STANDISH, ME – Saint Joseph’s (6-6) suffered another one-run loss on Thursday in the team’s home opener to UMass.-Boston (8-3) on Thursday afternoon. The Monks rapped out 11 hits and hit three home runs, but a porous SJC defense committed six errors and allowed the Beacons to score six unearned runs in the loss.
Ian Lee ’11 (Hampden, ME) was 3-4 with an RBI, Chris Campbell ’11 (Rochester, NH) went 2-5 with a run scored and Mike Burdin ’10 (Gardiner, ME) knocked home a pair with a double. Pat Moran ’10 (Winterport, ME), Todd Keneborus ’11 (Hollis Center, ME/Cheverus) and Nate Martin ’13 (Chebeague Island, ME) all hit homers for the Monks.
SJC pitcher Chris Dion ’11 (Lawrence, ME) was hit with the loss after allowing four runs, two earned, in 1/3 inning of relief. Beacons right-hander Matt Young ’12 (Colchester, CT) earned the victory for the visitors with 2/3 inning of effective relief.
Monks starter Kevin Chamberlain ’11 (Scarborough, ME) deserved a better fate, as the righty allowed just one earned run and five hits in 3.2 innings. Chamberlain was lifted in favor of Mason Roberge ’11 (Franklin, NH) in the top of the fourth after UMass.-Boston scored five runs off four errors in the frame.
Roberge did not yield a hit and fanned four in 3.1 innings before being replaced by Dion in the eighth. Chris Nanof ’10 (Clinton, MA) allowed a hit and struck out one in 2/3 inning and Andrew Keirstead ’10 (Westbrook, ME) hurled a scoreless ninth with two hits allowed and a strikeout.
The Monks struck first with three runs in their first turn at the plate. Campbell led off the bottom of the first with a double to the left-center gap and scored from second on a base hit by Lee. Two batters later, Keneborus mashed his second longball of the year, a two-run shot to deep right-center to provide his team with a 3-0 cushion.
Saint Joseph’s squandered an opportunity to tack on more runs in the third inning, as the Royal Blue loaded the bases, but were unable to push a run across, with the meat of the order at the plate. The Beacons were able to score five runs in the fourth off just three hits and the aforementioned quartet of Monks miscues.
St. Joe’s answered with a single run in the bottom of the frame, as Martin utilized his speed to singlehandedly cut the SJC deficit in half. The rookie outfielder led off the inning with a sharp single to center, advanced to third on an errant pickoff attempt by Beacons starter Andrew LeBrun ’10 (Stoneham, MA), and scored on a wild pitch. With one out, the Monks had runners on first and third, as Eric LaBatte ’11 (Rochester, NH) walked and advanced to third on a Lee base knock, but LeBrun managed to get out of the jam with a strikeout and a fly ball to right field.
Saint Joseph’s gained a 6-5 edge with a pair of solo blasts in the top of the fifth inning. Moran opened the frame with a deep homer to left center, his first tater of the year, and Martin turned around a 3-1 offering from LeBrun and put it over the left field wall for his first collegiate long ball.
The Monks added a pair of runs in the bottom of the seventh when Burdin lined a double to right center, scoring pinch-runners Kyle Neagle ’12 (Lisbon Falls, ME) and Danny Achorn ’12 (Bow, NH).
The Beacons took advantage of two Monk errors by scoring four runs in the top of the eighth to take a 9-8 lead. Third baseman Matt Mattei ’12 (Spencer, MA) doubled home a pair and left fielder Drew Tambling ’10 (Sterling, MA) hit two-run inside the park home run to center to account for the scoring in the frame.
For the Beacons, Mattei was 2-5 with two runs and three RBI, Tambling went 2-5 with two RBI and right fielder Ty Buccetti ’12 (Wallingford, CT) was 2-4 with an RBI. LeBrun allowed five earned runs, nine hits and two walks with five K’s in 4.2 innings and Noonan did not allow a baserunner in two innings to close out the game.
St. Joe’s will host GNAC opponent Rivier College on Saturday, with the first pitch of the doubleheader scheduled for 12:00 PM. UMass.-Boston will play at Bridgewater State on Friday at 3:00 PM.
