STANDISH, Maine – Saint Joseph's College (17-7, 4-4 GNAC) split a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) baseball doubleheader with Rivier University (7-9, 2-2 GNAC)I'v at Larry Mahaney Diamond on Wednesday afternoon. The Monks claimed the opener, 5-2, before the Raiders answered with a 9-5 victory in the nightcap.
Originally scheduled to be played Thursday in Nashua, New Hampshire, the conference twinbill was moved to Larry Mahaney Diamond due to field conditions at Rivier. Despite playing in Standish, Saint Joseph's served as the designated visiting team in both contests.
GAME ONE – Saint Joseph's 5, Rivier 2
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Saint Joseph's broke through in the third inning when senior Jared Wilhelm (Tolland, Conn.) launched a solo home run to left for a 1-0 lead.
The Monks doubled the advantage in the fourth when senior Michael Richards (Melrose, Mass.) connected on a solo homer to left-center.
Saint Joseph's created separation with a three-run sixth. Freshman Theo Masella (Manchester, Mass.) singled to open the inning and Richards followed with a base hit before senior Luke Doughty (York, Maine) was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Freshman Josh Hersey (Salisbury, Mass.) then drew a walk to force in a run, a passed ball brought home another, and sophomore Jake Carlisle (Portsmouth, N.H.) added an RBI single to make it 5-0.
Rivier got on the board with two runs off three hits in the bottom of the sixth. Senior Dylan Aliberti (Sandown, N.H.) singled and junior Liam Stott (Londonderry, N.H.) followed with a base hit before senior Matt Labrecque (Manchester, N.H.) drove in a run with a groundout and junior Alex Gallicano (Alexandria, Va.) added an RBI single. The Raiders later put the tying run on base in the seventh, but SJC sophomore closer William Dionne (Somerset, Mass.) entered and recorded the final two outs to preserve the win.
ON THE MOUND:
Saint Joseph's:
- Tyler Nelson (Fr., Medford, Mass.) (W, 2-0) – 5.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 K
- Nate Leavitt (So., Alton, N.H.) – 1.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
- William Dionne - (S, 1) 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
Rivier:
- Anthony Morro (Sr., Durham, Conn.) (L, 0-3) – 5.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 6 K
- Brendan Ferris (Sr., Methuen, Mass.) – 1.0 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 0 K
- Travis McKeen (Sr., Cohasset, Mass.) – 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
IN THE BOX:
Saint Joseph's:
- Jared Wilhelm – 1-for-3, R, RBI, HR, BB
- Jake Carlisle – 1-for-4, RBI
- Theo Masella – 2-for-4, R
- Michael Richards – 2-for-3, 2 R, RBI, HR, BB
Rivier:
- Nathan Innerfield (Jr., Weare, N.H.) – 1-for-2, 2 BB, 2B
- Dylan Aliberti – 1-for-4, R
- Liam Stott – 1-for-3, R
- Alex Gallicano – 1-for-3, RBI
GAME TWO – Rivier 9, Saint Joseph's 5
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Rivier grabbed the early edge in the opener when junior Colton Colleran (Mashpee, Mass.) singled, moved up on a base hit by junior Sebastien Reis (Fall River, Mass.), and scored on a Liam Stott RBI double.
Saint Joseph's answered in the second. Sophomore Nic Frink (Scarborough, Maine), freshman Theo Masella, and senior Michael Richards were all hit by pitches around a two-out RBI single by senior Jack Moltenbrey (East Longmeadow, Mass.) to knot the score at 1-1.
The Raiders regained the lead with two runs in the third as Colleran singled, Innerfield walked, and Reis and Aliberti followed with base hits. Senior David Miller (Hope, R.I.) added an RBI groundout in the frame to push Rivier ahead, 3-1.
The game turned in the sixth, when Rivier erupted for six runs on six hits and an SJC error. Stott and Gallicano opened the rally with singles before junior Jayce Martinez (Nashua, N.H.) delivered a two-run knock through the left side. Innerfield later added a two-run single, Aliberti drove in another with a base hit to right-center, and the Raiders capped the inning when Reis scored on an error for a 9-1 cushion.
Saint Joseph's mounted a late push with two runs in the seventh and two more in the eighth. Moltenbrey delivered a two-run single in the seventh after sophomore Nick Villano (Peabody, Mass.) walked and sophomore Nick Brindle (Pittsfield, Mass.) singled, and the Monks added two unearned runs in the eighth before Rivier closed the door.
ON THE MOUND:
Saint Joseph's:
- Paul Donnelly (So., Middleton, Mass.) – (L, 1-1) 5.1 IP, 10 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 1 BB, 5 K
- Ryan Thurber (Sr., South Portland, Maine) – 0.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
- Henry Paquette (So., Pelham, N.H.) – 2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
Rivier:
- Chris Volino (Jr., Smithtown, N.Y.) (W, 4-1) – 7.0 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
- Damon Reyes (Jr., Boston, Mass.) – 1.0 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 0 K
- Ty Baker (Sr., Hudson, N.H.) – 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
IN THE BOX:
Saint Joseph's:
Rivier:
- Colton Colleran – 2-for-5, 2 R
- Nathan Innerfield – 1-for-4, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB
- Sebastien Reis – 4-for-5, R
- Dylan Aliberti – 3-for-5, 2 RBI
- Liam Stott – 2-for-4, R, 2 RBI
- Jayce Martinez – 1-for-4, R, 2 RBI
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:
Following Wednesday's split, Saint Joseph's now holds a 37-4 record versus Rivier University in the all-time series.
NEXT!
Saint Joseph's returns to action on Saturday, April 4, when the Monks host Lasell University in a GNAC doubleheader beginning at 12:00 PM.
