STANDISH, Maine – Senior Hunter Richardson (North Monmouth, Maine) singled and later scored on a fielder's choice with two out in the bottom of the ninth to help Saint Joseph's College (6-8) edge Eastern Nazarene College (6-6), 11-10, in a non-conference baseball contest at Larry Mahaney Diamond on Tuesday evening.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Mostly because the Lions belted four home runs in a losing effort, the Monks were forced to rally from several deficits to claim the thrilling victory. After allowing four runs – including a three-run homer from catcher Jaime Roldan (Boston, Mass.) – in the top of the fifth, St. Joe's answered in kind with four runs off two hits and four walks to secure a 10-9 lead. The slim advantage remained until the top of the seventh, when senior designated hitter Steven Pesce (Harrison, N.Y.) led off with a game-tying solo jack.
With one out in the bottom of the ninth, Richardson reached with a single and advanced to second when sophomore shortstop Zach Miles (Concord, N.H.) worked a walk. Both runners moved up 90 feet on a passed ball and, with the hope of inducing an inning-ending double play, left fielder Ben Gravel (Rochester, N.H.) was intentionally walked to load the bases.
This set the stage for the Monks' cleanup hitter, first baseman Drew Healey (Rochester, N.H.), who hit a chopper to short and hustled down the line, diving into the first base bag, just ahead of the throw that would have resulted in the inning-ending twin killing.
ON THE MOUND:
- Senior reliever Jonathan Marchia (Chicopee, Mass.) was credited with the victory after tossing 2/3 inning of scoreless relief with one strikeout
- Junior starter George Welch (Derry, N.H.) struck out eight batters and gave up five runs off four hits and a pair of walks in four innings
- Relievers Matt Bergeron (Salem, N.H.), Matt Thibault (Nashua, N.H.), and Devan Harrison (Bourne, Mass.) combined to allow five runs off seven hits and four walks with five K's in 4.1 innings of work
- For Eastern Nazarene, sophomore reliever Bryan Sanchez (Boston, Mass.) took the loss after giving up a run on one hit and two walks in 2/3 inning; junior Morgan Weast (Cincinnati, Ohio) was the Lions' most effective hurler, having struck out seven batters while yielding two runs off two hits and a pair of walks over four frames of relief
OFF THE BAT – SAINT JOSEPH'S:
- Miles was 2-4 with three runs and a pair of RBI
- Gravel delivered a two-run double
- Junior third baseman Ronan Chisholm (North Chatham, Mass.) produced a two-run single and scored a run
- Richardson was 1-5 with a pair of runs scored
OFF THE BAT – EASTERN NAZARENE:
- Pesce was 3-5 with two runs, a home run, and an RBI
- Junior first baseman Shane McNamara (Londonderry, N.H.) went 2-4 with three runs, a home run, and three RBI
- Roldan was 1-3 with a run, a homer, and four RBI
- Second baseman Jamie Carey (Amherst, Mass.) lofted a solo home run over the left field wall in the top of the second
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:
With the win, Saint Joseph's is now 17-1 all-time versus Eastern Nazarene College.
NEXT!
The Monks will play at Colby College tomorrow in a single nine-inning game slated to start at 5:00 PM.
