STANDISH, ME – Husson University (14-9, 9-4 NAC) defeated Saint Joseph's College (18-9, 9-1 GNAC) for the first time in seven years with a 9-4 victory at Larry Mahaney Diamond on Thursday afternoon. Senior outfielder Alex Lorenc (Nanuet, N.Y.) was 2-3 with a double and an RBI in the losing bid.
The Monks held a 4-1 lead with eight hits to their credit through two innings, but the Eagles managed to score eight unanswered runs in the third, fourth and sixth frames combined to snap an eight-game losing streak at the hands of Saint Joseph's, which last fell to Husson on May 1st, 2007.
Senior reliever Zachary Yates (Newport, R.I.) made the comeback win a possibility by holding Saint Joseph's to just three hits and a pair walks with four strikeouts over seven innings of relief.
SJC freshman southpaw Thomas Fortier (Falmouth, Maine) suffered the loss after giving up five runs (four earned) off six hits and a walk with three K's in 2.2 innings. Freshman righty Tyler Neville (Orono, Maine) was solid in relief, scattering a pair of hits over 3.2 innings, while starter Keenen Lowe (Westbrook, Maine) did not factor into the decision after yielding four runs off three hits, four walks and a pair of hit batsmen with a pair of punch-outs over 2.2 innings of work.
Offensively, sophomore second baseman Zack Graham (Marlborough, Mass.) was 2-3 with a run and an RBI and sophomore center fielder Tim Beaudette (Uxbridge, Mass.) went 2-5 with a run and a double in the loss.
For Husson, sophomore first baseman J.T. Whitten (Waterville, Maine) was 2-4 with a run and a pair of RBI, senior center fielder Dylan Foster (Oakland, Maine) scored four runs, and freshman designated hitter Dennis Meehan (Gardiner, Maine) and junior left fielder Kyle Bishop (Waterville, Maine) both went 2-5 with a run and a pair of RBI in the victory.
Saint Joseph's resumes action tomorrow with a conference doubleheader versus Johnson & Wales University starting at 3:00 PM. Husson hosts Maine-Farmington in a NAC twinbill slated to start 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.
