NEW LONDON, N.H. – Saint Joseph's College (30-10, 14-6 GNAC) swept a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) baseball doubleheader at Colby-Sawyer College (18-19, 11-9 GNAC) on Saturday afternoon, earning a 4-0 victory in the opener before rallying late for a 5-3 win in the nightcap.
PLAYOFF IMPLICATIONS:
Saint Joseph's has claimed the #3 seed in the GNAC Tournament and will host a first-round game on Thursday, opponent and start time TBD.
GAME ONE – Saint Joseph's 4, Colby-Sawyer 0
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Saint Joseph's used timely hitting and dominant pitching to take the opener. The Monks broke through in the third inning when sophomore Connor Finn (Kingston, Mass.) singled and later scored on a perfect safety squeeze by sophomore Nick Brindle (Pittsfield, Mass.) to make it 1-0.
The game remained tight until the fifth, when Saint Joseph's delivered the decisive blow. Junior Vinny O'Leary (North Quincy, Mass.) worked a walk and Brindle followed with a single before sophomore Jake Carlisle (Portsmouth, N.H.) launched a three-run homer to down the left field line, stretching the lead to 4-0.
That was more than enough for the Monks' pitching staff, which held Colby-Sawyer to just four hits and kept the Chargers off the scoreboard the rest of the way.
ON THE MOUND:
Saint Joseph's:
- Dylan Brander (Sr., Merrimack, N.H.) (W, 6-2) – 6.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K
- Henry Paquette (So., Biddeford, Maine) – 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
Colby-Sawyer:
- Mike Hogan (L, 2-4) – 6.1 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
- Ryan Kane – 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
IN THE BOX:
Saint Joseph's:
Colby-Sawyer:
- Dylan Watson – 1-for-3
- Mike McLeer – 1-for-2, BB
- Evan Dennis – 1-for-3
GAME TWO – Saint Joseph's 5, Colby-Sawyer 3
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Colby-Sawyer grabbed control early in the nightcap, scoring twice in the fourth on an RBI double from Jesse Chaves and a sacrifice fly by Noah Staffier before adding another run on a Jared Schmitt solo homer in the fifth to take a 3-0 lead.
Saint Joseph's began to chip away in the sixth. Finn singled and scored on an RBI base hit by Carlisle to make it 3-1.
The Monks pulled even in the seventh. Senior Jared Wilhelm (Tolland, Conn.) worked a walk and sophomore Nick Villano (Peabody, Mass.) singled before senior Michael Richards (Melrose, Mass.) delivered a clutch two-run triple to right, tying the game at 3-3.
After the bullpen kept Colby-Sawyer off the board, Saint Joseph's delivered the decisive rally in the ninth. Wilhelm doubled and freshman Theo Masella (Manchester, Mass.) followed with a single to put runners on the corners. Richards then lifted a sacrifice fly to bring home the go-ahead run, and Masella later stole home on a first and third play to provide an insurance tally as the Monks completed the comeback victory.
ON THE MOUND:
Saint Joseph's:
- Paul Donnelly (So., Middleton, Mass.) – 4.1 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
- William Dionne (So., Somerset, Mass.) – 2.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 3 K
- Nic Frink (So., Scarborough, Maine) (W, 4-0) – 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
Colby-Sawyer:
- Simon Keary – 6.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
- Colby Russell – 0.2 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB
- Ryan Kane – 0.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB
- Connor Fowler (L, 1-2) – 0.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER
- Will Carpenter – 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER
IN THE BOX:
Saint Joseph's:
Colby-Sawyer:
- Jared Schmitt – 3-for-4, HR, RBI
- Jesse Chaves – 2-for-4, RBI, 2B
- Evan Dennis – 1-for-3, BB
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:
With the sweep, Saint Joseph's improves to 8-6 all-time versus Colby-Sawyer.
