STANDISH, ME – Saint Joseph's (17-2, 4-0 GNAC) edged University of Southern Maine (9-9, 1-1 LEC), 7-6, in a non-conference baseball game played at Larry Mahaney Diamond on Wednesday afternoon. Junior center fielder Sam Butts (Saco, Maine) went 3-5 with a double, home run, and three RBI in the victory.
The Monks spotted the Huskies a pair of runs in the top of the first when SJC starting pitcher Joe Gruntkosky (Peabody, Mass.) struggled with his command and surrendered a pair of walks and a run-scoring single to junior first baseman Nick Grady (Whitefield, Maine). The Huskies' second run of the frame crossed the plate after Grady's single when freshman catcher Nic Lops (South Portland, Maine/Cheverus) committed a throwing error.
St. Joe's would play some small ball to cut the deficit in half in the bottom of the second. Lops worked a walk to lead off the inning, moved up to second on a single by sophomore left fielder Alex Markakis (Lynnfield, Mass.), scampered to third when sophomore third baseman Lincoln Sanborn (Standish, Maine) dropped down a sac bunt, and scored on a sac fly to right by junior second baseman Brandon Chase (Naples, Maine) to make it a 2-1 game.
Southern Maine would regain the two-run cushion in the third when junior designated hitter Tucker White (Deerfield, N.H.) reached via fielder's choice and later scored on a Matt Verrier (Norway, Maine) sacrifice fly.
The Huskies would secure their largest lead of the day in the top of the fourth when White plated sophomore third baseman Troy Thibodeau (Danvers, Mass.) with a sac fly to lift the visitors to a 4-1 advantage.
The unflappable Monks would not go down without a fight however, as the hosts managed to produce four runs off three hits in the bottom of the fourth to gain their first lead of the afternoon. Sophomore right fielder Alex Lorenc (Nanuet, N.Y.) led off with a sharp single to center and moved to second when Markakis was plunked with an errant pitch. Chase strode to the plate with two out and delivered the big hit, a triple to right field, to plate both runners and bring the Monks within one run. Butts erased the deficit and put the Royal Blue ahead – for good, as it turned out – when he belted his first home run of the season, a blast to right field, to propel the hosts to a 5-4 edge.
Saint Joseph's proceeded to tack on single runs in the sixth and seventh innings en route to earning a 7-4 cushion. In the sixth Butts plated Sanborn, who reached with a single, with a double to left and Sanborn doubled home Lorenc, who reached via base on balls, to extend the SJC lead to three runs after seven innings.
The game seemed to be in hand for the Monks, but Kyle Neagle (Lisbon Falls, Maine) – who worked a perfect 1-2-3 seventh inning – allowed a lead-off triple to Thibodeau and the following batter, freshman left fielder Jake Glauser (Goffstown, N.H.), made it a one-run game with one swing as the rookie blasted a two-run shot far beyond the left field wall to cut the Huskies' deficit down to 7-6 midway through the eighth frame.
St. Joe's looked to add an insurance score in the bottom of the eighth as Butts opened with an infield single and moved to second on a Dan Achorn (Bow, N.H.) sac bunt. The junior speedster would advance no further however, as USM reliever Nick Douglass (Poland, Maine) shut the door with a pair of harmless outs.
Junior hurler Chad Rafferty (Keene, N.H.), who entered the game with two out in the eighth, worked a near-flawless ninth. The righty allowed junior second baseman John Carey (South Portland, Maine) to reach with a one-out single through the right side but honed in to strike out the next two batters to close out the contest for his first career save.
For the Monks, Chase went 2-3 with a run, a triple and three RBI and Sanborn was 2-3 with a run, a double and an RBI in the victory. Gruntkosky improved to 3-0 on the season after allowing four runs (two earned) off six hits and six walks with five strikeouts in six innings. Freshman Alex Valenti (Lawrence, Mass.) allowed a hit and a walk in 2/3 inning of relief and Rafferty allowed a hit and fanned a pair in 1.1 innings of scoreless relief.
For the Huskies, Grady was 3-5 with a double and an RBI, Thibodeau went 2-5 with two runs and a triple, and Glauser added two hits in four trips to the plate with a home run and two RBI. Senior starting pitcher Dustin Stanton (Cornish, Maine) suffered the loss after yielding six runs off seven hits, two walks and a pair of hit batsmen and Douglass finished the game by working 2.2 innings with one run allowed off two hits and a walk.
Saint Joseph's will host University of Maine-Presque Isle on Thursday in a single nine-inning game set to begin at 12:00 PM. Southern Maine travels to Salem State on Thursday for a 3:30 PM start.
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.
