STANDISH, Maine – Saint Joseph's College (10-9, 3-1 GNAC) swept Norwich University (11-7, 2-4 GNAC) in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) baseball doubleheader at Larry Mahaney Diamond on Sunday afternoon. The Monks won the first game, 5-1, and capped the sweep with a come-from-behind 6-3 triumph in the nightcap.
Saint Joseph's played as the away team for today's two-game set as Norwich was scheduled to host the Monks yesterday but could not play in Northfield due to inclement weather.
GAME ONE:
With SJC starter Samuel Jalbert (Mascouche, Que.) and NU southpaw Matt Ingraffia (Lake Grove, N.Y.) locked in a pitchers' duel, the Monks struck first in the top of the third when senior third baseman Ronan Chisholm (North Chatham, Mass.) scored on a sac fly off the bat of sophomore Dawson Gundlah (York, Maine). The Monks doubled their advantage in the fourth when senior center fielder Ryan Tessier (Concord, N.H.) roped an RBI single.
Perfect through four innings, Jalbert allowed his first baserunner of the afternoon in the bottom of the fifth when junior PJ Morales (Bakersfield, Calif.) led off with a single to right field. Morales scored three batters later when freshman Ryan Miller (Westhampton, N.Y.) grounded out to first base.
St. Joe's gained some much-needed breathing room in the top of the sixth, when Tessier belted a solo home run to left-center and Gundlah notched a two-run single.
ON THE MOUND:
- Jalbert was outstanding in the victory, as the righthander threw a two-hitter with one walk and eight strikeouts in a complete-game performance
- For Norwich, Ingraffia nearly matched Jalbert pitch for pitch but took the loss after giving up three runs off nine hits and three walks with three K's in 5.1 innings; Noah Carpenter (Herkimer, N.Y.) yielded two runs on two hits and a walk in 1.2 innings of relief
OFF THE BAT:
- Tessier was 2-for-4 with a solo home run and two RBI
- Chisholm went 2-for-4 with a run scored
- Junior shortstop Zach Miles (Concord, N.H.) was 2-for-3
- Gundlah was 1-for-3 with three RBI and a stolen base
GAME TWO:
The Monks found the board in the top of the first when grad student second baseman Drew Healey (Rochester, N.H.) hit his third home run of the season, a solo shot to left center, with two out.
The Cadets claimed their first lead of the day in the bottom of the third, when freshman Jakob Hayes (Arlington, Texas) lined a two-run jack over the left field fence.
Hayes lifted his team to a 3-1 advantage in the bottom of the fifth when he singled Miller – who reached with a one-out triple – home with a base hit to left.
Saint Joseph's took advantage of a pair of Norwich errors to tie the game, 3-3, in the top of the sixth. Tessier led off the inning with a walk and later scored on an infield miscue and freshman pinch runner Peter O'Brien (Scarborough, Maine) scored the tying run on a botched rundown.
The Monks claimed a 4-3 lead in the top of the seventh when sophomore Matt Thibault (Nashua, N.H.) launched a solo home run to left center. Freshman third baseman Michael Wearne (Ellington, Conn.) plated Miles with a double to center and scored when the following batter, Jacob McGill (Derry, N.H.), hit a sharp single to left field to cap the scoring with the Monks earning the 6-3 triumph.
ON THE MOUND:
- SJC freshman starter Jason Johnson (Thomaston, Conn.) did not factor into the decision after allowing three runs on five hits and a walk through five frames
- Grad student Ben Gravel (Rochester, N.H.) improved to 2-0 on the season after tossing a scoreless sixth inning in relief and sophomore Luke Stephens (Glastonbury, Conn.) picked up his first career save with a walk and a strikeout in the bottom of the seventh
- For Norwich, freshman starter Ben Emero (Medway, Mass.) gave up three runs (one earned) off six hits and two walks over five innings before giving way to sophomore reliever Nick Beavin (Montpelier, Vt.), who took the loss after allowing three runs off four hits in 1.1 innings of work
OFF THE BAT:
- Healey was 2-for-3 with a solo home run
- Chisholm went 2-for-3 and Wearne was 1-for-1 with a double and an RBI
- For Norwich, Hayes was 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBI
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:
With the sweep, Saint Joseph's improves to 25-1 in the history of the series with Norwich University.
NEXT!
Saint Joseph's will play at Elms College tomorrow in a GNAC doubleheader set to start at 3:00 PM.
