PHOTO CREDIT: Chris Theodores '25
STANDISH, Maine – Colby-Sawyer College (16-11, 7-4 GNAC) defeated Saint Joseph's College (5-20, 2-7 GNAC) twice in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) North Division baseball doubleheader at Larry Mahaney Diamond on Friday afternoon. The Chargers clipped the Monks by a 5-4 score in the first game and completed the sweep with an 8-6 triumph.
COLBY-SAWYER 5, SAINT JOSEPH'S 4
The Monks held a 4-2 lead through six innings, but the Chargers scored three unearned runs on three hits and an SJC error in the top of the seventh and managed to hold on to the one-run lead for the victory. Freshman catcher Noah Staffier (Beverly, Mass.) posted an RBI double and scored along with freshman third baseman Sean Roeger (Salem, N.H.) on a Jason Schmitt (Surry, N.H.) double to lift the visitors to a 5-4 victory.
ON THE MOUND:
Graduate Matthew Bergeron (Salem, N.H.) suffered the loss despite allowing just one earned run on nine hits and no walks with four strikeouts in seven innings. Junior reliever Hugh Barrett (Durham, Conn.) struck out three batters and allowed one hit in two scoreless innings of work.
Colby-Sawyer freshman starter Colin Burchard (Upton, Mass.) did not factor into the decision after giving up three runs on seven hits and four walks with four K's in 4.2 innings. Sophomore Justin Powers (Peabody, Mass.) picked up the victory after working 2.1 innings in relief while allowing a run on three hits with three punch-outs in 2.1 frames and junior Jack Mullen (Norfolk, Mass.) earned the save after striking out four batters in two hitless innings.
OFF THE BAT:
- Sophomore shortstop Luke Doughty (York, Maine) was 3-4 with two runs, a double, a stolen base, and an RBI
- Freshman Vinny O'Leary (North Quincy, Mass.) and senior Dawson Gundlah (York, Maine) added two hits apiece
- For Colby-Sawyer, Cam Carignan (Rutland, Mass.) was 3-4 with a double, Schmitt went 2-3 with three RBI, and Roeger added two hits and two runs in four trips to the plate
COLBY-SAWYER 8, SAINT JOSEPH'S 6
The Monks grabbed a 1-0 in the bottom of the first inning when Gundlah roped an RBI single, but the Chargers responded in a big way with six runs on six hits and two SJC errors in the top of the second. Sophomore Mike McLeer (Saco, Maine), freshman Evan Dennis (East Ryegate, Vt.), and Roeger notched RBI singles and Schmitt blasted a two-run home run to give their team a 6-1 lead.
McLeer belted a two-run jack over the left field wall in the top of the third to lift the Chargers to an 8-1 cushion.
In the bottom of the fifth O'Leary singled and scored on a Jared Wilhelm (Tolland, Conn.) fielder's choice and junior Alex Moore (Henniker, N.H.) singled and raced home on an errant pickoff attempt in the sixth to make it an 8-3 game.
Down to their last three outs, the Monks managed to score three runs on just one hit in the bottom of the ninth and had the bases loaded with two out before Schmitt made a diving grab in right field on an O'Leary looping liner to close out the contest.
ON THE MOUND:
SJC junior starter Liam Jann (Philadelphia, Pa.) took the loss after allowing six runs (four earned) on six hits with two K's in six innings and freshman Josh Wieners (Duxbury, Mass.) gave up two runs on four hits with five strikeouts in 3.1 frames of relief. Senior Morgan Doughty (Smithfield, R.I.), senior Matt Thibault (Nashua, N.H.), sophomore Brendan McCaffrey (Warwick, R.I.), and junior Logan Dee (Laconia, N.H.) combined to toss four innings of no-hit relief with no walks and four strikeouts.
Colby-Sawyer starter Dylan Watson improved to 5-1 on the season after yielding three runs (one earned) on eight hits and three walks with three strikeouts in seven innings. Hayden Goerlich tossed a scoreless inning in relief before Dennis ran into trouble allowing three runs on just one hit and three walks in 0.2 innings. Mullen came in for his second save of the day – and sixth of the season – by inducing the game-ending liner to right field.
OFF THE BAT – SAINT JOSEPH'S:
- Moore went 3-5 with a run and an RBI
- O'Leary was 2-5 with two runs
- Gundlah was 2-5 with an RBI
- For the Chargers, McLeer was 3-4 with two runs, a home run, and three RBI, Schmitt homered and was 2-4 with a run and two RBI, and Roeger went 2-5 with a run, a double, and an RBI
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:
With the losses, Saint Joseph's falls to 6-2 in the history of the series with Colby-Sawyer College.
NEXT!
The Monks will play two GNAC North Division games at Rivier University tomorrow. The first game starts at 3:00 PM.
