Harwich, Mass. - Despite three homeruns off Monks' bats, #2 Saint Joseph's College (34-9-1) succumbed to the #6 Golden Bears of Western New England College (35-10) today in extra innings. WNEC advances in the winners bracket and will take on #1 seed Wheaton College (36-8) tomorrow at noon. The Monks will now have to play an elimination game tonight at approximately 9 PM versus #5 University of Southern Maine (29-16). The winner will stay around to play the winner of the #3 Middlebury vs. #4 Salem State game tomorrow at 3:30 PM; the loser of tonight's game goes home.
Ben Muniz had a solo homerun in the sixth for St. Joe's, but it was Brian Schools' in the top of the seventh that ignited the Monks' comeback, following Luke Enman's one-run single driving in Mark Clapp to make it 7-5. The Monks cut the lead to 7-6, before Western New England scored in the bottom of the seventh to go ahead 8-6. The Monks tied it up in the eighth and went ahead when Ben Muniz hit his second homerun of the game, scoring Brian Schools to put the Monks up 10-8. Muniz was 3-for-4 on the day. WNEC tied it up in the ninth to force extra innings.
Jack Hughes had the ball for the Monks, walking the first batter faced, Chris Newell, who advanced to both second and then third on wild pitches, which seemed to set the tone for this game, there being a total of 6 wild pitches thrown today by Monks pitchers, 5 by Hughes. Hughes pitched 5.2 innings, Steven Stout came in for 1.1 and Sam Tupper took the loss for St. Joe's, finishing out the game with 2.1 innings pitched.
Jason Pizzoferrato pitched two scoreless innings of relief for the win. He gave up only one hit and struck out two improving his record to 10-1. The Golden Bears led 4-2 after three innings and 7-3 after six before the Monks scored three runs in seventh and four times in the eighth to take a 10-8 lead.
In his lone hit of the game, WNEC's Chris Fredericks drove in Mike Beck to win the game for the Golden Bears in the 10th inning.
Score by Innings
R H
E
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St. Joseph's (ME).......... 002 001 340 0 - 10 16 1
Western New England... 103 012 120 1 - 11 15 2
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