STANDISH, ME – Saint Joseph's (15-7, 6-0 GNAC) posted a pair of convincing victories over Albertus Magnus College (10-11, 3-5 GNAC) at Larry Mahaney Diamond on Saturday afternoon. The Monks opened the day with an 11-0 triumph and toppled the Falcons, 12-0, in the closing contest to complete the conference sweep.
In scoring 23 runs, Saint Joseph's rattled off 31 total hits in the two games and the pitching staff was just as impressive, scattering a tally of 11 hits over 14 shutout frames.
GAME ONE – Saint Joseph's 11, Albertus Magnus 0
In the opener, the Monks set the tone for the day by putting up a five spot off five hits and an Albertus error in the bottom of the first. Junior first baseman Nic Lops (South Portland, Maine/Cheverus) delivered an RBI single and freshman designated hitter Dan Donovan (Lynn, Mass.) drove in two with his first collegiate hit – a line drive that deflected off starting pitcher Anthony Pellegrino (Branford, Conn.) – during the five-run frame.
After tacking on a single run in the second the hosts went on to score five additional runs off six hits and an error in the bottom of the third. Freshman shortstop Max McCoomb (South Berwick, Maine) lofted a sac fly, senior right fielder Alex Lorenc (Nanuet, N.Y.) posted an RBI single, and junior catcher Joe Coyne (Duxbury, Mass.) added a run-scoring base hit to close out the third with the Royal Blue owning an 11-0 cushion.
The double-digit advantage proved to be quite excessive for senior starting pitcher Lincoln Sanborn (Standish, Maine), who carried a perfect game into the fourth and faced the minimum heading into the fifth. He finished what he started and allowed four hits and a walk with nine strikeouts while tossing 88 pitches – 63 for strikes – in seven innings.
Four SJC players registered two or more hits, as Coyne was 3-3 with a run and a pair of RBI and senior center fielder Louie Vigars (Stratham, N.H.) went 2-3 with three runs and a triple while Lorenc and Lops both contributed two hits in the triumph.
Pellegrino took the loss after allowing all 11 runs (10 earned) off 11 hits and a pair of free passes in 2.1 innings. Scott Lusita (Bethel, Conn.) and Tom Moore (East Haven, Conn.) combined to toss 3.2 innings of scoreless relief in the setback.
GAME TWO – Saint Joseph's 12, Albertus Magnus 0
St. Joe's used a similar formula – runs in bunches and dominant pitching – in the nightcap, but would not break through until fifth inning as the hosts scored 11 of 12 runs in their final two turns.
After two and a half scoreless innings, the Monks found the scoreboard with a run off two hits in the bottom of the third. Sophomore left fielder Tim Beaudette (Uxbridge, Mass.) led off the inning with an infield single and sprinted to third on a McCoomb double before scoring on a Vigars sacrifice fly.
The 1-0 edge held until the fifth when the Royal Blue scored six runs off six hits to put the game out of reach. Vigars and Lorenc both earned an RBI the hard way – via HBP – while Coyne plated a pair with a base hit to right, senior third baseman Alex Markakis (Lynnfield, Mass.) registered a sac fly and sophomore second baseman Zack Graham (Marlborough, Mass.) notched an RBI single to account for the six spot.
In the sixth, Donovan and Cejay Suarez (Abington, Mass.) both belted RBI doubles while Nick Petchell (Milton, Mass.) and Bryce Snyder (Yarmouth, Maine) added their first NCAA hits – run-scoring singles – to help account for the five-run frame.
McCoomb led the SJC hit parade by going 3-3 with a pair of doubles while Coyne, Graham, Beaudette and Taylor Reuillard (Biddeford, Maine) all added two hits in the victory.
Senior pitcher Joe Gruntkosky (Peabody, Mass.) tallied his second win of the season after fanning six with five hits allowed in six innings. Junior southpaw Dan Meeken (Marshfield, Mass.) struck out one batter in an inning of relief.
Starter Jordan Kubilus (Cheshire, Conn.), who yielded six runs off eight hits in four innings of work, took the loss for the Falcons.
With the sweep, Saint Joseph's improves to 16-1 all-time against Albertus Magnus College and has now defeated the Falcons in 14-consecutive meetings dating back to the 2008 season.
Both teams face GNAC opponents tomorrow, as Saint Joseph's hosts Anna Maria College in a twinbill slated to start at 12:00 PM and Albertus hosts Lasell College in a two-game set starting at 12:00 PM.
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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.
