NORTHBOROUGH, Mass. - #20/22 Saint Joseph's College (30-6, 13-1 GNAC) toppled Anna Maria College (7-31, 0-14 GNAC), 19-1 and 6-1, in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) doubleheader at the New England Baseball Complex on Saturday afternoon.
With the sweep, and Suffolk University's split with Johnson & Wales University today, Saint Joseph's clinches the top seed in the GNAC Tournament for the third-consecutive season and sixth time since joining the conference in 2008. With a first-round bye, the Monks will host the winner of Tuesday's #4/#5 single-elimination matchup on Thursday, opponent and start time TBD.
The Monks are now the first team in the New England Region to reach the 30-win plateau. Saint Joseph's has notched 30 wins in 13 different seasons, including 12 under the watch of 25th-year Head Coach Will Sanborn '86.
GAME ONE – SAINT JOSEPH'S 19, ANNA MARIA 1
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The Monks sent five runners home off three hits in the second, as junior Chris Gerossie (Chester, N.H.) and sophomore Joey Murphy (Derry, N.H.) registered an RBI apiece and senior shortstop Max McCoomb (South Berwick, Maine) launched a two-run homer to stake the visitors to an early lead.
St. Joe's proceeded to put the game out of reach with two runs in the fourth and sixth in the fifth and tacked on three runs in the sixth and seventh innings.
ON THE MOUND:
SJC sophomore starter Grayson Jennings (Mililani, Hawaii) improved to 3-1 on the season after scattering four hits with five K's in five innings. Senior Nick Malatesta (Wrentham, Mass.) allowed an unearned run while walking four and fanning three in two frames of relief.
Anna Maria starter Zach Parker took the loss and falls to 1-1 after surrendering 13 runs (seven earned) of 11 hits and four walks with three strikeouts in 4.2 innings.
OFF THE BAT – SAINT JOSEPH'S:
- McCoomb was 3-4 with two runs, a double, a homer, and four RBI
- Senior first baseman Brett Barbati (Melrose, Mass.) went 2-2 with two runs and an RBI
- Murphy added two hits with two runs, a double, a stolen base, and three RBI in five at-bats
- Senior Scott Betts (Peabody, Mass.) and sophomore Greg Emanuelson (Hudson, N.H.) both launched three-run homers
GAME TWO – SAINT JOSEPH'S 6, ANNA MARIA 1
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The game stood at a 1-1 tie after one inning, but Emanuelson and Betts hit back-to-back doubles in the second and senior Dan Donovan (Lynn, Mass.) notched an RBI triple and scored on an Emanuelson base hit in the third to lift the Royal Blue to a 4-1 lead. Senior Jameson Collins (Sandown, N.H.) capped the game-scoring with a two-run single in the fourth.
ON THE MOUND:
Gerossie, making his first appearance on the hill since April 14th, did not factor into the decision after giving up a run off three hits and five walks with three K's in 3.1 innings. Junior Marc Poirier (Lunenburg, Mass.) picked up the win after tossing 1.2 innings of no-hit relief while walking one and fanning three. Junior Josh Partridge (Deerfield, N.H.) closed out the game, issuing one free pass and striking out two in two innings.
Anna Maria starter Matthew Leahey falls to 0-8 on the season after yielding six runs off 11 hits and two walks while fanning four in 6.2 innings.
OFF THE BAT – SAINT JOSEPH'S:
- Collins went 3-4 with a run and two RBI
- Emanuelson was 2-4 with a double, a run, and an RBI
- McCoomb added two hits, a run, and a double in four at-bats
- Sophomore third baseman Noah McDaniel (Eliot, Maine) belted his first collegiate home run – a solo shot in the first inning
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:
With the wins, Saint Joseph's is now 12-1 in the history of the series with Anna Maria College. The Monks have defeated the AMCATS in eight-consecutive meetings.
NEXT!
Saint Joseph's will host MIT Monday in a non-conference game slated to begin at 4:30 PM.
#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.
