Photo courtesy of Blue Egg Images
NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Saint Joseph's College (20-6, 6-2 GNAC) won both ends of a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) baseball doubleheader versus Albertus Magnus College (10-11, 3-5 GNAC) on Sunday afternoon. The Monks held off a late rally to defeat the Falcons by a 7-5 margin in the opener and rallied from a 7-0 deficit to win the nightcap, 10-7.
With the wins, Saint Joseph's extends their winning streak to seven games with six conference wins in the last four days. The Monks have now reached the 20-victory mark in 15-consecutive seasons.
SAINT JOSEPH'S 7, ALBERTUS MAGNUS 5
Trailing 2-1 after three full frames, the Monks plated four runs off three hits and a pair of Falcon errors in the top of the fourth to claim a 5-2 cushion. Sophomore center fielder Hunter Richardson (Monmouth, Maine) delivered the big blow with a two-run triple to deep right-center.
Sophomore second baseman Luke Johnson (East Hampton, Conn.) notched an RBI single in the fifth inning to make it a 6-2 game, but Albertus Magnus remained within striking distance with a pair of runs off two hits and an SJC miscue in the bottom of the sixth, cutting the visitors' lead down to 6-4.
Sophomore Kevin Aylward (East Bridgewater, Mass.) launched a pinch-hit home run, the first homer of his collegiate career, in the top of the seventh to offset the Falcons' run in the bottom of the inning.
ON THE MOUND – SAINT JOSEPH'S:
- Freshman starter Alex D'Angelo (Peabody, Mass.) picked up his first NCAA victory after allowing four runs (one earned) off five hits and two walks over six innings
- Junior Troy Bogdahn (Hollis, Maine) notched the first save of his career after giving up a run off two hits and a walk in the seventh inning
ON THE MOUND – ALBERTUS MAGNUS:
- Sophomore starter Nick Miller (Union, N.J.) yielded a run off three hits and two walks over three innings
- Junior Shawn McFeggan (Anaheim, Calif.) suffered the loss and falls to 0-3 on the season after giving up five runs (two earned) off six hits with two K's in three innings of relief
- Sophomore Dan DeBartolomeo (Fairfield, Conn.) served up Aylward's solo shot and walked a batter in the seventh inning
OFF THE BAT – SAINT JOSEPH'S:
- Richardson went 2-4 with a run, a triple, a stolen base, and two RBI
- Senior left fielder Anthony DiPrizio (Rochester, N.H.) was 2-3 with a run
- Senior right fielder Jared Gagne (Dover, N.H.) went 1-3 with an RBI and three stolen bases
OFF THE BAT – ALBERTUS MAGNUS:
- Senior shortstop Mike Browne (New Fairfield, Conn.) went 3-4 with a run and a pair of RBI
- Senior center fielder Tyriq Harris (Waterbury, Conn.) was 2-3 with a run, a double, and an RBI
- Freshman first baseman Elijah Spataj (Cheshire, Conn.) added two hits and an RBI in three at-bats
SAINT JOSEPH'S 10, ALBERTUS MAGNUS 7
The Falcons were in control early, as the hosts scored seven runs in the first two innings combined to obtain a commanding lead.
The Monks chipped away at the deficit, as Richardson led off the fourth with a solo homer and, with two out in the fifth, notched an RBI single before scoring on a Gagne two-bagger to make it a 7-3 game.
The complexion of the contest completely turned in the top of the sixth, when the Monks batted around while scoring seven runs – all with two outs – off six hits and an Albertus error to stake a 10-7 lead. Junior second baseman Drew Healey (Rochester, N.H.) rapped his first of two doubles during the inning and DiPrizio walked to set the stage for Aylward, who stepped to the plate and deposited a three-run homer beyond the left field wall to cut the SJC deficit to 7-6.
Senior shortstop Joey Murphy (Derry, N.H.) followed with a single and Richardson walked to bring up Gagne, who brought both of his teammates home with a triple and scored on an outfield error on the same play. Up next was senior designated hitter Greg Emanuelson (Hudson, N.H.), who greeted Falcons freshman reliever Alan Stinson (Watertown, Conn.) with a solo shot to left to account for the seven-run inning.
The Falcons had runners in scoring position in both the sixth and seventh frames, but a double play helped negate the threat in the former and sophomore reliever Kristian Harris (Salem, N.H.) worked around a hit batsman and a single in the seventh to close out the 10-7 victory.
ON THE MOUND – SAINT JOSEPH'S:
- Harris earns his first collegiate victory after tossing five scoreless innings of relief while scattering four hits and a walk with a pair of punch-outs
- Junior starter Luke Klenda (Yarmouth, Maine) allowed four runs (two earned) off a hit and two walks in 1.2 innings
- Juniors Zach Ham (Saco, Maine) and Jonathan Rolfe (Plainville, Mass.) combined to allow three unearned runs off two hits and a pair of walks in 1/3 inning
ON THE MOUND – ALBERTUS MAGNUS:
- Junior reliever Jay Palais (Farmington, Conn.) suffers the loss and falls to 3-2 on the season after giving up six runs (five earned) off four hits and two walks in 2/3 inning of relief
- Sophomore starter Brandon Fowler (Lexington, S.C.) was effective over five innings, allowing three runs off six hits, but did not factor into the decision
- Stinson yielded a run off two hits with a strikeout in 1.1 innings of work
OFF THE BAT – SAINT JOSEPH'S:
- Gagne was 3-4 with a run, a double, a triple, a stolen base, and three RBI
- Healey went 3-4 with a run, two doubles, and a triple
- Richardson was 2-3 with three runs, a home run, and two RBI
- Murphy added two hits, two runs, and two steals in four at-bats
OFF THE BAT – ALBERTUS MAGNUS:
- Spataj went 2-4 with a double and three RBI
- Browne was 2-3 with two runs, a stolen base, and an RBI
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:
With the sweep Saint Joseph's improves to 26-1 all-time versus Albertus Magnus College and has now defeated the Falcons in 24-consecutive meetings dating back to the 2008 season.
NEXT!
The Monks face perhaps their stiffest tests of the season over the next four days, as the Royal Blue plays at perennial Commonwealth Coast Conference power Endicott College (13-9) at 3:30 PM on Tuesday and hosts #3 University of Southern Maine (16-3) at 4:00 PM on Thursday.