AUBURNDALE, Fla. – Saint Joseph's College (2-0) kicked off the 2017 season with a pair of victories over Worcester Polytechnic Institute (0-2) in the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational at Lake Myrtle Park on Sunday. The Monks opened play with a 7-2 triumph and completed the sweep with a 20-11 victory over the Engineers.
GAME ONE – SAINT JOSEPH'S 7, WPI 2
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Saint Joseph's took advantage of five WPI errors in the opening victory, as just one of the Monks' seven runs was scored as an earned run. In fact, the Royal Blue plated three unearned runs, enough to win the game, as it played out, off two WPI miscues in the bottom of the first frame.
ON THE MOUND:
Saint Joseph's junior starter Travis Godbout (Portland, Maine) picked up his first win of the year after allowing one run off four hits and three walks with three strikeouts over four innings. Junior reliever Marc Poirier (Lunenburg, Mass.) earned his first save after yielding one run off three hits and a walk with a trio of punch-outs in three innings of work.
WPI junior starter Steven D'Agnostino (Worcester, Mass.) suffered the loss after giving up five unearned runs off four hits and four walks over five frames. Freshman Nick Colucci (Lynnfield, Mass.) allowed two runs (one earned) and a hit with one K in an inning of relief.
OFF THE BAT – SAINT JOSEPH'S:
- Sophomore second baseman Joey Murphy (Derry, N.H.) went 2-3 with two runs and a walk
- Senior shortstop Max McCoomb (South Berwick, Maine) was 1-2 with two runs, a double, and an RBI
- Senior outfielder Scott Betts (Peabody, Mass.) doubled and scored a run
OFF THE BAT – WPI:
- Junior designated hitter Matt Howard (Worcester, Mass.) was 2-4 with a run scored
- Sophomore right fielder Ryan Tropeano (Pembroke, Mass.) went 2-3 with a run and a walk
GAME TWO – SAINT JOSEPH'S 20, WPI 11
HOW IT HAPPENED:
For the second time in as many games, the Monks scored three runs in the first inning and proceeded to secure a 5-2 cushion after four frames. The fifth inning was an offensive boon for both teams, as St. Joe's knocked in eight runs off four hits and an error and WPI responded with six runs off eight hits to make it a 13-8 game. The Engineers tightened the collar with three runs in the bottom of the sixth, but the Monks answered with another crooked number, putting up seven runs off five knocks to account for the 20-11 final.
ON THE MOUND:
SJC junior starter Philip LeVangie (Hanover, Mass.) collected the victory after giving up seven runs off 12 hits over four frames while junior Josh Partridge (Deerfield, N.H.) and freshmen Luke Klenda (Yarmouth, Maine) and Roderick Maynard (Baldwin, Maine) combined to allow four runs off six hits and a walk in two innings of relief.
WPI junior starter Drew Gelinas (Saco, Maine) took the loss after yielding five runs off three hits and six walks with five strikeouts. The Engineers also employed six relievers - CJ Doskocil (Sterling, Mass.), Tyler Weiss (Monroe, Conn.), Robert Chase (Grand Isle, Vt.), Adam Bettigole (South Windsor, Conn.), Dominic Fusco (North Haven, Conn.), and Sean Fallon (Westwood, Mass.) – in the setback.
OFF THE BAT – SAINT JOSEPH'S:
- Senior designated hitter Jameson Collins (Sandown, N.H.) was 3-3 with three runs, a triple, and five RBI
- Senior third baseman Taylor Black (Cardiff by the Sea, Calif.) went 2-4 with four runs, a double, and an RBI
- McCoomb added two hits, three runs, two RBI, and a pair of walks
- Freshman left fielder Adam Twitchell (Shrewsbury, Mass.) was 2-2 with a run, a double, and an RBI
- Sophomore first baseman Noah McDaniel (Eliot, Maine) went 2-3 with a run, an RBI, and two free passes
- Murphy was 1-3 with two runs and a three-run homer, the first jack of his collegiate career
OFF THE BAT – WPI:
- Senior outfielder Anthony Capuano (Stoneham, Mass.) was 3-4 with three runs, two doubles, and three RBI
- Tropeano, Steven Gallagher (Coventry, R.I.), Howard, Joe Fainer (Thomaston, Conn.), Austin Lindner (West Windsor, N.J.), and Jake Spada (Middleton, Mass.) all registered two hits in the loss
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:
With the sweep, Saint Joseph's improves to 6-5 in the history of the series with WPI…The Monks swept the Engineers, with 6-3 and 7-0 wins, on Opening Day last season…Today's closing contest marked the highest scoring game in the 11-game match-up between the two programs…Prior to this afternoon, the most runs scored by either team in the series was 15, as SJC edged WPI 15-14 on March 8th, 2009.
NEXT!
Saint Joseph's will face University of Pittsburgh-Greensburg tomorrow morning in a nine-inning contest slated to begin at 9:00 AM. WPI faces Muskingum (OH) in a doubleheader tomorrow starting at 2:30 PM.
#GOMONKS
Follow Saint Joseph's Athletics on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram!
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.
