STANDISH, ME – Saint Joseph's (12-2) blanked UMass.-Boston (8-6), 5-0, in what was the Monks' 2012 home-opener at Larry Mahaney Diamond on a blustery Friday afternoon. SJC starting pitcher Joe Gruntkosky (Peabody, Mass.) was brilliant in the triumph, posting a career-high 10 strikeouts with five hits and a walk allowed through eight innings of work.
However dominant, Gruntkosky was nearly bested by Beacons starter Michael Boughton (New Britain, Conn.), who saw a perfect-game bid come to an end when Monks freshman catcher Nic Lops (South Portland, Maine/Cheverus) led off the bottom of the sixth with a single to right field.
Boughton's shutout effort was also cancelled in the frame as Lops moved up to second on a Lincoln Sanborn (Standish, Maine) sac bunt, scampered to third when Brandon Chase (Naples, Maine) grounded out to short, and bolted home on a Sam Butts (Saco, Maine) single through the right side.
UMass.-Boston, which had three hits over the first six innings, threatened in the seventh with singles from Dominic Morbidelli (Oakland, Calif.) and Mike Mattei (Spencer, Mass.) to give the visitors runners on first and third with two out. Gruntkosky closed the door by fanning freshman shortstop Bryan Failla (Torrington, Conn.) on three pitches.
The Monks, ranked second in the New England Intercollegiate Baseball Association regional poll and 24th in the ABCA/Collegiate Baseball national poll, went on to pad their lead with two runs off two hits and a UMB miscue in the bottom of the seventh. Freshman Joe Coyne (Duxbury, Mass.) reached via infield error to open the frame and junior first baseman Mike Pratt (Dartmouth, Mass.) followed with a double, on a slash play, to left field to give the hosts runners on second and third with nobody out. Sophomore right fielder Alex Lorenc (Nanuet, N.Y.) plated Coyne with a sac fly to right and Pratt scored two batters later when Lops drove a double to the right-center gap.
Saint Joseph's plated a pair of insurance runs off two UMass.-Boston bullpen arms in the bottom of the eighth. Chase greeted Beacons reliever Greg Dubela (Stratham, N.H.) with a sharply hit single to right and moved up two bases when Dubela attempted a pick-off throw while first baseman Matt Consiglio (Southbury, Conn.) was playing off the bag. After a four-pitch walk was issued to senior shortstop Dan Achorn (Bow, N.H.), Coyne rapped a double off the left field wall to send Chase walking home and Achorn to third. UMB Head Coach Brendan Eygabroat then lifted Dubela in favor of Gabe May (Portsmouth, N.H.), who allowed the fifth run of the contest to score when Pratt lifted a fly ball to left for a sac fly.
After the long inning, St. Joe's skipper Will Sanborn '86 replaced Gruntkosky with senior reliever Kyle Neagle (Lisbon Falls, Maine), who worked a perfect ninth inning, preserving the 5-0 final for the Monks.
Lops was the game's lone repeat hitter after going 2-3 with a run, a double and an RBI in the SJC victory. Gruntkosky and Neagle combined to throw the Monks' first shutout of the season, allowing just seven total baserunners with just one reaching third base on the afternoon.
Boughton was stellar in the losing effort, allowing three runs (one earned) off four hits while fanning a pair in seven innings. He tossed only 64 pitches in what was his first loss of the season. Dubela gave up two runs off two hits and a walk in 1/3 inning and May worked 2/3 of an inning with a strikeout for the Beacons.
With the victory Saint Joseph's improves to 3-1 in the history of the series with UMass.-Boston. The shutout win is the first by either team in the four-game series.
Saint Joseph's will host Albertus Magnus College in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference doubleheader slated to begin at 1:00 PM on Saturday afternoon. UMass.-Boston travels to Eastern Connecticut State University for a Little East Conference twinbill set to start at 1:00 PM on Sunday.
Saint Joseph's College, founded in 1912 by the Sisters of Mercy, celebrates its Centennial year in 2012 with a theme of "Realize the Promise" – honoring our commitment to educating well-rounded graduates who combine career focus with classic liberal arts studies. A Private, Catholic, primarily residential, coeducational liberal arts institution, Saint Joseph's welcomes students of all ages and all faiths. The campus, located 18 miles northwest of Portland and just two hours from Boston, encompasses 350 acres along the shore of beautiful Sebago Lake in Standish, Maine. Enrollment ranges between 1,000 and 1,100 students annually. Saint Joseph's offers challenging academic programs in the liberal arts and sciences, education, nursing and business fields in a value-centered environment.
