STANDISH, ME – Junior starter Alex Valenti (Lawrence, Mass.) and junior reliever Dan Meeken (Marshfield, Mass.) combined to toss nine innings of three-hit baseball while fanning eight batters to help Saint Joseph's (24-12, 11-3 GNAC) blank Gordon College (18-15, 7-9 CCC), 8-0, in a non-conference contest at Larry Mahaney Diamond on Tuesday evening.
¬Valenti saw a no-hitter bid dashed with one out in the fifth inning when junior left fielder Mark Fitzgerald (Camarillo, Calif.) dropped down a bunt and reached first on a very close play. All three of the Fighting Scots' hits failed to reach the outfield in what was one of the most dominant pitching performances posted by the Monks this season.
Saint Joseph's scored single runs in the first and second innings and broke the game open with five runs off four hits in the bottom of the sixth. In the bottom of the first, senior center fielder Louie Vigars (Stratham, N.H.) walked, stole second and third, and scored on a Nic Lops (South Portland, Maine/Cheverus) single up the middle.
In the second, freshman third baseman Taylor Black (Cardiff by the Sea, Calif.) was hit by a pitch and later scored when first-year shortstop Max McCoomb (South Berwick, Maine) singled through the right side.
The Monks put the game well out of reach in the sixth, when senior right fielder Alex Lorenc (Nanuet, N.Y.) capped the inning when he launched a three-run jack over the left field wall with two out. McCoomb notched an RBI with a bases loaded walk and sophomore second baseman Zack Graham (Marlborough, Mass.) plated a run with a fielder's choice during the five-run frame.
St. Joe's closed out the game-scoring in the bottom of the seventh when Black singled through the left side and scored on a Graham double to left-center, accounting for the 8-0 final.
The Fighting Scots collected their second hit of the evening on a very unusual play. With two out, junior center fielder Alex German (Brimfield, Ill.) – a left-handed hitter – tapped what appeared to be a foul ball off the end of the bat down the third base line, but the ball gradually spun into fair territory, hit third base and bounced over Black's head for a base hit.
Gordon's third hit was very well placed, as junior designated hitter Carlos Pichardo (La Romana, Dominican Republic) strode to the plate with two out in the ninth and hit a high chopper up the middle. Graham and shortstop Mike Kinch (Newton, Mass.) converged on the ball and collided behind the mound as Pichardo ran through first without a throw.
For the Monks, McCoomb was 2-4 with a run and two RBI, sophomore left fielder Taylor Reuillard (Biddeford, Maine) went 2-3 with a pair of two-baggers, Lops added two hits and an RBI in four at bats and Black scored three runs in the shutout triumph.
Six different pitchers saw time in the loss for the Fighting Scots, who begin play in the Commonwealth Coast Conference Tournament tomorrow. Sophomore righthander Eric Proulx (Charlton, Mass.) got the start and took the loss after allowing two runs on two hits and a walk with one strikeout over two innings of work.
Both teams return to action tomorrow when Saint Joseph's hosts UMass.-Boston in a single nine-inning game at 3:00 PM and Gordon plays at Roger Williams University in a CCC tourney opener, which also begins at 3:00 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.
