STANDISH, Maine – Second-seeded Saint Joseph's College (29-12) edged #3 Johnson & Wales University (24-18), 3-2, in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Baseball Tournament elimination game at Larry Mahaney Diamond on Saturday night.

TOURNAMENT IMPLICATIONS:

With the win, Saint Joseph's advances to the GNAC Championship and will face top-seeded Suffolk University, which defeated Johnson & Wales, 7-6, earlier today, tomorrow at 12:00 PM. In order to capture the conference crown Saint Joseph's needs to post a pair of wins over Suffolk, which is 2-0 in tourney play thus far.

For Johnson & Wales, the setback signals the end of the 2018 season.

FIRST GLANCE:

Facing a 2-1 deficit in the top of the sixth, the Monks tied the game when junior right fielder Anthony DiPrizio (Rochester, N.H.) led off with a single and later scored when sophomore pinch-hitter Drew Healey (Rochester, N.H.) reached on an infield error. In the top of the eighth, senior center fielder Chris Gerossie (Chester, N.H.) rapped a lead-off single and scored what proved to be the game-winning run on a Joey Murphy (Derry, N.H.) sacrifice fly to right field.

KEY PLAYS:

• Sophomore catcher Cody Greenhalgh (Plainfield, Conn.) put the Wildcats on the board in the bottom of the first when he belted a two-run homer over the left field wall
• The Monks quickly cut their deficit in half with a run off two hits in the top of the second, when Murphy worked a bases-loaded walk

ON THE MOUND:

• Sophomore starter Matt Demma (Worcester, Mass.) did not factor into the decision after giving up two runs on five hits
• Sophomore Weston Bergeron (Lyman, Maine) struck out one in 2/3 inning of relief
• Freshman reliever Jonathan Marchia (Chicopee, Mass.) improved to 5-0 on the season after tossing 2.2 scoreless innings while fanning three batters
• Senior Josh Partridge (Deerfield, N.H.) earned his sixth save of the season – and second of the day – after fanning all four batters he faced in 1.1 innings
• JWU sophomore starter Kyle Cutler (East Hampton, Conn.) took the loss after yielding three runs (two earned) off six hits and four walks with four K's in eight frames
• Senior reliever Rich Marshall (Pawtucket, R.I.) fanned a pair in a scoreless inning

OFF THE BAT:

• DiPrizio was 2-4 with a pair of runs and a stolen base
• Murphy knocked in two runs and walked twice
• JWU sophomore Raimiel Rodriguez (Providence, R.I.) was 3-4 with a run
• Greenhalgh went 1-4 with the two-run tater

Rams Advance to GNAC Championship with 7-6 Triumph Over Wildcats

STANDISH, Maine – Top-seeded Suffolk University (23-16) scored three runs in the bottom of the eighth to hold off #3 Johnson & Wales University (24-17), 7-6, in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Baseball Tournament semifinal at Larry Mahaney Diamond on Saturday afternoon.

TOURNAMENT IMPLICATIONS:

With the victory, Suffolk returns to the conference championship game for the 12th-consecutive season and will face the winner of tonight's elimination game featuring Johnson & Wales and #2 Saint Joseph's College.

FIRST GLANCE:

Trailing 5-4 heading into the bottom of the eighth, the Rams claimed the final lead of a see-saw contest with three runs off three hits and a pair of costly JWU errors. Sophomore shortstop Rich Gilbride (Beverly, Mass.), who reached with a single, put his team on top with a heads up baserunning play when JWU second baseman Ramiel Rodriguez (Providence, R.I.) boxed the ball after making a diving stop on a Brady Chant (Warwick, R.I.) single.

KEY PLAYS:

• The Wildcats claimed a 3-0 lead with one swing of the bat in the top of the second when junior Aidan Hagarty (Weed, Calif.) launched a three-run homer to right-center
• The Rams employed the long ball to take a 4-3 advantage in the fifth, as Chant lined a two-run shot to left, Will Hopkins (Old Rochester, Mass.) plated Seth Coiley (Arlington, Mass.) with a single, and Greg Speliotis (Salem, Mass.) crossed the plate on a Blasé Cormier (Wayland, Mass.) sac fly
• Johnson & Wales struck back immediately with two runs in the top of the sixth, as sophomore Vin Amalfitano (Massapequa, N.Y.) notched an RBI single to tie the game and Rodriguez plated Rob Ballinger (South Kingston, R.I.) with a sac fly to center

