CHICOPEE, Mass. – Saint Joseph's College (12-9, 5-1 GNAC) picked up a pair of Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) victories at Elms College (7-10, 3-4 GNAC) on Monday. The Monks blanked the Blazers, 3-0, in the opener and earned the sweep with a 10-1 triumph in the nightcap.
GAME ONE:
The opening game sped by as the opposing starting pitchers – SJC senior Matt Bergeron (Salem, N.H.) and Elms grad student Austin Roy – did not allow a run for the first five innings in a contest that wrapped up in just an hour and 50 minutes.
The Monks produced the game's only runs in the top of the sixth when the visitors plated three runs off three hits. Junior catcher Jonathan Dube (Rochester, N.H.) broke the scoreless stalemate with an RBI double and later scored on a passed ball. Senior pinch runner Jake Laplume (Old Orchard Beach, Maine) capped the game scoring on a Zach Miles (Concord, N.H.) double.
ON THE MOUND:
- Bergeron improved to 2-2 on the season after scattering six hits and striking out eight batters in 6.2 innings; sophomore Luke Stephens (Glastonbury, Conn.) picked up his second save in as many days with 1/3 inning of scoreless relief
- For Elms, Roy took the loss after giving up three runs (two earned) on seven hits and two walks with three K's in a complete-game effort
OFF THE BAT:
- Sophomore first baseman Matt Thibault (Nashua, N.H.) went 2-for-3 while Dube and Miles both notched RBI doubles
- For Elms, catcher Tyler Galenski was 3-for-3
GAME TWO:
Thibault lifted the Monks to an early lead when he registered an RBI single in the top of the second and Dube made it a 2-0 game when he plated Gravel – who walked and stole second – with a base hit.
In the bottom of the fourth, the Blazers scored what proved to be their only run of the doubleheader when Cole Blades and Galenski led off the inning with back-to-back doubles.
Saint Joseph's extended the lead to 4-1 without a base hit in the top of the fifth, as Ryan Tessier (Concord, N.H.) was hit by a pitch and Jackson Stanton (Saugus, Mass.) worked a walk before scoring on a misplayed ball off the bat of senior third baseman Ronan Chisholm (North Chatham, Mass.).
In the top of the sixth, the Monks blew the doors off with six runs off three hits to account for the 10-1 final score. Tessier worked a bases loaded walk, Chisholm roped a two-run double, and Gravel notched a three-run triple to cap the game scoring.
ON THE MOUND:
- SJC senior starter Matt Poff (Pelham, N.H.) improved to 3-0 after allowing a run on four hits and three walks with four punch-outs over six innings; junior Sean McDonough (Concord, N.H.) struck out a pair in an inning of scoreless relief
- For Elms, starter Kyle Sebastyanski fell to 1-3 on the season after yielding six runs (three earned) off four hits and four walks with seven strikeouts in 5.1 frames; Ethan Sgarlata gave up four runs on two hits and a pair of walks in 1/3 inning of relief and Mickey Howe struck out three and walked one in 1.1 innings of work
OFF THE BAT:
- Dube led the SJC hitters by going 3-for-3 with two runs, a double and an RBI
- Gravel produced a three-run triple, Chisholm went 1=for-3 with a run, a double and two RBI, Stanton scored twice and swiped a pair of bases, and Tessier walked twice, scored two runs, and stole a base
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:
With the wins, Saint Joseph's improves to 7-1 in the history of the series with Elms College. The Blazers are in their first year as a member of the GNAC after playing in the New England College Conference (NECC) since 2007. The Monks and Blazers were also North Atlantic Conference (NAC) rivals during the 2005, 2006 and 2007 campaigns.
NEXT!
Saint Joseph's will host the University of Southern Maine in a single nine-inning game on Wednesday. First pitch is slated for 4:00 PM.
