AUBURNDALE, Fla. – Saint Joseph's College (4-1) rallied from an early 8-2 deficit to defeat Montclair State University (3-3), 13-11, in the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational on Tuesday.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Red Hawks put up a crooked number in the top of the first with four runs off three hits, included a three-run double off the bat of sophomore Joe Foote (Wallington, N.J.), to claim an early lead.
In the top of the first, junior Jameson Collins (Sandown, N.H.) cut the Monks' deficit in half with a two-run double, but Montclair State countered with four runs off five hits – including four singles – in the top of the second to claim an 8-2 advantage.
Unfazed, the Monks went back to work with the bats and countered with five runs off four hits and a Montclair miscue, as senior left fielder Taylor Reuillard (Biddeford, Maine) belted a two-run triple and catcher Nic Lops (South Portland, Maine/Cheverus) launched a two-run jack over the right field wall to help SJC make it an 8-7 game through two innings.
The Red Hawks padded their lead when senior Keith Murphy (Point Pleasant, N.J.) led off the fourth with a triple and scored on a wild pitch and junior Philip Scott (Paulsboro, N.J.) registered a two-run single in the top of the fifth.
Trailing 11-7 going into the bottom of the fifth, Reuillard singled and moved to third on a Lops double to set the stage for Collins, who drilled his second long ball in as many days – a three-run blast – to bring the Monks back within one run, 11-10.
Saint Joseph's finally grabbed the lead in the bottom of the sixth, when Lops plated junior Taylor Black (Cardiff by the Sea, Calif.), who reached with a walk and stole second, and junior first baseman Brett Barbati (Melrose, Mass.) came up with a clutch two-out single, sending Reuillard home, to lift the Monks to a 12-11 edge.
In the bottom of the eighth, St. Joe's tacked on an insurance run when Reuillard walked and eventually scored on another Barbati base knock, accounting for the 13-11 final.
PITCHER OF RECORD
In a game featuring 24 runs and 29 total hits, many will remember the pitching performance put forth by senior right-hander Corey McNamara (West Newbury, Mass.), who shut the door on the Red Hawks' lineup by tossing 4.2 innings of three-hit ball with four strikeouts to pick up his first win of the season. Typically the Monks' closer, McNamara has now logged four or more innings in six different appearances during his career.
LEADERS
- Collins was 2-4 with a run, a double, a homer, and a career-high five RBI
- Reuillard went 2-3 with five runs (career high), a triple, a stolen base, and two RBI
- Lops added three runs, three hits, a double, a home run, and three RBI
- Barbati was 3-5 with a pair of RBI
NOTEWORTHY
Junior southpaw Thomas Fortier (Falmouth, Maine) earned the start and gave up four runs off three hits and two walks with one strikeout in 0.1 innings…in relief, sophomore Marc Poirier (Lunenburg, Mass.) allowed four runs off four hits and a walk with a punch out over one inning and senior Riley Cox (Westford, Mass.) yielded three runs (two earned) off six hits with a pair of K's in three innings…with five home runs through five games, the Monks have already hit half as many taters as the 2015 club delivered in 43 contests…last year, Saint Joseph's did not reach the five-homer mark as a team until April 3rd.
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING
Today's contest marked the first meeting between the Saint Joseph's College and Montclair State University baseball programs – but the institutions had previously met on three other occasions in different sports. The SJC men's basketball team defeated the Red Hawks, 68-59, on November 22nd, 1992, the women's hoopsters topped MSU, 75-66, on December 5th, 1992, and the Monks' softball team suffered a 12-0 defeat at the hands of the Red Hawks on March 12th, 2005.
NEXT!
With a scheduled off day tomorrow, the Monks return to action against #21 Concordia-Chicago at 9:00 AM on Thursday.
#GOMONKS
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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.
