STANDISH, ME – Saint Joseph’s (16-8, 4-2 GNAC) negated an early 7-0 deficit to defeat Framingham State (9-10), 11-10, at Larry Mahaney Diamond on Thursday afternoon. Right fielder Todd Keneborus ’11 (Hollis Center, ME/Cheverus) went 4-5 with two triples and three runs scored in the slugfest.
The versatile SJC offense used an entirely different approach than the one used to defeat Bowdoin on Tuesday. Against the Polar Bears earlier this week, St. Joe’s bunted eight times en route to a 7-3 win. Today, St. Joe’s slugged three home runs, accounting for seven of the Monks’ 11 runs, with a double and two triples to bounce back against the Rams.
Mason Roberge ’11 (Franklin, NH) earned the victory on the mound for the Monks after tossing scoreless eighth and ninth innings. Starter Kevin Chamberlain ’11 (Scarborough, ME) and Matt Mullen ’11 (Rockland, MA) combined to allow 10 runs, nine earned, in the first 3.1 innings before Chris Nanof ’10 (Clinton, MA) entered the game and held the Rams without a run, or base hit, for 3.2 frames, allowing the Monks to mount a furious comeback effort.
Framingham State scored two runs off three hits and a Monk miscue in the first frame to grab an early lead. Second baseman Daniel Tomasz ’11 (Newburyport, MA) reached on an infield single, advanced on a wild pitch, and scored when the next batter, left fielder Will Crofton ’13 (Hopkinton, MA), singled to right-center. Right fielder Corey Ketterer ’11 (Plymouth, MA) followed with a single and was doubled up on a grounder by designated hitter Danny Chaisson ’11 (Watertown, MA), allowing Crofton to move up to third. The inning appeared to be over when Chamberlain induced first baseman Ryan McCarthy ’10 (Shrewsbury, MA) to pop up, but the fall fell to the ground between three players while Crofton crossed the plate to make it a 2-0 game.
The teams combined for three scoreless turns before the Rams plated five off six hits in the top of the third. Crofton led off the frame with a double down the left field line and immediately scored when Ketterer singled to center. Chaisson followed with a double, moving Ketterer to third. Chamberlain plunked McCarthy to load the bases and was lifted in favor of Mullen, who was greeted with a double to deep center by Steve Tramontozzi ’11 (Watertown, MA), who plated a pair with the drive. Catcher Sean Callahan ’11 (Watertown, MA) cleared the bases, scoring both Tramontozzi and McCarthy, with a single to put his team up, 7-0, after 2 ½ innings.
After mustering just one hit in the first two innings, the Monks made it a game by scoring five runs off five hits, and two taters, in their third turn. Second baseman Mike Burdin ’10 (Gardiner, ME) belted a three-run jack, scoring Craig Woodbrey ’10 (Gorham, ME) and Jon Dahms ’12 (Gorham, ME), who both singled, and designated hitter Pat Moran ’10 (Winterport, ME) hit his fifth long ball of the year, a two-run shot scoring Keneborus, over the wall in left-center to cut the Monks’ deficit to 7-5.
The Rams added three more in the fourth to gain a 10-5 advantage. Tramontozzi doubled home a pair and McCarthy scored on a wild pitch during the frame.
The Monks answered by scoring five runs off five hits off reliever Trevor Behrendt ’13 (Haverhill, MA) in the bottom of the fourth to knot the game at 10 apiece. Shortstop Chris Campbell ’11 (Rochester, NH) drove Nick Saunders ’13 (Brooksville, ME) across the plate with a base knock up the middle and Burdin plated Woodbrey, who reached with a double to left-center, with a sac fly to center. Keneborus followed with his second triple of the game, and sixth of the season, to send Campbell across the plate and scored when first baseman Ben Grant-Roy ’10 (Biddeford, ME) drove a 1-2 offering over the left field wall, tying the game at 10 each. After the blast, the Rams replaced Behrendt with Stephen Marfione ’10 (Medford, MA) on the mound.
Three and half scoreless innings ensued before St. Joe’s completed the comeback effort by scoring a run in the bottom of the eighth. With one out, Keneborus singled through the left side and moved up to second on a botched throw into the infield. After Grant-Roy was hit by pitch, Moran followed with a single to left to send Keneborus lumbering home and provide the hosts with their first lead of the game, 11-10.
Roberge, who entered the game at the beginning of the eighth inning, allowed an infield hit with two out in the ninth, but forced third baseman Joe Sheehan ’11 (Burlington, MA) to ground out to second to end the game and earn his second win of the 2010 campaign.
For the Monks, Grant-Roy was 2-4 with two RBI, Moran went 2-4 with three RBI and Woodbrey was 2-3 with two runs scored. Burdin drove home four runs in the victory.
For the Rams, Crofton was 3-5 with three runs and Ketterer, Chaisson, Tramontozzi and Sheehan all registered two hits. Tramontozzi drove home four runs in the loss and Behrendt, who allowed five runs off five hits in 2/3 of an inning, was hit with the losing decision. Marfione allowed four hits and an earned run in 4.1 innings of relief.
The Monks did not strikeout at the plate and recorded three double plays in the triumph.
St. Joe’s will play at Lasell College on Saturday in a conference twinbill slated to begin at 12:00 PM. Framingham State will host Bridgewater State on Saturday in a two-game set starting at 1:00 PM.
