STANDISH, Maine – Saint Joseph's College (8-9) posted a pair of victories over New England College (1-10) in non-conference baseball action at Larry Mahaney Diamond on Saturday afternoon. The Monks opened with a 6-5 win in 10 innings and completed the sweep with a 10-7 triumph in the nightcap.
GAME ONE – Saint Joseph's 6, New England College 5 (10 inn.)
The first contest of the day featured a thrilling finish, as freshman Luke Stephens (Glastonbury, Conn.) led off the bottom of the 10th with a walk-off home run to deep left-center.
The game did not start off particularly well for the Monks, as the Pilgrims scored two runs off four hits in the top of the first. St. Joe's responded in the bottom of the fourth, when senior left fielder Ben Gravel (Rochester, N.H.) launched a solo jack to left and Stephens doubled and later scored on an infield groundout to tie the tilt, 2-2.
The Monks proceeded to score three runs in an unconventional fashion in the bottom of the sixth. First baseman Drew Healey (Rochester, N.H.) led off with a single and later, with two outs, stole second, third and home – on a first-and-third play – to lift his team to its first lead of the day. Pinch runner Jake Laplume (Old Orchard Beach, Maine) and senior right fielder Dylan Fournier (South Windsor, Conn.) both sprinted home when sophomore Jonathan Dube (Rochester, N.H.) reached first after striking out on a ball in the dirt that eluded the NEC catcher.
Leading 5-2 through six frames, the Monks saw their advantage dwindle to nil as the Pilgrims scored single runs in the seventh, eighth, and ninth innings to force extra play.
ON THE MOUND:
- SJC junior starter Matt Bergeron (Salem, N.H.) recovered nicely after the first inning and, over five innings, allowed two runs off six hits with a pair of K's
- Freshman Matt Thibault (Nashua, N.H.) and junior Devan Harrison (Bourne, Mass.) combined to work 2.2 innings while giving up two runs (one earned) on two hits with two strikeouts
- Senior reliever Jonathan Marchia (Chicopee, Mass.) picked up the win and improves to 2-1 on the season after giving up a run off three hits and a walk with four punchouts in 2.1 innings
- For NEC, senior starter Shaun Cormier (Rochester, N.H.) did not factor in the decision after allowing five runs (three earned) off seven hits with eight strikeouts over six innings; sophomore reliever Wyatt Cameron (Salisbury, Vt.) falls to 0-4 after allowing the walk-off home run in the bottom of the 10th
OFF THE BAT:
- Fournier was 3-4 with a run scored
- Stephens went 2-4 with two runs, a double, a home run, and an RBI
- Seniors Justin Juliano (Lynnfield, Mass.) and Kevin Aylward (East Bridgewater, Mass.) notched doubles
- For NEC, freshman third baseman Garrett Langis (Rochester, N.H.) was 2-5 with a pair of runs, two doubles, and an RBI, BJ Minarcin (Naples, Fla.) went 3-5 with a run and a double, and Tyler Gendron (Milford, N.H.) was 2-4
GAME TWO – Saint Joseph's 10, New England College 7
The Monks opened the nightcap by scoring on a bases-loaded walk in the first inning and extended their lead to 3-0 with two runs off three hits and an NEC error in the third frame. In the latter, Miles led off with a single and later scored on a Healey base hit and senior second baseman Luke Johnson (East Hampton, Conn.) singled and eventually came around to score on an infield error.
St. Joe's broke the game open in the bottom of the fourth, when the hosts plated six runs on just three hits to claim a 9-0 advantage. Two runs scored on bases-loaded free passes and junior third baseman Ronan Chisholm (North Chatham, Mass.) knocked in a pair with a single to center field.
In the top of the sixth, the Pilgrims jumped back into contention by scoring five runs off four hits – including a three-run homer from Langis – to make it a 9-5 game. Saint Joseph's got one run back on a passed ball in the bottom of the inning.
Sophomore Devin Parson (Salisbury, Mass.) roped an RBI double in the eighth and senior Connor Morin (North Andover, Mass.) singled home a run in the ninth to cap the game scoring.
ON THE MOUND:
- SJC junior starter Johnathan Flynn (Holden, Mass.) held the Pilgrims to just one hit over five scoreless innings and earned the win despite running into trouble in the sixth; he finished the day having allowed five runs off five hits and two walks in 5.2 frames
- Junior Matt Poff (Pelham, N.H.) fanned three and allowed a run off two hits in 2.1 innings of relief
- Senior reliever Hunter Richardson (North Monmouth, Maine) gave up a run off two hits and a walk in an inning of work
- For NEC, Joseph Pascucci (Wayne, N.J.) took the loss and falls to 0-3 on the season after allowing nine runs (seven earned) off five hits and seven walks with two K's in 3.2 innings; Alex Perez (Leominster, Mass.) and Tim Krol (East Longmeadow, Mass.) combined to yield an unearned run off three hits and four walks with nine strikeouts in 4.1 innings of relief
OFF THE BAT:
- Chisholm was the Monks' lone repeat-hitter and was 3-4 with a run and two RBI
- Miles was 1-2 with three runs and a stolen base
- Johnson reached base four times with a single and three walks and scored a pair of runs with an RBI
- For NEC, sophomores Michael Ciccotelli (Rochester, N.H.) and Luca Giallongo (Mt. Shasta, Calif.) posted two hits apiece
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:
With the sweep Saint Joseph's improves to 9-1 all-time versus New England College. Today's meeting was the first between the Monks and Pilgrims on the baseball diamond since the 1987 season.
NEXT!
Saint Joseph's returns to action on Wednesday at University of Southern Maine with a single nine-inning game starting at 4:00 PM
