STANDISH, Maine – Saint Joseph's College (13-6, 6-0 GNAC) toppled Bates College (6-7, 1-1 NESCAC), 14-3, in a non-conference baseball game at Larry Mahaney Diamond on Monday afternoon. Sophomore shortstop Max McCoomb (South Berwick, Maine) went 3-5 with three runs, a double and two RBI in the lopsided triumph.
Saint Joseph's put the Bobcats away early, as the Royal Blue scored nine runs off five hits and three Bates errors in the top of the second. The Monks batted around in the big inning and McCoomb accounted for three runs, as the second-year standout had two hits and scored twice with an RBI during the second frame. St. Joe's tacked on single runs in the fourth and eighth frames and put three on the board in the fifth in the convincing victory.
Today's contest was originally scheduled to take place at Leahey Field in Lewiston, but the Bobcats' home diamond was not quite ready, so the coaches agreed upon a change in venue. As a result, the Monks played as the away team at Mahaney Diamond for the third time this spring.
For the Monks, sophomore first baseman Brett Barbati (Melrose, Mass.) was 3-5 with a run and two RBI, sophomore right fielder Scott Betts (Peabody, Mass.) went 2-4 with a run, a triple and a pair of RBI, sophomores Taylor Black (Cardiff by the Sea, Calif.) and Dan Donovan (Lynn, Mass.) both went 2-5 with two runs and an RBI, and senior third baseman Lincoln Sanborn (Standish, Maine) added two hits, a run and an RBI in five at bats. Senior catcher Joe Coyne (Duxbury, Mass.) belted his first home run of the season and added two runs and three RBI in what was the Monks' seventh-consecutive victory.
Saint Joseph's employed five different pitchers on the afternoon, with sophomore Thomas Fortier (Falmouth, Maine) earning the start, going four innings while allowing a run off one hit and four walks with five strikeouts before giving way to the SJC bullpen. Freshman Philip LeVangie (Hanover, Mass.) allowed two runs off two hits with a strikeout and sophomore Matt Wojciak (Merrimack, N.H.) picked up his first collegiate victory after tossing two innings of one hit ball with a pair of walks and four K's. Sophomore Ben Coleman (Williamstown, Mass.) and freshman Patrick Martin (Wilton, N.H.) combined to throw two perfect innings with a strikeout apiece versus the Bobcats.
Bates registered just four hits in the loss, but one landed over the left field fence as sophomore center fielder Ryan McCarthy (Plaistow, N.H.) launched his first collegiate home run, a solo shot, in the fifth inning.
With the win, Saint Joseph's improves to 31-13 all-time versus Bates College. Prior to today, the Monks had not scored as many as 14 runs against the Bobcats since 2009 and the 11-run winning margin is the largest versus the in-state rival since St. Joe's defeated Bates, 19-1, during the 1995 campaign.
Saint Joseph's is scheduled to play another NESCAC opponent, Bowdoin College, in Brunswick on Thursday at 4:15 PM. Bates hosts Maine-Farmington tomorrow at 3:30 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 474-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.
