IMAGE COURTESY OF ROBYN AYLWARD - BLUE EGG IMAGES
STANDISH, Maine – Saint Joseph's College (12-5) swept a non-conference baseball doubleheader with UMaine-Farmington (4-7) at Larry Mahaney Diamond on Monday afternoon. The Monks defeated the Beavers 6-5 and 5-0 and have now won eight-consecutive games.
GAME ONE – Saint Joseph's 6, UMaine-Farmington 5:
The Beavers staked an early lead with a two-run homer off the bat of senior right fielder Riley Chickering (Otisfield, Maine) in the top of the first, but the Monks answered with two runs in the bottom of the opening inning, when junior right fielder Anthony DiPrizio (Rochester, N.H.) plated Chris Gerossie (Chester, N.H.) with a single and later scored on a passed ball.
UMF regained the lead in the top of the third, when senior first baseman Taylor Lockhart (Hallowell, Maine) sent senior shortstop Jimmy Parks (Springvale, Maine) home with a single to right field. The lead proved to be short-lived however, as DiPrizio launched his first career home run, a two-run shot to left, in the bottom of the third to put the Monks back on top, 4-3.
St. Joe's picked up a pair of insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth frame, when sophomore third baseman Will Martin (Arlington, Mass.) belted a two-run double to right-center.
Senior pitcher Aaron Hall (Haverhill, Mass.) entered the game in the top of the seventh and quickly recorded a pair of outs before walking senior second baseman Nick Attallades-Ryan (Otisfield, Maine). With a runner on first and two out, Chickering stepped up to the plate and belted his second two-run jack of the day to cut the SJC cushion to 6-5. Lockhart followed with a single, but junior Kevin Carter (Bowdoinham, Maine) stranded the tying run when he struck out looking.
ON THE MOUND – SAINT JOSEPH'S:
- Sophomore starter Luke Klenda (Yarmouth, Maine) picked up his first win of the season after allowing three runs (one earned) off six hits and a walk with three K's in four innings
- Sophomore Simon Gonzalez (Peabody, Mass.) worked a pair of clean innings in relief with a walk and a strikeout
- Hall earned his first collegiate save after allowing two runs off two hits and a walk with a pair of punch-outs in the seventh inning
ON THE MOUND – UMAINE-FARMINGTON:
- Senior starter Brett Elliott (Danville, Vt.) threw well but took the loss after yielding six runs (five earned) on six hits and three walks with four K's in 5.2 innings
- Sophomore Justin Rodrigue (Augusta, Maine) sat down the only batter he faced in the bottom of the sixth
OFF THE BAT – SAINT JOSEPH'S:
- DiPrizio went 2-2 with two runs, a homer, and three RBI
- Martin was 1-1 with a two-run double
OFF THE BAT – UMAINE-FARMINGTON:
- Chickering was 2-4 with two runs, two homers, and four RBI
- Lockhart went 2-4 with an RBI
GAME TWO: Saint Joseph's 5, UMaine-Farmington 0:
The Monks' pitching staff set the tone in the nightcap, as three hurlers combined to allow three hits and one walk while fanning 13 batters in a dominant effort.
Saint Joseph's grabbed a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first, when junior left fielder Jared Gagne (Dover, N.H.) reached on an error and scored on a sac fly off the bat of sophomore Ben Gravel (Rochester, N.H.). In the third inning, the Monks doubled their advantage when Martin doubled and scored on an infield error.
St. Joe's tacked on another run in the fourth, when Gagne reached with a bunt single and scored on a double play. The Monks capped the game scoring in the bottom of the fifth, when the hosts scored twice on a pair of bases-loaded walks.
ON THE MOUND – SAINT JOSEPH'S:
- Senior starter Steven Albert (Worcester, Mass.) tossed three shutout innings with six strikeouts while allowing a hit and a walk
- Sophomore southpaw Roderick Maynard (Baldwin, Maine) struck out six and allowed one hit over three innings and picked up the victory in relief
- Freshman Jonathan Marchia (Chicopee, Mass.) allowed a hit and struck out one in an inning of relief
ON THE MOUND – UMAINE-FARMINGTON:
- Carter took the start on the hill and suffered the loss after allowing five runs (four earned) off six hits and three walks with a pair of punch-outs over 4.1 innings
- Freshman Nate Goodine (Jay, Maine) walked a pair and fanned one in 2/3 inning of relief
- Senior Ethan Nash (Westbrook, Maine) allowed a hit and a walk with one strikeout in the sixth inning
OFF THE BAT – SAINT JOSEPH'S:
- Junior shortstop Joey Murphy (Derry, N.H.) went 2-3 with a stolen base and an RBI
- Gagne was 1-2 with two runs, an RBI, and a pair of walks
- Martin went 1-2 with two runs, a double, and two walks
- Freshman catcher Matthew Martinello (Woodbridge, Conn.) notched his first NCAA hit – a double to left-center in the bottom of the second inning
- Freshman Dylan Fournier (South Windsor, Conn.) was 1-2 with a double
OFF THE BAT – MAINE-FARMINGTON:
- Sophomore third baseman Chase Malloy (Madison, Maine) was 1-2 with a double
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:
With the wins, Saint Joseph's improves to 64-13 since the 1983 season.
NEXT!
Saint Joseph's will host Colby College tomorrow at 4:00 PM. UMaine-Farmington will play a pair of North Atlantic Conference (NAC) games at Husson University on Wednesday starting at 2:00 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.
