PHOTO COURTESY OF ADIA GROGAN '22
STANDISH, Maine – Lasell University (22-14, 14-4 GNAC) swept Saint Joseph's College (18-21, 9-9 GNAC) in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) baseball doubleheader at Larry Mahaney Diamond on Saturday afternoon. The Lasers won the opener by a 5-1 score and completed the sweep with an 8-3 triumph.
PLAYOFF IMPLICATIONS:
With today's results in the book, Lasell has earned the #2 seed in the GNAC Tournament and will host the winner of the #3 Anna Maria / #6 Rivier University play-in game on Thursday, time TBD. The Monks have claimed the #5 seed and will travel to Elms College to face the Blazers in a single-elimination play-in game on Tuesday, time TBD.
LASELL 5, SAINT JOSEPH'S 1:
The Lasers scored all five of their runs in the third and fourth innings combined, as sophomore third baseman Connor Freitas (Portsmouth, R.I.) belted a two-run homer as part of a three-run third and sophomore Tim Callahan (Attleboro, Mass.) rapped an RBI single in the fourth to help the visitors claim a 5-0 advantage.
The Monks were unable to find the scoreboard until the bottom of the seventh when senior shortstop Zach Miles (Concord, N.H.) singled and scored on a double to deep right-center off the bat of freshman center fielder Jared Wilhelm (Tolland, Conn.).
ON THE MOUND:
SJC senior starter Samuel Jalbert (Mascouche, Que.) took the loss and falls to 1-3 after giving up five runs (four earned) on three hits, five walks and a pair of hit batsmen while fanning five batters in 3.1 innings. Freshman Dylan Brander (Merrimack, N.H.) and senior Sean McDonough (Concord, N.H.) combined to toss 3.2 innings of scoreless relief.
Lasell sophomore starter Adam Marsh (West Warwick, R.I.) improved to 7-2 on the season after scattering four hits with three punchouts over five innings. Junior Darek Lalo (Warwick, R.I.) allowed one run on three hits with three K's in two innings of relief.
OFF THE BAT:
For the Monks, Wilhelm, Dube, and Miles notched two hits apiece.
The Lasers recorded only four hits in the winning effort as Callahan went 2-4 with a run, a double, and an RBI.
LASELL 8, SAINT JOSEPH'S 3:
The Lasers scored a run in the second and plated a pair off a hit, two walks, and a hit batsmen in the top of the third, when Freitas knocked in Christopher Bulk (Portsmouth, R.I.) with an infield groundout and graduate Matthew Bischof (Sleepy Hollow, N.Y.) roped an RBI single to make it a 3-0 game.
Lasell took advantage of an SJC error and a passed ball in the top of the fifth to score twice and grab a 5-0 lead before the Monks' bats finally showed signs of life with three runs on three hits and a Laser error in the bottom of the sixth. Wilhelm led off the inning with a solo blast that nearly knocked the scoreboard in left field off its moorings while Dawson Gundlah (York, Maine) added an RBI to help St. Joe's cut the Lasell lead to 5-3 through six full frames.
The Lasers immediately reclaimed the five-run lead in the top of the seventh, when junior CJ Mills (Waltham, Mass.) hit a solo homer that eked over the left field fence and Bischof hammered a two-run blast to right to account for the 8-3 final.
ON THE MOUND:
SJC freshman starter Ethan Smith (Hudson Oaks, Texas) falls to 3-3 on the season after yielding three runs on three hits, two walks, and a hit batsman over 2.1 innings while Hugh Barrett (Durham, Conn.), Michael Wearne (Ellington, Conn.), Logan Butkins (Scituate, R.I.), Anthony Chiappone (Orrington, Maine), Luke Stephens (Glastonbury, Conn.), and Matthew Murphy (Plymouth, Mass.) combined to allow two unearned runs on two hits and four walks with three strikeouts in six innings of relief.
Lasell sophomore starter Matthew Fletcher (Wethersfield, Conn.) improved to 7-2 on the season after allowing three runs on five hits with four strikeouts in six innings. Senior reliever Jason Giangrande (Andover, Mass.) earned his second save of the year after fanning three batters in three innings of work.
OFF THE BAT:
For the Monks, Wilhelm was 2-4 with a solo home run and Gundlah went 1-4 with a double and an RBI.
For the Lasers, Bischof was 2-4 with a home run and four RBI, Callahan went 2-4 with three runs scored and a stolen base, and sophomore Pierce Clare (Middletown, R.I.) was 2-5 with a double.
