WINTER HAVEN, Fla. – Saint Joseph's College (6-8) split a pair of games with Westfield State University (6-2) in RussMatt Central Florida Invitational baseball action on Thursday. The Monks suffered a walk-off 4-3 setback in the opener and closed out the Florida trip with a 9-4 victory over the Owls.

Westfield State 4, Saint Joseph's 3

Leading 3-2 going into the bottom of the seventh, Saint Joseph's fell on the wrong side of a come from behind effort, as Westfield plated a pair off two hits to steal the first game between the New England Region counterparts.

¬The Monks trailed 1-0 after Owls first baseman Nate Barnes (Westfield, Mass.) delivered a two-out RBI single in the bottom of the first, but answered with two runs in the top of the third, when senior third baseman Lincoln Sanborn (Standish, Maine) ripped a run-scoring double into the right-center gap and later scored on a Taylor Reuillard (Biddeford, Maine) base hit.

The 2-1 edge remained until the bottom of the sixth when the Barnes led off with a single and eventually came around to score on a two-out RBI double off the bat of sophomore pinch hitter Josh Cabucio (East Freetown, Mass.).

Saint Joseph's reclaimed the lead, albeit momentarily, in the top of the seventh. With two out, Sanborn roped his second two-bagger of the day and promptly scored when the following batter, sophomore shortstop Taylor Black (Cardiff by the Sea, Calif.), singled up the middle.

In the bottom of the seventh, junior center fielder Dan McCormack (Shelton, Conn.) opened with a single to left field and moved to second on a Pat McWilliams (Duxbury, Mass.) sac bunt. Head Coach Will Sanborn '86 opted to intentionally walk the next batter, senior designated hitter Tim Santilli (Southbridge, Mass.), to set up the force at all infield bases. Facing junior reliever Riley Cox (Westford, Mass.), Danny DiMatteo (Dennis, Mass.) produced a game-tying hit and, following another intentional pass, junior D.J. Bishop (Dartmouth, Mass.) stepped to the plate and delivered a game-winning sacrifice fly to right field.

Sanborn was 3-3 with a pair of runs, two doubles and an RBI and was the lone SJC repeat hitter in the losing effort. Senior starter Alex Valenti (Lawrence, Mass.) pitched well but was hit with the loss after allowing four runs off seven hits and four walks with six K's in 6.1 innings.

Barnes posted the Owls' only multi-hit effort and was 2-3 with a run and an RBI in the opener. Senior hurler Mile Molta (Nantucket, Mass.) went the distance, yielding three runs (one earned) off seven hits with no walks and five strikeouts to pick up the victory.

Saint Joseph's 9, Westfield State 4

Trailing 4-1 heading into the bottom of the fifth, the Monks turned the tables on the Owls by scoring six runs off six hits and an error and tacked on two more in the sixth to close out the southern swing on a high note.

The Monks grabbed an early lead in the closing contest with a run off three hits in the bottom of the first. With one out, Reuillard singled down the right field line, stole second and moved to third on a Joe Coyne (Duxbury, Mass.) single before scoring on a Jameson Collins (Sandown, N.H.) base hit.

The slimmest of margins held true until the top of the third, when Westfield State knocked home four runs off four hits – all with two out - to secure a 4-1 cushion. With runners on second and third, Barnes delivered a two-run single and trotted home when the following hitter, Bishop, launched a two-run jack over the left field wall.

Although the Monks' crooked number was put up on the board in the bottom of the fifth, it seems likely that the momentum began in the top of the frame, when the Royal Blue escaped a bases-loaded with one out scenario unscathed. With runners on first and second, Coach Sanborn removed senior starter Dan Meeken (Marshfield, Mass.) in favor of freshman Christopher Gerossie (Chester, N.H.), who walked the first batter he faced to load the bases. Impressively, the rookie righthander proceeded to cut down the following two batters by way of the K, forcing Westfield to squander a prime scoring opportunity.

Fresh off the fine pitching effort, the SJC bats came to life, as Black led off the bottom of the fifth with a double to right field, moved to third on a passed ball, and scored when Reuillard singled through the right side. Coyne plated Reuillard with a double of his own and later scored on a balk by reliever Mike Hersey (Norton, Mass.), knotting the game at 4-4. Sophomore outfielders Dennis Meehan (Gardiner, Maine) and Scott Betts (Peabody, Mass.) followed with consecutive singles to bring up pinch hitter Dan Donovan (Lynn, Mass.), who sent both runners home with a single. Senior Anthony Zawistowski (Otisville, N.Y.), pinch running for Donovan, lifted the Monks to a 7-2 lead after scoring on a Brett Barbati (Melrose, Mass.) sac fly to center.

With one out in the sixth, Coyne plated Reuillard with his second double of the game and later scored on an infield error to account for the 9-4 final score.

For the Monks, Coyne was 3-4 with two runs, two doubles and a pair of RBI, Reuillard went 2-3 with three runs, an RBI and a stolen base, Black added two doubles and a run in four at bats, and Betts went 2-4 with a run scored.

On the mound, Gerossie earned his first collegiate victory after allowing a hit and a walk with three strikeouts in an inning of relief and freshman Josh Partridge (Deerfield, N.H.) fanned one batter in 1.2 innings of work. Meeken gave up four runs off six hits and three walks with five K's over 4.1 innings.

McCormack went 2-4 with a run scored and was the Owls' only repeat hitter in the loss. Hersey was hit with the losing decision after yielding three unearned runs off three hits and a balk in an inning of relief.

With the split, Saint Josephs' is now 3-1 in the history of the series with Westfield State University, a team the Monks defeated by an 18-4 margin in Florida last spring.

Saint Joseph's closed out the Spring Break trip with an impressive .355 (91-256) batting average with 61 runs and 24 doubles in eight games at the RussMatt Invitational. The Monks outscored their opponents by a collective 61-38 margin during the southern swing and the SJC pitching staff combined to fan 65 batters with 26 walks in 60.2 innings. St. Joe's posted a 5-3 record during the trip, with two of the three losses coming by just one run.

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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.