FORT MYERS, Fla. – Saint Joseph's College (2-0) opened the 2015 season with a pair of victories in the Gene Cusic Collegiate Classic on Sunday afternoon. The Monks kicked off opening day with a walk-off, 5-4 win over Dominican University and finished play with a 13-4 triumph, in six innings, over Wisconsin Lutheran.
Saint Joseph's 5, Dominican 4
Dominican held a 4-1 lead and a 7-1 advantage in hits through two innings, but Saint Joseph's rallied with three runs in the bottom of the third and plated the game winner on a bases-loaded fielder's choice in the bottom of the seventh.
Trailing 2-0 after the Stars scored twice off three hits and an SJC miscue in the top of the first, the Monks punched across their first run of the season in the bottom of the frame when senior third baseman Kim Jordan (Bangor, Maine) worked a leadoff walk and later scored on a Melissa Mayhew (Hiram, Maine) base hit.
St. Joe's scored three runs off two hits and a pair of Dominican errors, all with two outs, to knot the game at 4-4 in the bottom of the third. Sophomore center fielder Carla Tripp (Lovell, Maine) opened the rally with a double down the left field line and scored when the following batter, Mayhew, reached on an error. Freshman Shannon Laubauskas (Mexico, Maine) pinch ran for Mayhew and promptly scored on single by Theresa Hendrix (Scarborough, Maine/Cheverus), who tapped home plate with the tying run after sophomore catcher Jennifer Murphy (Andover, Mass.) reached on an infield error.
In the bottom of the seventh, senior right fielder Victoria Ramos (North Scituate, R.I.) led off with a single to center, moved to second on an Alyssah Dennett (Augusta, Maine) and scampered to third when freshman pinch hitter Kelsy Gaddy (Limington, Maine) roped a single to left. With the bases loaded and one down, Mayhew stepped into the box and slapped a ground ball to Stars second baseman Marissa Burns, who threw home for the force out, but Ramos beat the toss for the game-winning run.
Saint Joseph's, outhit by a 10-6 margin in the victory, did not feature a repeat hitter in the season opener as Mayhew led the offensive effort with a pair of RBI in the thrilling win. Sophomore pitcher Danielle Egan (Waterboro, Maine) picked up the win in the circle after tossing 1.1 innings of scoreless relief with a pair of strikeouts. Senior Laura Jordan (Orrington, Maine) started the game but did not figure into the decision after yielding four runs off 10 hits and four walks in 5.2 innings of work.
With the victory, Saint Joseph's improves to 4-0 all-time versus Dominican University.
Saint Joseph's 13, Wisconsin-Lutheran 4 (6 innings)
The Monks left little doubt as to which team would come out on top in the team's second game of the young season, as the Royal Blue jumped out to an 8-0 lead off eight hits in the top of the first versus the Warriors. Saint Joseph's tacked on three in the third and a pair in the sixth to account for the 13-run tally in a mercy-rule shortened contest.
Senior third baseman Kim Jordan (Bangor, Maine) paced the offensive effort by going 4-5 with three runs, a double, a triple and a pair of RBI while junior first baseman Melissa Mayhew (Hiram, Maine) went 4-5 with two runs, a double and a two runs batted in. Sophomore catcher Carla Tripp (Lovell, Maine) went 3-3 with two runs and an RBI, junior outfielder Megen Pollini (Wolfeboro, N.H.) was 2-2 with a run, a double and three RBI, and senior outfielder Theresa Hendrix (Scarborough, Maine/Cheverus) added a pair of hits, including a double, with an RBI in the lopsided triumph.
Junior pitcher Erica Boulanger (Somersworth, N.H.) picked up the win in the circle after allowing three runs (two earned) off four hits with five strikeouts in four innings and freshman pitcher Abigail Murphy (Randolph, Mass.) allowed a run off a walk with a strikeout over two innings in her collegiate debut.
Saint Joseph's is now 1-1 all-time versus Wisconsin Lutheran.
The Monks return to action tomorrow, when they face Mount Mary at 9:00 AM and Ohio Wesleyan at 11:00 AM.
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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 430-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.
