WINTER HAVEN, Fla. – University of Maine-Farmington (7-2) scored seven runs in the eighth inning to rally past Saint Joseph's College (6-7), 12-9, in a non-conference baseball game in the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational on Saturday.
SJC HIGHLIGHTS
- Senior left fielder Taylor Reuillard (Biddeford, Maine) went 3-4 with three runs, a double, and a stolen base
- Freshman center fielder Jared Gagne (Dover, N.H.) was 2-3 with a stolen base
- Junior shortstop Max McCoomb (South Berwick, Maine) went 2-4 with a run scored
- Junior right fielder Scott Betts (Peabody, Mass.) added two hits in three at-bats
- Junior designated hitter Jameson Collins (Sandown, N.H.) went 1-3 with a three-run homer and five RBI
PITCHER OF RECORD
Sophomore Marc Poirier (Lunenburg, Mass.) suffered the loss after allowing three unearned runs in 0.1 innings of relief.
Sophomore starter Travis Godbout (Portland, Maine) yielded three runs (two earned) off five hits and two walks with five strikeouts in 4.1 innings. Senior Riley Cox (Westford, Mass.) tossed 1.2 innings of scoreless relief while junior Thomas Fortier (Falmouth, Maine), sophomore Steven Albert (Worcester, Mass.), sophomore Chris Gerossie (Chester, N.H.), sophomore Philip LeVangie (Hanover, Mass.), and junior Ben Coleman (Williamstown, Mass.) all logged time in the loss.
For UMF, Jory Humphrey (Jefferson, Maine) picked up the victory after allowing three runs off three hits and three walks with three K's in 3.1 innings of relief. Mark Leahy (Rochester, N.H.) picked up his second save of the season with 0.2 innings of scoreless relief.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Monks opened with two runs in the bottom of the first, as senior catcher Nic Lops (South Portland, Maine/Cheverus) plated a pair with a two-out double down the right field line. Saint Joseph's added single runs on Taylor Black (Cardiff by the Sea, Calif.) and Collins sacrifice flies in the second and third innings and headed into the fourth with a 4-0 cushion.
The Beavers tightened the collar with a run in the fourth and two in the fifth, but the Monks scored twice in the fifth – Joey Murphy (Derry, N.H.) on an infield error and Reuillard on another Collins sac fly – to make it a 6-3 game.
But the wheels would fall off in the eighth, when Maine-Farmington took advantage of three SJC errors by scoring seven runs off just three hits en route to claiming a 10-6 lead.
UMF padded the lead with two runs off three hits in the ninth as second baseman Dustin McCrossin (Yarmouth, Maine) plated a pair with a two-out double to right-center.
As it played out, the two-run two-bagger proved to be important for the Beavers, as Collins belted a three-run jack with one out in the bottom of the ninth to account for the 12-9 final.
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING
With the loss, Saint Joseph's falls to 62-13 in the history of the series with Maine-Farmington as the Beavers have now defeated the Monks just three times in the last 17 seasons. For UMF, the 12-run effort is the most the Beavers have ever scored versus St. Joe's.
NEXT!
Saint Joseph's returns from Florida this evening and will resume play on Thursday with a single nine-inning game at Husson University. First pitch is slated for 4:00 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 474-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.