PORT CHARLOTTE, FL - St. Joe's improved their season record to 4-3 with two 9-5 victories over Northland College (WI) on Thursday. Starting pitcher SR David Doucette (Ipswich, MA) threw four innings of 2-hit ball to earn the win and SR Brian Schools (Gorham, ME) was 3-3 with two RBI's in game one. JR Andy Pooler (Somesville, ME) provided the Monks with 3 shutout innings in relief to earn the game two decision. SR Luke Enman (Milan, NH) went 3-4 at the plate and registered 3 RBI's, 2 coming off an inside the park home run, in the victory.

Both the Monks and the Lumberjacks provided plenty of offense in the games as the two teams combined to score 28 runs and collect 39 hits in the doubleheader.

GAME ONE

Northland opened the first game by scoring a run in the first off of two SJC errors. SR Mike Stevens (Cadillac, MI) scored the run for the Lumberjacks.

St. Joe's countered with two runs in the bottom of the opening inning by taking advantage of two Northland miscues. JR Wade Oliver (Owls Head, ME) led off the inning and reached on an error and Brian Schools followed with a single. Oliver scored two batters later on a SO Ben Grant-Roy (Biddeford, ME) stuck-ball that was misplayed by the Lumberjacks' third baseman. SR Dustin Spiller (Gorham, ME) sent Schools home with a sac fly that gave the Monks a 2-1 lead.

Lumberjacks' leadoff hitter SO Bryce Szymanski (Pequot Lakes, MN) opened the top of the third with a double, was moved to third by a Mike Stevens sacrifice bunt and driven home by a SO Matt Tenneberg (Kennewick, WA) single to tie the game at two apiece. The Monks struck with a run in the bottom of the inning to regain the lead as Wade Oliver led off with a triple and scored on a Brian Schools single.

St. Joe's managed to score 4 runs off of 5 hits in their next turn at bat as SO Mike Burdin (Gardiner, ME), Wade Oliver and Brian Schools each had RBI singles in the inning. Oliver scored on an error made by the Northland right fielder to account for the fourth SJC run of the inning.

JR Cody Carroll (Shawano, WI) hit a double for the Lumberjacks to send Bryce Szymanski home in the top of the fifth to reduce the SJC lead to 7-3.

The Monks was not finished as FY Ian Lee (Hampden, ME) doubled home Dustin Spiller, who reached with a single, and Burdin registered another RBI base knock in the 5th inning to stake a 9-3 Monks' lead.

Northland's Cody Carroll tripled to plate Matt Tanneberg, who reached on a base on balls, and later scored on a SO Michael Cross (Auburn, WA) double to cap the NC scoring in the game.

For the Monks, Wade Oliver, Ian Lee and Mike Burdin all collected 2 hits. Oliver scored 3 runs, Burdin notched 2 RBI's and Brian Schools stole two bases in the win.

Cody Carroll was 2-4 with 2 RBI's in the game for the Lumberjacks.

GAME TWO

St. Joe's started the scoring in the second game of the twinbill with a run in the first to take a 1-0 lead. Wade Oliver led off the inning with a single up the middle, was moved over to second base via a sacrifice bunt from Brian Schools and driven home by shortstop Luke Enman with a single.

Northland followed suit in the first by scoring a run of their own to tie the game 1-1. Matt Tenneberg drove home teammate Bryce Szymanski, who reached base with a leadoff walk, with a fielder's choice.

The Monks broke out in the second inning, scoring three runs off of four hits to take a 4-1 lead. Dustin Spiller opened the inning by hitting a line drive off the right field fence for a double. FY Ryan Murphy (South Weymouth, MA) drove Spiller home with his first collegiate hit and later scored with teammate FY Joe Douglass (Poland, ME), who reached with a base hit, on a Wade Oliver single.

The Lumberjacks diminished the SJC lead to 4-3 after they scored 2 runs in the third inning. Matt Tenneberg notched another RBI by driving home Bryce Szymanski with a double and FY Corey Stibbe (Ashland, WI) singled home teammate Mike Stevens to account for the pair of NC runs in the inning.

Brian Schools led off the top of the 5th inning for St. Joe's with a single and Luke Enman followed with a deep ball to centerfield that ended up being a two-run inside the park home run. The Monks held a 6-3 advantage through five innings of play.

Northland fought back with 2 runs off of 3 hits in the bottom of the sixth to cut the SJC lead to 6-5. Bryce Szymanski was in the middle of the offensive effort yet again for the Lumberjacks as he singled to send home teammate SR Casey Frantz (Charlotte, MI) and Mike Stevens was knocked home by a Cody Carroll single to cap the NC scoring.

St. Joe's sent three runners across home plate in the top of the seventh to seal the Monks' victory. Dustin Spiller hit a ball over the left fielder's head to drive in Luke Enman and FY Chris Campbell (Rochester, NH) and scored one batter later on a sacrifice fly hit by first baseman Ryan Murphy.

For the Monks, Wade Oliver was 2-3 with 2 RBI's and a stolen base, Dustin Spiller went 2-4, a double, triple and 2 RBI, Ryan Murphy registered 2 RBI's and Brian Schools notched his first career save in the win.

Northland's Cody Carroll was 3-3 with an RBI and Corey Stibbe went 2-3 with an RBI in the losing bid. Starting pitcher Bryce Szymanski took the loss and threw all seven innings.

The Monks will play two games on Friday, 3/7. The first game begins at 10:00 AM against Olivet College (MI) and the second game is set to start at 1:30 PM against Misericordia University (PA). Both games will be played at North Charlotte Regional Park in Port Charlotte, FL.