STANDISH, Maine – Saint Joseph's College (22-8, 8-2 GNAC) posted a pair of convincing victories over Norwich University (4-14, 2-6 GNAC) in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) baseball action at Larry Mahaney Diamond on Saturday afternoon. The Monks kicked off the day with an 8-0 triumph and completed the sweep with an 11-2 victory.
SAINT JOSEPH'S 8, NORWICH 0
Junior second baseman Drew Healey (Rochester, N.H.) delivered a grand slam home run with one out in the bottom of the first inning and the Monks scored three runs off three hits in the second to claim what proved to be an insurmountable early advantage.
Freshman Max McDonald (Scituate, Mass.) capped the scoring in the fifth when he delivered classmate Ronan Chisholm (North Chatham, Mass.) with a groundout to second base.
ON THE MOUND:
Saint Joseph's freshman starter Matt Bergeron (Salem, N.H.) was masterful in the victory and improves to 5-1 after scattering four hits with four K's over seven scoreless frames. He did not allow a hit until Norwich junior Chris Dayos (Temecula, Calif.) singled with one out in the fourth.
Norwich freshman Jon Grasso (Haddam, Conn.) falls to 0-1 on the season after allowing seven runs off eight hits and four walks with five K's over four innings. Freshman reliever Derek Kroese (Lakeville, Mass.) gave up one run off a hit and a walk in two innings of mop-up duty.
OFF THE BAT:
- Senior shortstop Joey Murphy (Derry, N.H.) was 2-2 with a run, a double, a stolen base, and an RBI
- Healey went 1-2 with a grand slam, the second home run of his career
- Sophomore center fielder Hunter Richardson (Monmouth, Maine) doubled and scored two runs
SAINT JOSEPH'S 11, NORWICH 2
The Monks scored at least one run in each of the first four innings, including four in the second and five in the third, to claim a daunting 11-1 cushion.
In the bottom of the second, sophomore third baseman Luke Johnson (East Hampton, Conn.) ripped a two-run single and later scored on a double off the bat of Kevin Aylward (East Bridgewater, Mass.), who later advanced home on an infield error.
The five-run third inning featured a two-run double from senior catcher Anthony DiPrizio (Rochester, N.H.) and a two-run jack off the scoreboard from Aylward as the Monks built a 10-1 lead heading into the fourth.
ON THE MOUND:
SJC sophomore Zach Begin (Georgetown, Mass.) improves to 3-0 on the season after allowing two runs (one earned) off four hits with seven strikeouts over six innings. Freshman George Welch (Derry, N.H.) – making his collegiate debut - fanned two batters in a perfect inning of relief.
Four different pitchers toed the slab for the Cadets with junior starter Nick Landis (South Berwick, Maine) taking the loss after giving up nine runs (eight earned) off seven hits and two walks over 2.1 innings. Sophomore Chris Henderson (Stafford, Va.) allowed two runs off three hits in 1.2 frames while Nathan Rosalez (Brownsville, Texas) and Cale Bombardier (Williston, Vt.) both tossed an inning of scoreless relief.
OFF THE BAT:
- Murphy was 2-3 with two runs and a stolen base
- Aylward went 2-3 with two runs, a double, a home run, and three RBI
- Senior right fielder Jared Gagne (Dover, N.H.) knocked in a pair of runs without registering an at-bat
- Healey and Noah McDaniel (Eliot, Maine) were both 1-1 with two runs scored
- For Norwich, senior Chris Leach (Vergennes, Vt.) was 1-1 with a two-bagger
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:
With the sweep Saint Joseph's is now 23-1 all-time versus Norwich University. The Cadets defeated the Monks for the first time with a 6-5 win in Northfield last spring.
NEXT!
Saint Joseph's travels to Nashua tomorrow for a pair of GNAC games versus Rivier University. The lid-lifter starts at 1:00 PM.