ON THE MOUND:

• Suffolk senior Ryan Pordes (Hawthorne, Calif.) improves to 5-2 on the season after allowing six runs on 10 hits and seven walks while fanning 11 over 8.2 innings
• Junior reliever Jake Flax (Wyckoff, N.J.) picked up his third save of the year after sitting the only batter he faced in the top of the ninth
• JWU junior starter James Smiegocki (Lambertville, N.J.) yielded four runs off 10 hits while striking out five and walking one in 6.1 innings
• Junior Josh Mousseau (Woonsocket, R.I.) was hit with the hard-luck loss after allowing three runs (one earned) off three hits with three K's in 1.2 innings

OFF THE BAT – SUFFOLK:

• Chant was 2-5 with a two-run homer
• Speliotis went 2-4 with a run
• Gilbride was 1-2 with a pair of runs and an RBI
• Trevor Lee (Flanders, N.J.), Hopkins, and Brigham added two hits apiece

OFF THE BAT – JOHNSON & WALES:

• Tim Lombardi Providence, R.I.) was 3-4 with two runs and a solo homer
• Kevin Duffy (Leavittown, N.Y.) added three hits and a run in five at-bats
• Hagarty was 1-3 with two runs and the three-run tater

Monks Top Lasers, 9-5, Stay Alive in GNAC Tournament

STANDISH, Maine – #2 Saint Joseph's College (28-12) remained alive in the 2018 GNAC Baseball Tournament with a 9-5 victory over #4 Lasell College (10-21) in an elimination game at Larry Mahaney Diamond on Saturday morning.

TOURNAMENT IMPLICATIONS:

With the victory, Saint Joseph's survives and advances to play either #1 Suffolk or #3 Johnson & Wales in another elimination game tonight at 5:00 PM. For Lasell, the loss signals the end of the 2018 campaign.  

FIRST GLANCE:

The Monks faced a 4-0 deficit going into the bottom of the fourth, but their bats finally came to life to knot the game with four runs off five hits, including a two-run single from Jared Gagne (Dover, N.H.) and an RBI base hit off the bat of Jacob White (Salem, N.H.). St. Joe's grabbed the lead for good in the sixth, when Chris Gerossie (Chester, N.H.) walked and scored on a Joey Murphy(Derry, N.H.) sac fly and Gagne doubled and sprinted home on an infield miscue.

For good measure, the Monks tacked on three runs off two hits and a Lasell error in the bottom of the eighth.

KEY PLAYS:

• The Lasers claimed the first lead of the day in the top of the second, when Dom Mascolo (Waterbury, Conn.) was hit by a pitch and Luke Scholand (Albuquerque, N.M.) walked and both runners scored on an Evan Michalek (Berlin, Conn.) triple down the right field line
• Lasell doubled the advantage in the top of the fourth, when junior David Marsell (Baldwinsville, N.Y.) plated a pair with a two-run single to right field

ON THE MOUND:

• SJC freshman starter Zach Begin (Georgetown, Mass.) allowed four runs off six hits and three hit batsmen with four K's in four innings
• Junior reliever Grayson Jennings (Mililani, Hawaii) picked up the win and improved to 3-1 after fanning five batters and allowing two hits and no walks in three frames
• Senior closer Josh Partridge (Deerfield, N.H.) earned his fifth save of the year after tossing 1.1 innings with one strikeout
• Lasell freshman starter Sean Doris (Lincoln, R.I.) yielded four runs (three earned) off six hits and three walks with three K's in 3.2 innings
• Junior Justin Webb (San Diego, Calif.) takes the loss after allowing two runs (one earned) off one hit and a walk over two innings
• Patrick Colvin (Lenoxdale, Mass.), Mike Tacinelli (Seymour, Conn.), and Zak Phillips (West Boylston, Mass.) combined to allow three unearned runs off two hits over 2.1 frames of relief

OFF THE BAT – SAINT JOSEPH'S:

• Gagne was 2-4 with two runs, a double, and two RBI
• White went 2-4 with a run and a pair of RBI
• Sophomore Ben Gravel (Rochester, N.H.) added two hits and scored a run in four at-bats
• Speliotis went 2-4 with a run
• Junior Noah McDaniel (Eliot, Maine) went 1-3 with a double, a steal, and two RBI

OFF THE BAT – LASELL:

• Junior Chris Maringo (Farmingville, N.Y.) was 3-5 with three singles
• Michalek went 2-5 with a two-run triple

#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.