JERSEY CITY, NJ - Saint Joseph's (5-7) scored five runs in the eighth inning of game one to break open a long-standing 3-3 contest, and scored six runs on just five hits in game two as the Monks swept a doubleheader from New Jersey City University (2-10), 9-4 and 6-3 on Saturday. Senior right fielder Todd Keneborus (Hollis Center, ME/Cheverus) was a combined 5-for-8 with five RBIs and three runs in the two contests.
The games were the 2011 home opener for the Gothic Knights and the first two contests in a three-game weekend series.
Saint Joseph's won its second and third straight games and leads the all-time series with NJCU (2-10), 6-1. The Knights dropped their sixth and seventh straight games. The Knights outhit the Monks in both games, 14-12 in the opener and 9-5 in the nightcap.
Junior left fielder ROB GONZALEZ (Brick, NJ/Brick Memorial) had two hits in each game to increase his career hits total to 136. He moved past Romano Lake (1987-90, 134 hits) and Eric Martinez (1996-98, 135 hits) for 11th place in school history.
GAME ONE
In the opening game, NJCU led 3-0 after two innings before the Monks scored three unearned runs after a two-out, third inning error tied it. The game remained even at 3-3 until the top of the eighth inning when SJCME scored five runs for an 8-3 lead. Each school scored a single run in the ninth.
St. Joe's was led by Keneborus' 3-for-6 effort with two runs and two RBIs. Freshman catcher Alex Lorenc (Nanuet, NY) was 3-for-5 with two RBIs and one run and sophomore first/third baseman Mike Pratt (Dartmouth, MA) had two RBIs, going 2-for-3. Junior shortstop Dan Achorn (Bow, NH) contributed a 2-for-4, two-run performance.
Sophomore righty Chad Rafferty (Keene, NH) earned the win (1-1), allowing three runs and 10 hits with six strikeouts and one walk in a 114-pitch, seven-inning effort. Junior righty Kyle Neagle (Lisbon Falls, ME) pitched the final 2.0 innings, allowing one run and four hits.
In defeat for NJCU, senior designated hitter JORDAN TETRICK (Delray Beach, FL/Radnor (Pa.)) was 3-for-4 with a run and RBI while senior shortstop MICHAEL FIORENTINO (Point Pleasant Beach, NJ/Point Pleasant Beach) batted 3-for-4. Gonzalez and sophomore first baseman THOMAS LACIK (Edison, NJ/Bishop George Ahr) each went 2-for-5 with a run and RBI. Junior second/third baseman CHRISTOPHER MIRABILE (Manalapan, NJ/Manalapan) added a 2-for-5 showing.
For NJCU, junior righty NELSON MALDONADO (Newark, NJ/St. Mary's (Jersey City)) tossed a 6.0 inning no-decision, allowing no earned runs (three total) and six hits with two Ks and two walks. Sophomore righty ALVIN CARRASCO (Jersey City, NJ/St. Mary's (Jersey City)) took the loss in relief (0-1), allowing two runs and three hits with a walk in 1.1 innings. Freshman left-hander ZACK MARKLE (Hoboken, NJ/Hoboken) made his first career appearance while rookie MATT DELBERT (Bayonne, NJ/Bayonne) allowed one unearned run without a hit, with a strikeout and walk in the ninth inning.
In the top of the first, St. Joe's nearly brought a man home from third before Fiorentino made a great sliding stop of a ground ball behind the second base bag and from his knees made an inning-ending throw to first.
In the bottom of the inning, Gonzalez led off with a single to left and advanced all the way to third on a sac bunt by senior right fielder JORGE GUTIERREZ (Sewaren, NJ/Hudson Catholic). Tetrick slid an infield single between the SJCME shortstop and second baseman to bring home Gonzalez for a 1-0 lead.
Nelson Maldonado tossed a 6.0 inning no-decision, allowing no earned runs (three total) and six hits with two Ks and two walks.
In the second inning, Fiorentino walked and Lacik singled before Mirabile laced an RBI single down the right field line for a 2-0 lead. Gonzalez brought in Lacik for a 3-0 lead with a ground ball to second.
St. Joe's tied in the top of the third—with all three runs coming after a two-out error on a dropped infield fly. Keneborus, Lorenc and Pratt had consecutive singles with the latter two producing RBIs on their hits after Achorn, who had led off the inning with a ground-rule double, scored on the initial error.
