AUBURNDALE, FL – Saint Joseph's fell to 2-5 with a 2-0 loss to Fitchburg State University (3-6) on Thursday afternoon. Freshman catcher Alex Lorenc (Nanuet, NY) went 2-4 with a double in the losing effort.
Both of the Falcons' runs were of the unearned variety as the Monks committed four errors in the nine-inning tilt. Fitchburg took advantage of three SJC miscues in the first frame to get on the board and tacked on an insurance run in the sixth with the help of the Monks' fourth boot of the game.
Saint Joseph's was unable to solve Falcons starter Tynnan Flegg '13 (Calgary, AB), who yielded five hits and three walks while fanning three in a complete-game shutout. The southpaw kept the Monks off balance all game long and allowed just one hit – a Lorenc double with two out in the ninth – over the last five innings. Only one SJC runner reached third base in the loss.
St. Joe's hasn't scored a run in 17 consecutive innings and has just nine hits with a .150 (9-60) batting average during the offensive drought. The Monks' last run came in the first inning versus Wheaton yesterday.
If the team's pitchers and hitters could get on the same page, the Monks would be difficult to beat. Starting pitcher Nick Whittaker '14 (Yarmouth, ME), who suffered the loss, and relievers Jimmy Kennedy '13 (York, ME) and Joe Gruntkosky '14 (Peabody, MA) combined to allow just seven hits and two walks while striking out five in the setback.
Prior to this morning's tilt, the Monks had not been shut out since March 22nd, 2009 – a span of 86 games. St. Joe's has been blanked just twice in the last 130 contests. The last time an opposing pitcher tossed a complete-game shutout against the Royal Blue occurred on March 2nd, 2008 when WPI's Conor Fahey earned a 3-0 win over St. Joe's in a seven-inning game.
USM's Adam Ross, who went the distance in a 3-0 win over the Monks on April 26th, 2007, was the last opposing pitcher to register a complete-game, nine-inning shutout versus Saint Joseph's.
The Monks will cap the 2011 spring trip with a doubleheader against Framingham State tomorrow. The first game is slated to begin at 3:00 PM.
