IMAGE COURTESY OF ROBYN AYLWARD - BLUE EGG IMAGES

­­WINTER HAVEN, Fla. – Wartburg College (5-1) defeated Saint Joseph's College (2-3), 9-6, in a RussMatt Central Florida Invitational baseball contest on Wednesday morning.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

With the score tied 1-1 in the top of the fourth, Wartburg managed to plate three runs off three hits and an SJC error and tacked on another run on a sac fly in the fifth to claim a 5-1 cushion. The Monks responded with two runs off two hits in the sixth, when junior Greg Emanuelson (Hudson, N.H.) knocked in Anthony DiPrizio (Rochester, N.H.) and Hunter Richardson (North Monmouth, Maine) with a two-out double.

Wartburg proceeded to score three runs off two hits in the top of the seventh, when a wind-blown pop-up turned into a two-run double for Ryan King, Jr. (Elwood, Ill.) and lifted the Knights to an 8-3 lead.

Refusing to go down without a fight, St. Joe's added two runs on a two-run two-bagger off the bat of sophomore Ben Gravel (Rochester, N.H.) and scored another run on a Noah McDaniel (Eliot, Maine) single in the ninth. The Monks had the bases loaded with two out and with Jacob White (Salem, N.H.) at the plate, but the senior catcher lined out to the Knights' second baseman to end the game.

ON THE MOUND:

Saint Joseph's freshman starter Kristian Harris (Salem, N.H.) took the loss after allowing five runs (three earned) off five hits and three walks with eight strikeouts in four innings. Senior Marc Poirier (Lunenburg, Mass.) tossed two effective innings in relief, allowing a hit and a walk with a pair of punch-outs, and senior Chris Gerossie (Chester, N.H.) allowed three runs off two hits and two walks in one frame of work. Sophomore Simon Gonzalez (Peabody, Mass.) was again solid in relief, closing out the game with two innings of one-hit ball with one unearned run allowed and three strikeouts.

Wartburg sophomore Matthew Milewski (Lake Villa, Ill.) picked up his first win of the season after allowing three runs off five hits and two walks with nine K's in six innings.

OFF THE BAT:

• Emanuelson was 2-4 with a double and two RBI
• DiPrizio went 2-4 with two runs and an RBI
• Richardson added two hits with a double and a run scored in five at bats
• Gravel went 2-5 with a double and a pair of RBI

NEXT!

Saint Joseph's enjoys an off day tomorrow before taking on Emerson College in a doubleheader on Friday at 1:00 PM.

#GOMONKS

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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.