In the bottom of the fourth NJCU loaded the bases with one out before a ground ball double play ended the threat. SJCME and NJCU each stranded two runners in the fifth inning and the Monks left two more in the sixth as the clubs each left 10 runners through seven innings while the game remained knotted at 3-3.
The Monks threatened in the seventh. After two leadoff singles, Fiorentino orchestrated a double play before Carrasco coerced a ground ball to the mound to end the inning. In the bottom of the seventh inning, NJCU got two men on as Tetrick had a single on a slow trickling grounder between the mound and first and Witte singled to third base but NJCU stranded two.
It came down to the eighth inning. After Achorn led off with a single, followed by a one-out walk, Keneborus ripped a bases-loaded, 3-2 pitch up the middle to bring home two runs for a 5-3 lead before Lorenc laced a double down the left field line for a 6-3 cushion.
Pratt made it 7-3 with a sacrifice fly to right. With two outs, freshman Joe Gruntkosky (Peabody, MA) had a pinch hit fly ball that fell in front of Gutierrez who struggled to find the ball in the sun.
St. Joe's added a run on a sac fly in the ninth. NJCU had a pair of ninth inning singles before Lacik added an RBI hit for the Knights' fourth run.
GAME TWO
In game two, senior righty Mason Roberge (Franklin, NH) tossed a complete-game, 120-pitch effort for the win (1-1), allowing three runs and nine hits with four strikeouts and two walks, as St. Joe's swept the doubleheader. The Monks led 5-1 after four and a half innings. The Monks won despite leaving 13 runners on base in seven innings.
For NJCU, senior center fielder KEN WITTE (Wantage, NJ/High Point Regional) was 2-for-4 with one run and Gonzalez added a run in a 2-for-4 outing. Keneborus led the Monks with three RBIs, batting 2-for-4 with a run.
Freshman righty T.J. JANHO (Somerset, NJ/Timothy Christian) suffered his first career loss (0-1), allowing one earned run (three total) and four hits with a strikeout and five walks over 3.0 innings. Sophomore righty MICHAEL KELLY (Jersey City, NJ/Hudson Catholic) tossed 3.0 innings of relief allowing one hit and two earned runs (three total), with three strikeouts and four walks. Sophomore lefty PEDRO GARCIA (North Bergen, NJ/Saint Joseph of the Palisades) did not allow a hit in a seventh inning appearance.
Saint Joseph's took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning. After Keneborus reached on a two-out error, Lorenc was hit by a pitch and Pratt singled to load the bases before freshman second baseman Matt Consigli (Northbridge, MA) forced in an unearned run when he was hit by another pitch.
Freshman first baseman Joe Davis (Standish, ME) was hit by another pitch with the bases loaded for the second run.
In the second inning, Keneborus had an RBI single to right and Achorn, who led off with a single, narrowly beat the throw to the throw to the plate from Gutierrez for a 3-0 edge.
NJCU got a run across in the third when Gonzalez dribbled an infield single to third and advanced on a failed pickoff throw before Tetrick hit a long fly ball to deep right center for an RBI double. Witte laid down a perfect bunt on the first pitch he saw in the inning for runners on first and third but Roberge got out of the inning with a pair of pop flies.
Kelly came in as a reliever in the fourth inning with two runners on and no outs and stranded the bases loaded, fanning one, before inducing a soft liner to short to end the inning.
St. Joe's gained a 5-1 lead in the top of the fifth. After a leadoff walk and hit batter, Keneborus doubled down the right field line to produce two more runs.
NJCU drew within 5-3 in the bottom of the fifth. With one out, Tetrick walked and Witte doubled down the left field line, giving the Knights runners on second and third. Fiorentino knocked in one run with a groundout. With two outs, Witte tried to steal home and would have been out at the plate, but Roberge was flagged for a balk, allowing the run to cross.
In the top of the seventh, Garcia would have gotten out of the inning trailing 5-3, but on a ground ball to the mound, he threw wide of first base, and the Monks scored a sixth run on the error. NJCU tried to rally in the seventh as Gonzalez led off with a single and Tetrick walked, before a fly out and liner ended the game.
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