freshman second baseman Taylor Black (Cardiff by the Sea, Calif.) to put the Monks on top, 1-0.
In the third, junior first baseman Nic Lops (South Portland, Maine/Cheverus) drove in a pair with a single up the middle and eventually scored on a double play ball. Markakis plated Coyne, who earlier reached via fielder's choice, to cap the inning with the hosts owning a 5-0 advantage.
Lorenc provided the big hit in the sixth with a two-run double while Vigars and Suarez notched an RBI apiece in the five-run frame, which closed out the game scoring.
Lops spearheaded the game-two offensive effort by going 2-4 with a run, a double and three RBI while Lorenc was 2-4 with two runs, a pair of two-baggers and two RBI in the nightcap. McCoomb went 2-4 with a run and a stolen base and Reuillard added two hits, a run and a stolen base in three at bats in the sweep clincher.
On the mound, senior righthander Joe Gruntkosky (Peabody, Mass.) tossed six dominant innings, scattering three hits with two walks and nine strikeouts to earn his first win of the young season. Freshman Ryan Godin (Norway, Maine) made his first appearance of his NCAA career and tossed a scoreless seventh with one punch-out to complete the contest.
For the Raiders, Drew Neely (Lakeland, Fla.) and Jeremy Ball (Swanzey, N.H.) tallied two hits apiece and starting pitcher Alex Mears (Salem, N.H.), who gave up six runs (five earned) off five hits and four walks in three innings, took the loss. Jon Chotkowski (Tewksbury, Mass.) hurled a perfect inning in relief and Lucas Palma (Bristol, Conn.) surrendered five runs off five hits over two frames of relief.
Saint Joseph's returns to action tomorrow afternoon when the Royal Blue play host to GNAC-rival Norwich University in a twinbill beginning at 12:00 PM. The Monks will be the away team on the scoreboard on Sunday, as the Cadets were originally slated to host the two-game set but were unable to do so as a result of unplayable field conditions.
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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 430-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.
