STANDISH, ME - Saint Joseph's (23-10, 11-1 GNAC) handled Emerson College (11-13, 4-6 GNAC), 16-8 and 15-0, in GNAC baseball action on Saturday afternoon at Larry Mahaney Diamond. Ian Lee '11 (Hampden, ME) was 5-7 with four runs and seven RBI in the two contests and Eric LaBatte '11 (Rochester, NH) belted two home runs and also knocked home seven in the pair of wins. Andrew Keirstead '10 (Westbrook, ME) earned the victory in game one to improve to 5-1 and nightcap starter Curtis Orlik '12 (Brimfield, MA) notched his first collegiate win after allowing two hits and striking out seven in five innings of work.
GAME ONE -
The Monks scored two in the first, six in the third, five in the fourth and three in the sixth en route to the 16-8 opening win. Emerson countered with three in the third and fifth innings and two runs in the seventh.
Chris Campbell '11 (Rochester, NH) led off the game with a walk and Wade Oliver '09 (Owls Head, ME) sent an 0-2 pitch over Emerson centerfielder Austin Fontanella's '12 (Pelham, NH) head to send him home. Oliver scored on a groundout to short off the bat of Lee to put the Royal Blue up, 2-0.
After a scoreless second inning, the Lions went to work in the third to take a 3-2 lead. Brian Kitson '11 (Londonderry, NH) and Peter Maltzan '11 (Lexington, MA) recorded RBI singles that sandwiched a Geoff Lopes '12 (Falmouth, MA) groundout to second, which plated a run, to account for the visitor's only lead of the day.
The Monks took control of the game by putting up 11 runs off 10 hits in the third and fourth innings. Pat Moran '10 (Winterport, ME) hit a bases-loaded double to score three and Mike Burdin '10 (Gardiner, ME) and Lee both collected RBI's with singles in the third. Lee came up again in the fourth frame and sent a double to right-center to plate Oliver and jogged home after LaBatte hit a two-run tater over the left field wall. Craig Woodbrey '10 (Gorham, ME) drove in the final run of the inning on a groundout to second, as the Monks had built a 13-3 cushion after four innings of play.
The Lions didn't go down without a fight, however. In the top of the fifth the visitors strung together five hits to score three runs and make it a 13-6 game. Lopes, connecting on the Lions' fourth straight single, plated a pair of runs with a base hit down the left field line and Adam Speakman '12 (Barrington, RI) sent home the third run of the frame with a single to left.
Saint Joseph's tacked on three insurance runs in the sixth off an Oliver single, a Lee sac fly and a groundout off the bat of Ben Grant - Roy '10 (Biddeford, ME). Emerson countered with a pair in the top of the seventh, as Alva Drucker '09 (Toronto, ONT) registered an RBI single and Pete Hall '09 (North Canton, OH) plated a run on a fielder's choice.
Five different SJC players recorded multiple hits in the opening game. Campbell was 3-4 with three runs, Burdin went 3-4 with a run and an RBI and Lee was 2-4 with two runs and four RBI. Oliver scored four times and was 2-3 with two RBI, Grant - Roy was 2-5 with a run scored and one driven in and Moran scored twice and plated three runs. Keirstead allowed 12 hits and eight earned runs with one walk and four strikeouts to collect the victory.
For Emerson, Kitson was 4-4 with three runs and an RBI and Ryan Garber ‘12 (Holmdel, NJ) went 3-4 with three runs scored. Starter Jeff Kolb '12 (Barrington, RI) tossed two innings and allowed seven earned runs and four hits to take the loss.
GAME TWO -
St. Joe's scored at least two runs in each of the first five innings of the nightcap to run away with a 15-0 triumph and the team's fifth GNAC sweep of the season.
After Lee singled with two out in the first frame, Grant - Roy and LaBatte hit back-to-back doubles to put the hosts up 2-0. Moran worked a walk out of Emerson starter Peter Maltzan before Todd Keneborus '11 (Hollis Center, ME/Cheverus) sent home two with his second triple of the season.
The Monks went on to add a pair of runs in both the second in third innings to take an 8-0 lead. Lee plated two with a single in the second inning and doubles from Moran , Travis Adams '10 (Saco, ME) and Burdin resulted in two more runs in the third frame.
LaBatte connected for his second long ball of the day, a three-run tater, as part of a five-run fourth. After the blast, Emerson tapped the bullpen for Ken Prue '11 (Middletown, CT). Moran welcomed the reliever into the game by belting a deep solo homer into the woods beyond the left field fence, completing the back-to-back effort and putting the Monks up 13-0 after four.
Grant - Roy and Woodbrey plated the final two runs of the day with sacrifice flies.
Four St. Joe's hitters produced multiple-hit efforts in the nightcap. Lee was a perfect 3-3 with two runs and three RBI and Grant - Roy , LaBatte and Moran all collected two hits in the triumph. Mason Roberge '11 (Franklin, NH) and Chris Dion '11 (Lawrence, MA) both worked single innings in relief for the Monks.
When Oliver was hit by a pitch in the third inning of the opener, it was the 46 th time this season a Monks batter has been plunked, which is a new team single-season record... Oliver's triple in the first inning of game one was the 13 th of his career, the second most in team history... Keirstead's victory in the opener gave him 15 in his career and ties him for 10 th all time in pitching wins at St. Joe's with Rick Gouin '88 ...As a team, St. Joe's hit 10 doubles in the two-game set and have 95 this season, four shy of tying the program record of 99 set in 2000...When Burdin hit his second double of the day, giving him 10 on the season, the 2009 team became just the second squad in program history to have four players with 10 or more doubles...No SJC baseball team has ever seen five players reach double digits in two-baggers, and LaBatte is sitting on nine through 29 games...As of April 12 th , the Monks ranked 9 th in all of NCAA DIII Baseball with 2.78 doubles per game.
Saint Joseph's will play host to Suffolk University, in the Monks final GNAC doubleheader of the season, on Sunday at 12:00 PM. Emerson will play at Lasell College on Sunday in a conference twin bill set to begin at 12:00 PM.
