STANDISH, ME – Saint Joseph's College (19-10, 10-2 GNAC) and Johnson & Wales University (25-10, 7-5 GNAC) split a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) baseball doubleheader at Larry Mahaney Diamond on Friday afternoon. The Wildcats opened the twinbill with a 4-2 triumph and the Monks salvaged the split by way of a 5-2 nightcap victory.
GAME ONE – Johnson & Wales 4, Saint Joseph's 2
Johnson & Wales gained a lead by scoring a run in one of the must unconventional methods imaginable with two out in the top of the third. Junior center fielder Kory Ferullo (Rochester, N.H.) was hit by an errant pitch to lead off the inning and moved up to second two batters later when senior designated hitter Tyler Pacheco (East Hampstead, N.H.) grounded out to first for the second out. Up next was senior third baseman Jake Dickerson (Garnet Valley, Pa.), who struck out swinging but reached when the throw by junior catcher Joe Coyne (Duxbury, Mass.) pulled junior first baseman Nic Lops (South Portland, Maine/Cheverus) off the bag. Running hard all the way, Ferullo easily scored on the play to put the visitors on top by a 1-0 score.
The slim margin remained until the bottom of the sixth when freshman designated hitter Taylor Black (Cardiff by the Sea, Calif.) reached on an infield error, moved to second on an Alex Lorenc (Nanuet, N.Y.) sac bunt, and scored off a Lops double to deep left-center, tying the contest at 1-1 going into the seventh.
Johnson & Wales effectively put the game out of reach in the top of the seventh, scoring three runs off one hit and an SJC miscue to gain a 4-1 cushion. Sophomore pinch hitter Mark Kerwin (Smithfield, R.I.) led off the inning, was hit by an errant Lincoln Sanborn (Standish, Maine) curveball, and was promptly removed in favor of a pinch runner in sophomore Tom Elkow (Morganville, N.J.). The following batter, freshman catcher Brandon Cesino (North Scituate, R.I.), dropped down a sac bunt and reached when a throw to second was too late to nab Elkow. Freshman shortstop Lou Umberto (Cranston, R.I.) moved both runners up with a sac bunt and senior second baseman Alex Pezzuto (Hastings, N.Y.) was intentionally walked to load the bases for Ferullo, who roped the first pitch he saw up the middle, plating Elkow for the go-ahead run. Sanborn looked to minimize the damage when freshman left fielder Carlos Sanabria (Pawtucket, R.I.) hit a tailor-made double play ball, but the play was mishandled, allowing Cesino to score. Pezzuto scored the Wildcats' fourth run of the afternoon on a Pacheco sac fly to left field.
The Monks managed to show some fight in the bottom of the seventh, scoring a run off two hits to account for the 4-2 final. Sophomore left fielder Taylor Reuillard (Biddeford, Maine) led off with a five-pitch walk and was replaced at first with a pinch runner, freshman Mike Kinch (Newton, Mass.), who moved to second on an Alex Markakis (Lynnfield, Mass.) single and scored when sophomore center fielder Tim Beaudette (Uxbridge, Mass.) doubled to the warning track in left-center. With runners on second and third with one out, JWU starter Jake Marchesseault (Wyoming, R.I.) fanned Max McCoomb (South Berwick, Maine) and benefited from an odd game-ending play, as Markakis attempted to score on a passed ball but was thrown out, catcher to pitcher, for the final out of the game.
Sanborn deserved a better fate, as the senior righthander yielded four runs (two earned) off just three hits with three walks and five strikeouts to suffer the first loss of his collegiate career. Prior to this afternoon, Sanborn was a perfect 11-0 in 14 NCAA starts on the mound.
Marchesseault improves to 6-2 on the season after allowing two runs (one earned) off six hits and a walk with a pair of punch-outs in the conference victory.
Neither team featured a repeat-hitter in the opener.
GAME TWO – Saint Joseph's 5, Johnson & Wales 2
Hoping to salvage a split, the Monks took major steps towards attaining the goal by scoring four runs off three hits and a JWU error in the bottom of the first. McCoomb led off with a sharp single to left-center, moved to second on a passed ball, stole third and scored on a single by Lops. Lorenc, who reached on a walk, eventually scored on a Reuillard sac fly to center field, and Lops scored the Monks' third run on a misplayed ball hit by Markakis. Coyne, who reached on a well-earned free pass – working a walk after falling 0-2 in the count, made it a 4-0 game when he crossed the plate on a single by freshman designated hitter Brett Barbati (Melrose, Mass.).
Saint Joseph's tacked on an additional run in the second, when McCoomb doubled to deep right-center, scampered to third on a sac bunt by Black, and scored off a Lorenc sacrifice fly to center field, making it a 5-0 game through two frames.
With senior starter Nick Whittaker (Yarmouth, Maine) dealing, the 5-0 cushion remained until the top of the sixth when Dickerson drilled a two-run homer over the left field wall. Sanabria, who reached with a double down the right field line, also scored on the big fly, which was the first allowed by an SJC pitcher this spring.
For the Monks, McCoomb was 2-3 with two runs, a double and a stolen base and Whittaker improved to 4-1 on the season after allowing two runs off five hits and three walks with seven K's in a complete-game effort. For Whittaker, Dickerson's two-run blast in the sixth snapped a 22-inning unearned run streak.
For the Wildcats, Pacheco was 2-3 and junior starting pitcher John Amodeo (Mahopac, N.Y.) took the loss after giving up five runs off five hits and four walks with a pair of K's in 5.1 innings. Senior Tim Ashworth (West Chesterfield, N.H.) closed out the game for JWU and tossed 0.2 innings of perfect relief.
With the split, Saint Joseph's is now 14-8 in the history of the series with Johnson & Wales University. The Monks and Wildcats have split in each of the last three regular-season doubleheaders over the last three seasons.
Both teams cap their conference schedule on the road tomorrow, when Saint Joseph's plays at Suffolk University in a twinbill set to start at 12:00 PM and Johnson & Wales travels to Nashua, New Hampshire for a two-game set versus Rivier University, which is slated to begin at 1:05 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.
