STANDISH, ME – Ward Park, which houses Larry Mahaney Diamond and Richard W. Bailey Field, will serve as the host site for the 2014 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) baseball and softball tournaments this weekend.
The 2014 GNAC Baseball Tournament kicks off with a quarterfinal contest featuring #2 Saint Joseph's College (20-12, 11-3 GNAC) and #3 Lasell College (18-10, 10-4 GNAC) at 3:30 PM on Thursday.
The baseball tourney continues at Mahaney Diamond with three games on Saturday, starting with a losers' bracket contest at 10:00 AM. The two remaining undefeated teams face off at 1:30 PM while the winner of the 10:00 AM game and loser of the 1:30 PM tilt battle in an elimination contest starting at 5:00 PM.
First pitch for the 2014 GNAC Championship is set for 12:00 PM on Sunday and a built in 'if necessary' contest is slated to start at 3:30 PM. The winner of the GNAC title earns an automatic qualifier into the 2014 NCAA DIII Tournament, which begins on May 14th at various Regional sites around the nation.
The GNAC Baseball Tournament format is as follows: the top six teams make the playoffs with a pair of single-elimination games, featuring the #3 - #6 seeds, which were played on April 22nd. The remaining four teams advance to the double-elimination portion of the tourney, which begins with single games hosted by the top two seeds on April 24th and continues with two days of tourney play at the host site.
2014 GNAC Baseball Tournament Rankings and Schedule:
1 Suffolk University (18-11-1, 12-2 GNAC)
2 Saint Joseph's College (20-12, 11-3 GNAC)
3 Lasell College (17-10, 10-4 GNAC)
4 Johnson & Wales University (27-12, 9-5 GNAC)
5 Albertus Magnus College (14-13, 7-7 GNAC)
6 Norwich University (7-14, 4-10 GNAC)
Tuesday, April 22nd: FIRST ROUND (Single Elimination)
GAME A: #4 Johnson & Wales - 4, #5 Albertus Magnus – 0 (Albertus Magnus eliminated)
GAME B: #3 Lasell - 4, #6 Norwich – 0 (Norwich eliminated)
Thursday, April 24th: QUARTERFINALS
GAME C: #4 Johnson & Wales @ #1 Suffolk – 6:00 PM
GAME D: #3 Lasell @ #2 Saint Joseph's – 3:30 PM
Saturday, April 26th: SEMIFINALS Hosted by Saint Joseph's
GAME E: Loser of Game C vs. Loser of Game D – 10:00 AM
GAME F: Winner of Game C vs. Winner of Game D – 1:30 PM
GAME G: Winner of Game E vs. Loser of Game F – 5:00 PM
Sunday, April 27th: CHAMPIONSHIP Hosted by Saint Joseph's
GAME H: Winner of Game F vs. Winner of Game G – 12:00 PM
GAME I: If necessary – 3:30 PM
SOFTBALL:
The GNAC Softball Tournament action at Bailey Field begins on Friday afternoon when #5 Suffolk University faces #4 University of Saint Joseph (CT) at 2:00 PM. The Monks take on the Suffolk/Saint Joseph (CT) winner at 4:00 PM on Friday. Two contests will also take place at Johnson & Wales University, the #2 seed in the tourney, on Friday, as #6 Norwich University duels #3 Simmons College at 2:00 PM and the victor faces the host-Wildcats at 4:00 PM.
Four games will be played at Bailey Field on Saturday, starting with losers' bracket contests at 10:00 AM and 12:00 PM. The two remaining undefeated programs face off at 2:00 PM and another elimination game follows at 4:00 PM. Play resumes Sunday at 10:00 AM and the championship begins at 12:00 PM with the 'if necessary' contest immediately following.
The winner of the GNAC Championship earns an automatic qualifying bid into the 2014 NCAA DIII Tournament, which begins on May 9th.
The GNAC Softball Tournament format is as follows: the top eight teams make the playoffs with a pair of single-elimination games, featuring the #5 - #8 seeds, which were played on April 22nd and 23rd. The remaining six teams advance to the double-elimination portion of the tourney, which begins with four games on Friday – with two tilts being played at the #1 and #2 seed sites that day. The top seed serves as the host for the remaining conference tournament contests on Saturday and Sunday.
2014 GNAC Softball Tournament Rankings and Schedule:
1 Saint Joseph's College (30-4, 20-2 GNAC)
2 Johnson & Wales University (27-9, 18-4 GNAC)
3 Simmons College (24-8, 17-5 GNAC)
4 University of Saint Joseph (CT) (21-10, 17-5 GNAC)
5 Suffolk University (20-21, 11-11 GNAC)
6 Norwich University 17-16, 11-11 GNAC)
7 Albertus Magnus College (17-17, 10-12 GNAC)
8 Emmanuel College (17-21, 9-13 GNAC)
FIRST ROUND (Single Elimination)
GAME 1: #5 Suffolk – 4, #8 Emmanuel – 2 (Emmanuel eliminated)
GAME 2: #6 Norwich – 5, #7 Albertus Magnus – 4 (Albertus Magnus eliminated)
Friday, April 25th: QUARTERFINALS
GAME 3: #5 Suffolk vs. #4 University of Saint Joseph (CT) - 2:00 PM (@ Saint Joseph's)
GAME 4: #6 Norwich vs. #3 Simmons College - 2:00 PM (@ Johnson & Wales)
GAME 5: Winner of game 3 vs. #1 Saint Joseph's - 4:00 PM (@ Saint Joseph's)
GAME 6: Winner of game 4 vs. #2 Johnson & Wales - 4:00 PM (@ Johnson & Wales)
Saturday, April 26th: SEMIFINALS Hosted by Saint Joseph's
GAME 7: Loser of Game 4 vs. Loser of Game 5—10:00 AM
GAME 8: Loser of Game 3 vs. Loser of Game 6—12:00 PM
GAME 9: Winner of Game 5 vs. Winner of Game 6 – 2:00 PM
GAME 10: Winner of Game 7 vs. Winner of Game 8 – 4:00 PM
Sunday, April 27th: CHAMPIONSHIP Hosted by Saint Joseph's
GAME 11: Loser of Game 9 vs. Winner of Game 10 – 10:00 AM
GAME 12: Winner of Game 11 vs. Winner of Game 9 – 12:00 PM
GAME 13: If necessary – 2:00 PM
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Saint Joseph's College is Maine's only Catholic liberal arts college, providing a supportive, personalized and career-focused education for more than 100 years. From its 430-acre campus on the shores of Sebago Lake, the College offers more than 40 undergraduate programs to a population of approximately 1,000 students. Saint Joseph's College Online provides certificates, undergraduate and advanced degrees for working adults through an online learning program. For more, visit www.sjcme.edu.
