STANDISH, Maine – Saint Joseph's College (23-8, 7-1 GNAC) swept a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) baseball doubleheader with Johnson & Wales University (20-14, 7-5 GNAC) at Larry Mahaney Diamond on Sunday afternoon. The Monks opened with a convincing 9-1 victory and closed out the twinbill with a 3-2 win in eight innings.
GAME ONE – Saint Joseph's 9, Johnson & Wales 1:
The conference counterparts swapped scores in the first inning, when JWU sophomore catcher Colby Greenhalgh (Plainfield, Conn.) posted an RBI single and SJC junior right fielder Jared Gagne (Dover, N.H.) singled and later stole home on a first-and-third steal play.
The Monks grabbed the lead for good in the bottom of the second, when the hosts plated three runs off five hits to secure a 4-1 cushion. Sophomore left fielder Ben Gravel (Rochester, N.H.) singled and freshman second baseman Dalton Quinn (Lowell, Mass.) doubled to set the stage for senior center fielder Chris Gerossie (Chester, N.H.), who sent both his teammates home with a two-bagger high off the left field wall. Two batters later senior catcher Jacob White (Salem, N.H.) knocked in his classmate with a single to right field.
The 4-1 advantage remained until the sixth inning, when the Monks struck for five runs off four hits and a JWU miscue to claim a 9-1 lead. With the bases loaded and one out, Anthony DiPrizio (Rochester, N.H.) came to the plate and knocked home a pair with a double down the left field line. Freshman second baseman Luke Johnson (East Hampton, Conn.) followed and roped a two-run single to right field and later scored on a Gagne base hit to account for the 9-1 final score.
ON THE MOUND:
- SJC junior starter Grayson Jennings (Mililani, Hawaii) was dominant, fanning eight batters while allowing a run off five hits and one walk over 5.2 innings to improve to 2-1 on the season
- Senior Josh Partridge (Deerfield, N.H.) fanned the only batter he faced in the sixth inning and senior Steven Albert (Worcester, Mass.) tossed a 1-2-3 seventh frame
- JWU senior starter Keith Grant (East Providence, R.I.) took the loss and falls to 7-3 on the year after yielding eight runs off 11 hits and five walks with seven punch-outs over 5.1 innings
- Freshman Matt Enos (Beverly, Mass.) gave up a run off two hits with one strikeout in 2/3 inning of relief
OFF THE BAT:
- Gagne was 3-3 with a run, a stolen base, and an RBI
- Gravel went 2-3 with a run and a double
- DiPrizio, Johnson, and Gerossie knocked in two runs apiece
- Junior first baseman Noah McDaniel (Eliot, Maine) was 2-4 with a run
- JWU junior first baseman Tim Lombardi (Providence, R.I.) went 2-3 with a double
GAME TWO – Saint Joseph's 3, Johnson & Wales 2 (8 inn.):
The Wildcats struck first again in the nightcap, as freshman Steve Rocchio (Cranston, R.I.) reached on a fielder's choice and later scored on a Vin Amalfitano (Massapequa, N.Y.) single to left field in the top of the third.
The Monks retaliated with two runs off two hits and a Wildcat error in the bottom of the third however, as DiPrizio led off with a single and later scored on the aforementioned miscue and White notched an RBI single to make it a 2-1 game through three full frames.
Saint Joseph's clung to the 2-1 lead until the top of the seventh, when sophomore Joe Maracic (Syosset, N.Y.) reached on an infield error and eventually scored on a ground out to short.
In the bottom of the seventh, the Monks loaded the bases with nobody out but failed to turn the scenario into the game-winning run. After Partridge, who took to the mound in the sixth, sat down the Wildcats in order – with a pair of punch-outs – in the top of the eighth, the hosts managed to push across the winning run. With two outs on the board, sophomore third baseman Will Martin (Arlington, Mass.) walked on five pitches and was lifted in favor of a pinch runner, freshman infielder Hunter Richardson (North Monmouth, Maine), who promptly stole second base and scored the winning run when junior pinch-hitter Greg Emanuelson (Hudson, N.H.) launched a double over the head of JWU center fielder Rob Ballinger (South Kingston, R.I.).
ON THE MOUND:
- SJC sophomore starter Roderick Maynard (Baldwin, Maine) did not factor into the decision after tossing 3.1 strong innings, allowing an unearned run off three hits and a walk with three K's
- Freshman Jonathan Marchia (Chicopee, Mass.) gave up two hits and fanned a pair in an inning of relief and fellow first-year Kristian Harris (Salem, N.H.) forced the only batter he faced to hit into an inning-ending double play in the fifth
- Partridge picked up the win and improves to 3-2 on the season after allowing an unearned run off two hits with two strikeouts over three innings
- JWU junior starter James Smiegocki (Lambertville, N.J.) took the loss and falls to 2-4 after giving up three runs (one earned) off eight hits and four walks with six K's in 7.2 innings
OFF THE BAT:
- DiPrizio, the Monks' lone repeat-hitter, was 2-3 with a run scored
- JWU sophomore right fielder Nick Lloyd (Plymouth, Mass.) went 2-2 with a double
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:
With the sweep, Saint Joseph's improves to 22-11 in the history of the series with Johnson & Wales University.
NEXT!
Saint Joseph's returns to action Wednesday when the Monks play at #5 UMass.-Boston in a 4:00 PM start.
