PHOTO CREDIT: Chris Theodores '25
STANDISH, Maine – Saint Joseph's College (10-22) swept a non-conference baseball doubleheader with UMaine-Farmington (8-21) at Larry Mahaney Diamond on Thursday evening. The Monks started the twinbill with a 3-1 victory and closed out the sweep with a 9-4 triumph.
SAINT JOSEPH'S 3, UMAINE-FARMINGTON 1:
All the opening game offense took place in the third inning, as the Beavers scored a run on a Jameson Bloch (Attleboro, Mass.) single in the top of the frame and the Monks countered with three runs in the bottom. Sophomore Jared Wilhelm (Tolland, Conn.) led off with a line-drive home run over the left field wall to tie the game and sophomore Luke Doughty (York, Maine) ripped a two-run single through the left side to account for the 3-1 final score.
Saint Joseph's won the opener despite allowing 10 walks and plunking a pair of UMF batters as the hosts were bailed out with a pair of double plays and several stellar defensive efforts.
Freshman starter Josh Wieners (Duxbury, Mass.) earned the victory after allowing one run on three hits and six walks with five strikeouts over 3.1 innings. Junior Logan Dee (Laconia, N.H.) collected his first collegiate save after working 2.2 scoreless frames with three punch-outs.
UMaine-Farmington starter Gabe Philbrick (Florence, Mont.) took the loss after yielding three runs on five hits and two walks with three K's in 2.1 innings.
SJC senior left fielder Dawson Gundlah (York, Maine) led the hit parade by going 3-for-3 with a run scored and junior third baseman Michael Wearne (Ellington, Conn.) went 2-for-3 with a run.
SAINT JOSEPH'S 9, UMAINE-FARMINGTON 4:
The nightcap looked to be another low-scoring affair as the Monks held a 2-1 lead through three innings before plating seven runs in the fifth and sixth frames combined.
In the fifth, Wilhelm posted an RBI single and later scored on a passed ball, senior Luke Stephens (Glastonbury, Conn.) walked and scampered home on a first-and-third double steal, and junior Alex Moore (Henniker, N.H.) walked, stole second, and eventually scored on another passed ball to make it a 6-1 game.
In the bottom of the sixth inning, sophomore Ryan Kastle (Concord, N.H.) roped an RBI single and senior Morgen Doughty (Smithfield, R.I.) delivered a pair with a double to center field to lift the Monks to a 9-1 cushion.
The Beavers proceeded to score three runs on four hits and an SJC error in the top of the seventh when senior Ryan Sargent (Windham, Maine), Bloch, and junior Sam Peterson (South Berwick, Maine) notched RBI singles to cap the game scoring.
Sophomore reliever Brendan McCaffrey (Warwick, R.I.) earned the victory on the mound after allowing a hit and two walks with four strikeouts in 2.1 shutout innings. UMF junior starter Sam Wrigley (Farmington, Maine) suffered the loss after yielding two runs (one earned) on three hits across four frames.
Wilhelm led the SJC lineup by going 3-for-3 with a run and two RBI while Doughty produced a pinch-hit, two-run double, freshman Matt Elwell (Wakefield, Mass.) walked twice and scored a pair of runs, and sophomore Jack Moltenbrey (East Longmeadow, Mass.) was 1-for-1 with a run and two walks.
For UMF, Nate Coombs (Thomaston, Maine), Sargent, and Bloch notched two hits apiece.
With the sweep, Saint Joseph's improves to 66-13 in the history of the series with UMaine-Farmington and has now defeated the Beavers in eight-consecutive meetings.
Saint Joseph's will host New England College in a conference doubleheader on Saturday at 12:00 PM.
