WATERVILLE, ME - The Saint Joseph's College baseball team completed North Atlantic Conference regular season play on Saturday, defeating Thomas College 4-2 and 7-3. The Monks improve to 11-1 NAC and 30-7-1 overall. This is the second 30-win season in a row for St. Joe's.
Jack Hughes (Dudley, MA) recorded his sixth win of the season, striking out four in the game one 4-2 victory. Sophomore Charlie Furbush (S. Portland, ME) struck out two of eight batters faced and recorded his fifth save of the season for the Monks.
After two scoreless innings, St. Joe's had three runs on four hits in the third. Junior Mark Clapp (Blue Hill, ME) had a 2-RBI single and sophomore Luke Enman (Milan, NH) added an RBI single.
Sophomore Brian Schools (Gorham, ME) doubled in the fourth to score Jake Rodden (Somersworth, NH) and put the Monks up 4-0.
Thomas (15-20, 7-4 NAC) added a run in the sixth and seventh on an RBI single by Mike Chamard (Livermore Falls, ME) and an RBI double by Jim Pierce (Dorchester, MA). Ryan Rulman (Westbrook, ME) took the loss for the Terriers.
The Monks were led by Enman (2/4, 1 RBI) and Clapp (1/4, 2 RBI).
In game two, junior Ben Cutter (Westbrook, ME) (4-2) went five innings and struck out three as St. Joe's recorded a 7-3 win.
Clapp put the Monks on the scoreboard with a two-run homer in the first and junior Chris Doughty (Windham, ME) and sophomore Andrew Dvilinsky (Portland, ME) singled in the fifth to drive in three more runs.
St. Joe's extended the lead to 7-0 in the sixth as Schools doubled and scored and Furbush singled to score freshman Wade Oliver (Owls Head, ME).
Thomas scored their only runs of the game in the seventh, plating three runs on two hits. Jordan Stebbins (Gardiner, ME) (2-4) took the loss.
Leading St. Joe's were Clapp (2/4, 1 run, 3 RBI), Doughty (3/4, 2 RBI) and Schools (3/4, 1 run).
The Monks play at USM on Monday, May 1, at 3:30 p.m. So far this season, the Monks have won at USM, and then USM won here at SJC just last week, so the May 1 game will be the rubber match between the teams!
