PHOTO CREDIT: Laurel Clace '25
STANDISH, Maine – The Saint Joseph's College (12-22, 7-7 GNAC) baseball team kept their postseason hopes alive with a pair of 5-4 victories over Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) rival New England College (6-26, 4-10 GNAC) at Larry Mahaney Diamond on Saturday afternoon.
GAME ONE:
The Monks kicked off the scoring with three runs on a hit and an error in the bottom of the second, when senior Dawson Gundlah (York, Maine) led off with a double and later crossed the plate on a passed ball and two runs came home when freshman catcher Brady Cabral (Fall River, Mass.) reached on an error. Cabral lifted the hosts to a 4-0 lead with an RBI single in the bottom of the fourth.
SJC sophomore starter Padraig Mac Seain (Brookline, N.H.) did not allow a baserunner until graduate Tyler Gendron (Milford, N.H.) singled to center with two out in the fifth inning. The Pilgrims finally got on the board with two runs on two hits in the top of the seventh to make it a 4-2 game.
Saint Joseph's added an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth when pinch runner Ryan Kastle (Concord, N.H.) sprinted home on a passed ball.
The extra run proved to be pivotal, as the Pilgrims mounted a comeback with two runs on three hits in the top of the ninth. A heads-up defensive play by sophomore shortstop Luke Doughty (York, Maine) – who nailed an NEC runner at third who overran the base on an infield hit to deep short – also proved to be a major play in the one-run victory.
ON THE MOUND:
Mac Seain improved to 3-1 after allowing two runs on four hits with eight strikeouts over seven dominant innings while junior Hugh Barrett (Durham, Conn.) worked a perfect eighth and senior Luke Stephens (Glastonbury, Conn.) escaped with his second save of the year after giving up two runs on three hits and two walks in the ninth inning.
NEC starter Corey O'Day (Nashua, N.H.) falls to 1-6 after yielding four runs (one earned) on six hits with six strikeouts over seven frames.
OFF THE BAT:
- Sophomore Dylan Brander (Merrimack, N.H.) was 2-4
- Stephens went 2-3 with a double and a run scored
- For NEC, Gendron was 2-3 with a run and Aaron Robertson (Weare, N.H.) knocked in a pair of runs
GAME TWO:
The Monks' bats were held in check until the seventh frame when the hosts erased a 1-0 deficit with four runs on four hits and an NEC error. With one out and the bases loaded, Head Coach Will Sanborn '86 tapped freshman Matt Elwell (Wakefield, Mass.) to pinch hit, and the lefthanded hitter came through with a two-run double to the warning track in left field. Sophomore Jared Wilhelm (Tolland, Conn.) followed with a sac fly that allowed Cabral to score and junior Michael Wearne (Ellington, Conn.) sent Elwell across the plate with a two-out single to center to lift his squad to a 4-1 advantage.
A scoreless eighth inning followed but, once again, the Pilgrims showed late life and tied the game with three runs on four hits in the top of the ninth. The Monks proceeded to win the game in dramatic fashion, as Elwell reached with one out when he was hit by a pitch and came around to score on a Wilhelm walk-off single.
ON THE MOUND:
Brander was dominant across 7.2 innings, having allowed an unearned run on three hits with seven strikeouts, but did not factor into the pitching decision. Barrett gave up two runs on three hits in 0.2 innings of relief and junior Logan Dee (Laconia, N.H.) earned the first win of his career after allowing an unearned run on two hits with a pair of K's in 0.2 frames.
NEC junior starter Austin Hazzard (Weare, N.H.) gave up four runs (one earned) on eight hits with six strikeouts in 6.2 innings and senior reliever Nolan Stoney (Bedford, N.H.) took the loss after allowing an unearned run on three hits over 1.2 innings of work.
OFF THE BAT:
- Wearne was 3-4 with an RBI
- Elwell went 1-2 with two runs, a double, and two RBI
- Wilhelm was 2-4 with two RBI
- Doughty added two hits and a run in three at-bats
- Cabral went 2-4 with a run scored
- For NEC, graduate Cooper Ribaudo (Salem, N.H.) went 2-4 with a run and an RBI and junior Brady Philibotte (Weare, N.H.) was 2-5
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:
With the wins, Saint Joseph's improves to 15-3 in the history of the series with New England College.
NEXT!
The Monks will play a pair of conference games at Norwich University tomorrow. First pitch is slated for 12:00 PM.
