STANDISH, ME – Saint Joseph's College (13-6, 4-0 GNAC) defeated Colby College (10-4, 2-1 NESCAC), 4-2, in non-conference baseball action at Larry Mahaney Diamond on Monday afternoon. Both regionally ranked, the Monks and Mules are listed in a tie for eighth in the most recent New England Intercollegiate Baseball Association (NEIBA) Weekly Poll.

Saint Joseph's sophomore relief pitcher Corey McNamara (West Newbury, Mass.) made his first collegiate start on the mound and was dominant in the victory, allowing two runs off nine hits with seven strikeouts while throwing 82 strikes and 107 total pitches in seven innings.

Colby hurlers David Stanton (Natick, Mass.) and James Connelly (North Attleboro, Mass.) split the game and combined to allow four runs off 12 hits with seven strikeouts over eight innings. Stanton took the loss after surrendering three runs off eight hits with a pair of K's in four frames of work.

The in-state rivals traded runs early, with the Mules striking first on a Tim Corey (Framingham, Mass.) RBI single in the top of the first. The Monks responded in the bottom of the second when senior third baseman Alex Markakis (Lynnfield, Mass.) dropped a double down the right field line, plating junior catcher Joe Coyne (Duxbury, Mass.), who reached earlier with a single up the middle, and tying the game, 1-1.

Colby regained the lead in the top of the third when Corey singled through the right side to send senior third baseman Kevin Galvin (Portsmouth, R.I.), who reached via base hit two batters earlier, trotting home from third.

Saint Joseph's proceeded to claim the lead for good with two runs off three hits in the bottom of the third. With runners on the corners, junior first baseman Nic Lops (South Portland, Maine/Cheverus) strode to the plate and drove a double off the base of the left field wall, sending senior center fielder Louie Vigars (Stratham, N.H.) home from third. Up next was junior catcher Joe Coyne (Duxbury, Mass.), who drove in Alex Lorenc (Nanuet, N.Y.) with a single through the right side, lifting the hosts to a 3-2 edge through three frames.

Lorenc tacked on an insurance run in the bottom of the fifth when he singled up the middle, stole second, moved to third on a Lops base hit, and scored on a wild pitch to account for the 4-2 final.

The Mules nearly spoiled the Monks' bid at their fifth-consecutive victory with a rally attempt in the top of the eighth. Facing a fresh arm in sophomore slinger Riley Cox (Westford, Mass.), Colby had runners on first and third with nobody out after Soren Hanson (Billerica, Mass.) singled and Tommy Forese (New Canaan, Conn.) reached on an infield error. Cox, a submarine style pitcher, worked out of the jam by inducing a shallow fly-out to center and an inning-ending double play off the bat of sophomore second baseman Benjamin Crocker (Hallowell, Maine).

For the Monks, sophomore second baseman Zack Graham (Marlborough, Mass.) was 3-3, Coyne went 2-4 with a run, an RBI and a stolen base, Lops was 2-4 with a double and an RBI and McCoomb added a pair of singles in three at bats. Cox picked up his first career save after allowing a pair of hits in two innings of relief.

For the Mules, Corey went 3-4 with a pair of RBI while freshman center fielder Ryder Arsenault (New Hampton, N.H.) and junior left fielder Jason Buco (Methuen, Mass.) added two hits apiece in the losing effort.

With the victory, Saint Joseph's improves to 19-12 in the history of the series with Colby College and has defeated the Mules in three-consecutive meetings. St. Joe's has won 11 of the last 12 games versus Colby, a stretch that began during the 2003 campaign.

The Monks return to action tomorrow with a home contest against University of Southern Maine at 4:00 PM. Colby is slated to host USM at 4:00 PM on Wednesday.

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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.