NORTHBOROUGH, Mass. – Saint Joseph's College (20-9, 5-1 GNAC) split a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) baseball doubleheader with Lasell College (6-17, 5-5 GNAC) at the New England Baseball Complex on Friday afternoon. The Monks cruised to an 11-5 game-one win and suffered a 1-0 setback in the nightcap.
GAME ONE – Saint Joseph's 11, Lasell 5:
The Monks jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the top of the first, when senior catcher Jacob White (Salem, N.H.) notched an RBI double and later scored on a Noah McDaniel (Eliot, Maine) base hit and junior Greg Emanuelson (Hudson, N.H.) launched a three-run homer over the right field wall.
St. Joe's tacked on two runs off two hits and a Lasell error in the second. Freshman second baseman Dalton Quinn (Lowell, Mass.) led off with a single and later scored on an outfield throwing error and junior Jared Gagne (Dover, N.H.) singled and scored on a Joey Murphy (Derry, N.H.) sac fly to make it a 7-0 game.
McDaniel doubled and scored on a two-bagger off the bat of Emanuelson in the third and the Monks added three runs off a pair of long balls in the fourth, when White belted his first career homer – a two-run shot to right-center – and McDaniel lofted a solo blast to center, lifting the visitors to an 11-0 lead.
The Lasers found the board with four runs off four hits in the fourth, when sophomore Luke Scholand (Albuquerque, N.M.) roped a two-run triple and junior Chris Maringo (Farmingville, N.Y.) lofted a two-run homer. Freshman Wyatt Sihvonen (Lebanon, Conn.) produced a run-scoring single in the bottom of the seventh to account for the 11-5 final.
ON THE MOUND:
- SJC sophomore starter Matt Demma (Worcester, Mass.) earned the win after allowing four runs off seven hits and three walks with five K's over five innings
- Senior Marc Poirier (Lunenburg, Mass.) allowed a run off three hits with a strikeout in two innings of relief
- Lasell junior starter Dan Petr (East Haven, Conn.) gave up five runs (two earned) off four hits in one inning
- Junior Brian Cohen (Rockland, Mass.) allowed three runs (two earned) off four hits over two innings
- Sophomore Chris O'Connor (Duxbury, Mass.) yielded three runs off two hits and a walk with one strikeout in one inning
- Freshman Zak Phillips (West Boylston, Mass.) and junior Justin Webb (San Diego, Calif.) combined to toss three shutout innings in relief
OFF THE BAT:
- Emanuelson was 3-4 with a double, a homer, and four RBI
- McDaniel went 3-4 with three runs, a double, a home run, and two RBI
- White was 2-3 with two runs, a double, and a home run
- Gagne went 2-3 with two runs scored
- Lasell junior third baseman Andre Marchesseault (Cheshire, Conn.) was 3-3 with a run and a double
GAME TWO - Lasell 1, Saint Joseph's 0:
The Lasers scored the nightcap's only run in the bottom of the fourth, when Sihvonen executed a bases-loaded squeeze play. The Monks had just one runner advance beyond second base in the shutout loss, as sophomore Ben Gravel (Rochester, N.H.) was hit by a pitch and made his way to third in the top of the second.
ON THE MOUND:
- SJC sophomore starter Luke Klenda (Yarmouth, Maine) was hit with the loss after giving up a run off four hits with three strikeouts over three innings
- Freshman Jonathan Marchia (Chicopee, Mass.) tossed 2.2 effective innings, allowing a hit and two walks with three K's
- Senior Josh Partridge (Deerfield, N.H.) sat down the only batter he faced in the bottom of the sixth
- Lasell sophomore starter Zach Handzel (Palmer, Mass.) spun a gem to earn his first win of the season, fanning nine while yielding four hits and two walks in a complete-game performance
OFF THE BAT:
- White was 1-3 with a double
- Lasell junior second baseman David Marsell (Baldwinsville, N.Y.) went 2-3 with a pair of singles
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:
With the split, Saint Joseph's is now 19-6 all-time versus Lasell College. For the Monks, the nightcap setback is just the fifth 1-0 loss in program history (over 1,400 games) and first since March 29th, 2013 when Roger Williams University blanked Saint Joseph's 1-0.
NEXT!
Saint Joseph's will host Mitchell College in a non-conference game tomorrow at 2:00 PM.
#GOMONKS
Follow Saint Joseph's Athletics on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram!
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.