FRANKLIN, Mass. – Saint Joseph's College (12-10, 3-1 GNAC) split a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) baseball doubleheader with Dean College (3-1, 3-1 GNAC) on Sunday afternoon. The Monks fell by a 9-3 score in the opener and topped the Bulldogs by a 10-7 margin in the second game.
GAME 1 - Dean 9, Saint Joseph's 3
The visitors took a 2-0 lead when Luke Stephens (Glastonbury, Conn.) plated a pair with a double in the top of the first, but Dean broke through in a big way with five runs in the third to take a 5-2 lead sophomore Brian Dovidio (Ramsey, N.J.) produced the bit hit with a two-run double.
The Bulldogs tacked on a run in the fourth on an RBI single from senior Brian Hadden (Newburyport, Mass.) and Saint Joseph's got a run back in the fifth on an RBI fielder's choice from Jackson Stanton (Saugus, Mass.).
Dean senior Landon Fish (New Port Richey, Fla.) added plenty of insurance in the sixth with a bases clearing double to account for the 9-3 final.
ON THE MOUND:
- Junior starter George Welch (Derry, N.H.) took the loss after allowing five runs (one earned) off five hits and a walk with five strikeouts over three innings
- Dean starter Ethan Bernardo (Pawtucket, R.I.) picked up the win after yielding three runs (one earned) off five hits and two walks with three K's in six innings
OFF THE BAT:
- Stephens was 2-4 with a double and two RBI
- Senior right fielder Dylan Fournier (South Windsor, Conn.) scored a pair of runs
- For Dean, Hadden went 3-3 with a double and two runs, Fish was 2-4 with a double and four RBI, and Tommy Troy Jr. (Norwalk, Conn.) scored two runs and had two hits
GAME 2: Saint Joseph's 10, Dean 7
The Monks quickly went on the offensive in the nightcap by scoring four runs off four hits, as Fournier plated a pair and Stephens and senior Matthew Martinello (Woodbridge, Conn.) notched RBI singles to help the visitors put up a crooked number
The Bulldogs countered with three runs with just one hit in the bottom of the first when Dovidio registered a two-run double.
St. Joe's tacked on a run in the second when senior center fielder Hunter Richardson (North Monmouth, Maine) singled and later scored on a wild pitch and extended the lead to 7-3 when Fournier doubled home a run and Richardson registered an RBI single.
Dean continued to show fight with three runs off a pair of hits in the bottom of the third to make it a 7-6 game, but the Monks responded in kind with three runs off four hits as Stephens, Luke Johnson (East Hampton, Conn.), and Richardson produced RBI singles to lift the Royal Blue to a 10-6 advantage.
The Bulldogs went on to score a run on a Hadden double in the bottom of the sixth to close out the game's offense.
ON THE MOUND:
- Senior reliever Zach Ham (Saco, Maine) picked up the win after tossing two one-hit innings with a pair of strikeouts
- Sophomore starter Sam Jalbert (Mascouche, Que.) allowed six runs (four earned) off three hits and four walks with seven K's in three innings
- Senior Jonathan Marchia (Chicopee, Mass.) earned his fourth save of the year after throwing 1.2 no-hit frames
- For Dean, starter Matt Callahan took the loss after allowing seven runs (five earned) off nine hits and three walks in three innings and Griffin Connelly gave up three runs (one earned) on six hits and a walk with one strikeout
OFF THE BAT:
- Left fielder Ben Gravel (Rochester, N.H.) was 4-4 with a double, two runs scored, and a stolen base
- Stephens went 3-4 with three runs, two RBI and a stolen base
- Fournier was 3-4 with a run, a double, and three RBI
- Richardson added three hits, a run, two RBI, and a pair of stolen bases
- For Dean, Hadden was 2-3 with a run, a double, and an RBI
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:
Today's contests versus Dean College were the first in the history of the two baseball programs. Dean joined the GNAC prior to the start of the 2020-21 campaign.
NEXT!
Saint Joseph's is back in action on Tuesday with a nine-inning game at home versus Fisher College. First pitch is slated for 4:00 PM.
THANKS IN PART TO DEAN COLLEGE SPORTS INFORMATION
