STANDISH, Maine – Saint Joseph's College (26-10) rallied from a 5-0 deficit to defeat Bates College (14-15), 13-6, in a non-conference baseball game at Larry Mahaney Diamond on Monday evening.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Bates got on the board right off the bat, as the visitors took advantage of two SJC errors to grab a 2-0 lead in the top of the first. Junior third baseman Giovanni Torres (North Haven, Conn.) roped a two-out RBI single to help the Bobcats stake an early two-run cushion.
The visitors tacked on a run without a hit in the second inning, as senior Asher MacDonald (Hillsborough, N.C.) walked, advanced to third on an infield error, and scored on a wild pitch. Bates received RBI doubles from sophomore shortstop Kevin Carter (Plantation, Fla.) and second-year left fielder Jon Lindgren (Plainville, Conn.) to claim the aforementioned five-run advantage.
The Monks finally found the board in the bottom of the fifth, when the hosts plated five runs off six hits. Freshman second baseman Dalton Quinn (Lowell, Mass.) sparked the rally with a leadoff double and promptly scored when the following batter, senior centerfielder Chris Gerossie (Chester, N.H.), traded places with a two-bagger of his own. Junior right fielder Jared Gagne (Dover, N.H.) came to the plate and launched a two-run jack well beyond the right field wall, sophomore Ben Gravel (Rochester, N.H.) worked a bases-loaded walk, and junior catcher Anthony DiPrizio (Rochester, N.H.) knocked in a run on a fielder's choice to knot the game 5-5.
The Bobcats regained the lead, albeit briefly, in the top of the sixth when Carter singled and later scored on a Lindgren double. The Monks re-tied the game when senior Jacob White (Salem, N.H.) registered an RBI double.
The hosts posted their first lead of the night with two runs in the bottom of the seventh. Gravel led off the inning with a home run over the scoreboard and DiPrizio followed with a double and later crossed the plate on an infield miscue.
Saint Joseph's capped the game-scoring with five runs off five hits in the eighth frame, when DiPrizio, freshman Justin Juliano (Lynnfield, Mass.), and Gerossie knocked in a run apiece and junior shortstop Joey Murphy (Derry, N.H.) notched a two-run single.
OF NOTE:
The Monks pounded out 21 hits in tonight's victory – the team's highest total this season and most since posted the same number in a 16-9 victory at Rivier University on April 23rd, 2017.
ON THE MOUND:
- Senior starter Aaron Hall (Haverhill, Mass.) allowed three unearned runs off a hit and a walk with two strikeouts in two innings
- Junior Grayson Jennings (Mililani, Hawaii) gave up two runs off four hits with two K's in two innings
- Sophomores Matt Demma (Worcester, Mass.) and Weston Bergeron (Lyman, Maine) and freshman Zach Begin (Georgetown, Mass.) combined to allow a run off three hits and three walks with two strikeouts over 2.2 frames of relief
- Senior Josh Partridge (Deerfield, N.H.) improves to 5-2 on the season after tossing 2.1 scoreless innings with four punch-outs
- Bates freshman starter Peter Schuldt (Winnetka, Ill.) did not factor into the decision after yielding five runs on 12 hits and a walk with two K's in 4.1 innings
- Bates relievers Mark Russell (Westford, Mass.), Miles Michaud (Madison, Conn.), Alex Simon (Windsor, Conn.), and Jake Shapiro (Sandy, Utah) combined to allow eight runs off nine hits and three walks with three K's over 3.2 innings
OFF THE BAT:
- Gerossie was 3-5 with two runs, a double, a steal, and two RBI
- Gravel went 3-4 with a solo homer and two RBI
- Sophomore third baseman Will Martin (Arlington, Mass.) was 3-5 with a run
- Murphy went 3-5 with a stolen base and two RBI
- Gagne was 2-5 with three runs, four stolen bases, and two RBI
- White went 3-6 with a run, a double, and an RBI
- DiPrizio added two runs, a double, and two RBI in five at-bats
- For Bates, Lindgren was 3-5 with a double and two RBI while Torres and Carter posted two hits apiece
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:
With the win, Saint Joseph's improves to 35-14 in the history of the series with Bates College and has now defeated the Bobcats in four-consecutive meetings.
NEXT!
Saint Joseph's travels to Norwich University tomorrow for a GNAC doubleheader starting at 2:00 PM. Bates plays at Southern Maine on Wednesday in a 3:30 PM start.
