STANDISH, Maine – Saint Joseph's College (14-9, 5-1 GNAC) swept Johnson & Wales University (17-7, 4-2 GNAC) in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) doubleheader at Larry Mahaney Diamond on Saturday afternoon. The Monks opened by tipping the Wildcats, 3-2, in eight innings and completed the sweep with a 2-0 nightcap triumph.

THE LEAD

The Monks won the opener with a two-out, walk-off single from sophomore shortstop Max McCoomb (South Berwick, Maine) in the bottom of the eighth and, in the closing contest, freshman pitcher Grayson Jennings (Bedford, N.H.) tossed six no-hit innings to help Saint Joseph's sweep Johnson & Wales for the first time since the 2007 campaign.

VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS

GAME ONE – Saint Joseph's 3, Johnson & Wales 2 (8 inn.)

SJC HIGHLIGHTS

• McCoomb was 2-3 with a run, a stolen base, and an RBI
• Senior catcher Nic Lops (South Portland, Maine/Cheverus) went 2-4 with a pair of singles
• Freshman center fielder Jared Gagne (Dover, N.H.) added a hit, a stolen base, and an RBI in two at-bats

JWU HIGHLIGHTS

• Senior second baseman Jordan Pilarski (Garnet Valley, Pa.) went 3-4
• Freshman right fielder Dave Matthews (Newtown, Conn.) was 2-3 with an RBI
• Sophomore center fielder Rob Ballinger (South Kingston, R.I.) added a single and a stolen base in three at-bats

PITCHERS OF RECORD

• SJC senior reliever Corey McNamara (West Newbury, Mass.) tossed 1.1 innings of one-hit ball to pick up the victory and improve to 3-2 on the season
• Sophomore starter Josh Partridge (Deerfield, N.H.) threw well but did not factor into the decision after allowing two runs off seven hits – all singles – with three strikeouts over 6.2 frames
• JWU freshman reliever Brandon Budlong (Cranston, R.I.) took the loss and falls to 1-1 on the spring after giving up a run off two hits and a walk with one punch-out over 2.1 innings of effective work
• Senior Jake Marchesseault (Wyoming, R.I.), the Wildcats' ace, was solid over 5.1 frames, allowing two runs off five hits and two walks with three K's

KEY PLAYS

• With two out and pinch runner Jonathan Panaro (Atkinson, N.H.) on third in the bottom of the eighth, McCoomb provided the game winning hit – a line drive single that short-hopped into the glove of the Wildcats' diving left fielder, Tom Elkow (Morganville, N.J.)
• In the top of the eighth, the Wildcats threatened with runners on first and second and one out and looked have runners at the corners with two down when Elkow flew out to right, but Pilarski – who singled and moved to second when Matthews walked – was called out on appeal for leaving the base too early
• The Monks scored two runs off three hits in the bottom of the second, when junior first baseman Brett Barbati (Melrose, Mass.) singled, stole second, and scored on a Gagne ground out and freshman Joey Murphy (Derry, N.H.) plated McCoomb – who reached via base hit – with a knock up the middle
• Trailing 2-0 in the top of the sixth, Johnson & Wales knotted the contest with two runs off two hits and an SJC error, as pinch runner Troy Ortiz (Lodi, N.J.) scored from second on the miscue and junior Carlos Sanabria (Pawtucket, R.I.) singled and scored on a Matthews base hit
• St. Joe's minimized the damage in the sixth with an inning-ending 4-6-3 double play

GAME TWO – Saint Joseph's 2, Johnson & Wales 0

SJC HIGHLIGHTS

• McCoomb went 2-2 with a solo home run
• Barbati was 2-2 with a pair of singles
• Senior left fielder Taylor Reuillard (Biddeford, Maine) was 1-1 with a run and a pair of walks

JWU HIGHLIGHTS

• Sophomore designated hitter Frank D'Amato (Lincoln, R.I.) produced the Wildcats' only hit with a lead-off single in the top of the seventh

PITCHERS OF RECORD

• Jennings improves to 3-1 after hurling six hitless frames while walking three and fanning four
• McNamara picked up his fourth save of the season and allowed one hit with a punch-out in a scoreless seventh inning
• JWU junior southpaw Lane Compton (Freeland, Mich.) went the distance and falls to 2-4 on the season after yielding two runs off six hits and four walks with three K's

KEY PLAYS

• The Monks got on the board in the bottom of the second when Reuillard led off with a single through the right side and later scored on a Scott Betts (Peabody, Mass.) sacrifice fly
• With one out in the fifth, McCoomb launched a solo blast beyond the left field wall for his second home run of the season
• Saint Joseph's worked out of potential jams with well turned double plays in the second and seventh innings

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING

Saint Joseph's improves to 17-10 in the history of the series with Johnson & Wales University, a team that ended the Monks' 2015 campaign with a 4-2 decision in a GNAC Tournament losers' bracket contest on April 25th.

NEXT!

Both teams resume play tomorrow, when Saint Joseph's travels to Lasell College for a GNAC twinbill slated to begin at 12:00 PM and Johnson & Wales heads to Rivier University with the first of two tilts starting at 1:05 PM.