QUINCY, Mass. – The Suffolk University Baseball team earned the number one seed in the 2014 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Tournament with a doubleheader split with Saint Joseph's College of Maine on Saturday afternoon.
Suffolk secured the league's top record with a 14-2 game one victory behind a 15-hit offensive output in the opener.
Senior Joe Gruntkosky (Peabody, Mass.) was dominant on the mound for the Monks in game two with a complete game three hit shutout in a 5-0 Saint Joseph's victory.
Game One
Senior Jonathan Richard (North Reading, Mass.) pitched his second complete game of the year to improve his record to 5-2 on the mound for Suffolk. Richard got plenty of offensive support as Suffolk scored 14 times to roll to a game one victory.
Suffolk jumped out early scoring three times in the home half of the first thanks in large part to free passes. Senior Mac Jacobson (Norfolk, Mass.) would draw a base on balls to lead things off before freshman Matt Brenner (Eliot, Me.) was also issued a free pass. Senior Jake Cintolo (Wrentham, Mass.) would then draw a hit by pitch to load the bases. In the next at-bat Jacobson would come home to score the game's first run on a passed ball. Monks' junior starter Alex Valenti (Lawrence, Mass.) would then record the first out of the inning on a strikeout before senior Devan Jones (Roslindale, Mass.) singled to left to make it a 3-0 game.
The Monks would tack on two runs of their own in their next at bat. Sophomore Taylor Reuillard (Biddeford, Me.) would single up the middle with one before senior Alex Markakis (Lynnfield, Mass.) would extend the inning reaching on an infield error at third base. Sophomore Zack Graham (Marlborough, Mass.) would then knock a base hit up the middle to load things up for the Monks. With two outs freshman Max McCoomb (South Berwick, Me.) would drive in a pair of runs with the Monks' third hit of the inning to make it a 3-2 contest.
After a sacrifice fly by Jones made it a 4-2 game in the third inning, Suffolk would tack on three more in the fourth. Sophomore Jon Lapolla (Providence, R.I.) would draw a walk to lead things off before sophomore Rob Marks (Revere, Mass.) reached base safely on a bunt back to the mound that could not be handled. Junior Justin Knight (Hackettstown, N.J.) would then advance both runners with a sacrifice bunt. Lapolla would then score Suffolk's second run of the day on a passed ball before Brenner drove in another run with a single to right. Cintolo would cap the inning off with a sacrifice fly to left to make it a 7-2 game after four.
Six of Suffolk's starters would finish game one with multiple hits in the contest as Brenner led the way with a 3-for-4 three RBI effort along with a pair of runs scored. Jones was 2-for-3 with four RBI while Knight knocked in a pair with two hits in three at-bats. Senior Mike Muse (Milton, Mass.), Lapolla and Marks all had two hits a piece and each scored twice alongside Jacobson and Cintolo who combined to reach base safely in 7-of-10 plate appearances.
Game Two
Gruntkosky cruised in the nightcap as he punched out eight Suffolk hitters and allowed just three hits to improve to a 3-0 mark on the year with his second complete game.
Saint Joseph's opened the game with their first three hitters reaching base with McCoomb and freshman Taylor Black (Cardiff By the Sea, Calif.) each drawing walks to start things. Senior Alex Lorenc (Nanuet, N.Y.) would pick up game two right where he left off in game one (4-for-4) as he recorded his fifth straight hit of the afternoon to load the bases. Junior Nic Lops (South Portland, Me.) would then score McCoomb with the game's first run as he hit a sacrifice fly to left field for the early 1-0 edge.
The Monks would tack on four more runs in the second inning taking advantage of another leadoff walk and an error later in the inning. Markakis would draw a base on balls to get things going before Suffolk senior starter Steve Chamberland (Bristol, Conn.) would record the next two outs. McCoomb then singled before Black reached on an infield error that loaded the bases and extended the inning. A couple pitches later Markakis would score the first run of the inning on a passed ball, before Lorenc broke things open with a double driving in a pair more. Lops then picked up his second RBI of the game with another base hit to make it a 5-0 contest.
The split improves Saint Joseph's College to a 20-11 overall record on the season. They finish the GNAC regular season with an 11-3 mark and the league's second best record.
After recording 10 hits in the opener, the Monks would piece together six hits in game two. Lorenc had an impressive day at the plate going a combined 6-for-7 with a double, two RBI a run scored and a stolen base.
Suffolk moves to an 18-10-1 overall record on the year and a 12-2 mark in GNAC play.
Both teams will play non-conference tune up games this upcoming Monday as each receive a bye into the double elimination conference tournament.
Saint Joseph's College will travel to Roger Williams University at 3:30pm on Monday afternoon before hosting the winner of number three seed Lasell College and number six seed Norwich University on Thursday.
Suffolk will host Babson College in a Patriots' Day matinee game at Adams Field at 11:00am on Monday. Suffolk will then take on the winner between number four seed Johnson & Wales University and number five seed Albertus Magnus College on Thursday evening at 6:00pm in Quincy.
The four team double elimination GNAC Tournament semifinal and championship games will be hosted on Saturday and Sunday by Saint Joseph's College at Larry Mahaney Diamond.
COURTESY OF SUFFOLK UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
Follow Saint Joseph's Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube!
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.
