WINTER HAVEN, Fla. – Saint Joseph's College swept the University of Minnesota Morris in a RussMatt Central Florida Invitational doubleheader on Saturday at Chain of Lakes #2, defeating the Cougars 9-1 in the opener and 3-2 in eight innings in the nightcap. The doubleheader sweep closes out the Monks' 12-game southern swing.
The Monks broke open game one with three runs in the fourth and five more in the fifth while sophomore William Dionne (Somerset, Mass.) worked six strong innings to earn the win. Saint Joseph's then grinded out a tight extra-inning victory in the nightcap, as sophomore Paul Donnelly (Middleton, Mass.) and senior Ryan Thurber (South Portland, Maine) combined for 10 strikeouts before junior Josh Hersey (Salisbury, Mass.) delivered the go-ahead two-run single in the eighth.
GAME ONE – Saint Joseph's 9, Minnesota Morris 1
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Saint Joseph's struck first in the bottom of the opening inning. Senior Jack Moltenbrey (East Longmeadow, Mass.) walked, moved up on a sacrifice bunt and a wild pitch, and scored when sophomore Jake Carlisle (Portsmouth, N.H.) grounded out to second for a 1-0 lead.
The Monks created breathing room in the fourth. Carlisle opened the inning with a single and senior Jared Wilhelm (Tolland, Conn.) followed with a double to left. Sophomore Dylan Brander (Merrimack, N.H.) brought home Carlisle with a single to right before sophomore Theo Masella (Manchester, Mass.) lined a two-run single up the middle to make it 4-0.
Minnesota Morris got on the board in the fifth when Peyton Neadeau walked, moved to second on a passed ball, and scored on Calbe Walker's RBI single through the right side, but the Monks answered emphatically in the bottom half. Moltenbrey started the rally with a single, Carlisle followed with a base hit, and junior Nic Frink (Scarborough, Maine) singled to load the bases. Wilhelm lifted a sacrifice fly, Brander added an RBI single, and after Michael Richards (Melrose, Mass.) entered as a pinch runner and stole second, Frink raced home on a steal of home. Masella then singled in another run and senior Luke Doughty (York, Maine) capped the five-run frame with an RBI single for a 9-1 cushion.
That was plenty for Dionne, who allowed only four hits and one unearned run over six innings before freshman Rowan Brown-Knobel (South Glens Falls, N.Y.) closed out the seventh.
ON THE MOUND:
Saint Joseph's:
- William Dionne – 6.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K (W, 2-0)
- Rowan Brown-Knobel – 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 K
Minnesota Morris:
- Kellan Oligmueller – 4.0 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 1 K (L, 1-2)
- Emmett Campbell – 1.0 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
- Tim Buckles – 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 K
IN THE BOX:
Saint Joseph's:
- Jake Carlisle – 2-3, 2 R, RBI
- Nic Frink – 2-3, R
- Dylan Brander – 2-3, R, 2 RBI
- Theo Masella – 2-3, R, 3 RBI
- Jared Wilhelm – 1-2, R, RBI, 2B
- Luke Doughty – 1-3, RBI
- Jack Moltenbrey – 1-2, R, BB
Minnesota Morris:
- Tyler Moriarty – 1-4
- Landen Meyerdirk – 1-3
- Ben Meuser – 1-3, 2B
- Trevor Haberman – 1-3
- Calbe Walker – 1-3, RBI
GAME TWO – Saint Joseph's 3, Minnesota Morris 2 (8 inn.)
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The Monks grabbed an early lead in the top of the first when O'Leary singled, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Masella, advanced to third on a groundout, and scored on Frink's RBI single to right.
Minnesota Morris answered in the third. Tyler Moriarty and Landen Meyerdirk started the inning with singles before Ben Meuser lined an RBI single to left to even the score at 1-1. Donnelly escaped further damage by getting a double-play ball to end the threat.
Both teams had chances over the middle innings, but the game stayed tied as Donnelly kept the Cougars in check and Minnesota Morris starter Johnny Lopez matched him. Saint Joseph's nearly pushed ahead in the fourth, but Ryan Kastle (Concord, N.H.) was thrown out at the plate trying to score on O'Leary's single to center.
The Monks finally broke through in the eighth inning. Nic Frink led off with a single, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by junior Matt Elwell (Wakefield, Mass.), and then stole third. After senior Jared Wilhelm drew a walk and moved to second on a groundout, Josh Hersey lined a two-out single through the right side to score both runners and give Saint Joseph's a 3-1 lead.
Minnesota Morris got one run back in the bottom of the eighth on Blake Imhoff's pinch-hit RBI single, but Thurber recorded the final out to seal the sweep.
ON THE MOUND:
Saint Joseph's:
- Paul Donnelly (So., Middleton, Mass.) – 6.1 IP, 9 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 7 K
- Ryan Thurber – 1.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K (W, 1-0)
Minnesota Morris:
- Johnny Lopez – 6.2 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 2 K
- Luke McHugh – 1.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 0 K (L, 0-2)
IN THE BOX:
Saint Joseph's:
Minnesota Morris:
- Landen Meyerdirk – 3-4, 2B
- Ben Meuser – 1-3, RBI, BB
- Kellan Oligmueller – 1-3, BB
- Bradie Black – 1-4
- Peyton Neadeau – 1-2, R, BB
- Grayson Van Nelson – 1-3
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:
Saturday's games marked the first-ever meetings between the Saint Joseph's and Minnesota Morris baseball programs.
NEXT!
Saint Joseph's will play at Clark University on Wednesday. The single nine-inning non-conference contest is slated for a 4:00 PM start.
