VENICE, FL - The St. Joe's baseball team opened up their
spring trip with a doubleheader against NEWMAC opponent Worcester
Polytechnic Institute and lost the opener, 3-0, despite a solid pitching
performance from starter SO Pat Moran
(Winterport, ME). The Monks used a team effort to defeat the Engineers
in the second game, 10-7. Moran went 3-3 with 2 RBI
and SO Ben Grant-Roy (Biddeford, ME) knocked in 3
runs and had two hits in the win. SO Andy Pooler
(Somesville, ME) registered the win in relief. The doubleheader was
the season's first games for both New England Region teams.
In the opening game, the Monks' Moran and Engineers
junior righty Conor Fahey (Cumberland, RI) locked heads in a classic
pitcher's duel. It appeared that Fahey would roll through the St.
Joe's lineup, as struck out 3 SJC batters in the first two innings.
Although the Monks batsmen made adjustments to counteract the whiffs,
the Royal Blue was unable to plate a run in the game. St. Joe's had
two runners on base in the 4th, 6th and 7th innings. Fahey threw a
complete game shutout and scattered 3 hits with 5 strikeouts and 5
walks in the game. Moran also went the distance and
allowed 4 hits, 2 earned runs, struck out 3 and walked one. WPI scored
an unearned run in the 3rd inning and padded their lead with 2 runs
in the 6th inning. SO Mark Dignum (Albany, NY) hit a double to knock
in teammate JR Ethan Brown (Lunenberg, MA), who had earlier singled.
Dignum later scored on a Moran wild pitch to make the score 3-0.
JR Wade Oliver (Owls Head, ME), SR Brian
Schools (Gorham, ME) and SR Luke Enman (Milan,
NH) each had singles to account for the three SJC hits. Enman
also tallied two walks in the game. Monks FY catcher Ian Lee
(Hampden, ME) played an outstanding game behind the plate,
throwing out two would-be Engineers basestealers.
The Monks were down 3-0 after WPI sent eight hitters to the plate
in the first inning. JR Scott McKnee (Falmouth, MA) hit a triple over
the head of centerfielder Wade Oliver
to send two Engineers home and SO Cody McGregor (Westfield, MA) later
doubled to send McKnee across the plate to help stake the early lead.
SO lefthanded starting pitcher Kyle Dorr (Berwick,
ME) settled down and posted goose eggs in each of the next three innings
to give the Royal Blue an opportunity to mount a comeback bid.
The Monks scored runs in both the first and second innings to lessen
the WPI lead to 3-2 heading into the bottom of the fourth inning before
the SJC bats came alive. The Monks offense posted 5 runs on 4 hits
in the inning with the big hit coming by way of a double off the bat
of first basemen Ben Grant-Roy that plated two runs.
Pat Moran singled home a run and SO catcher Travis
Adams (Saco, ME) also hit a double and knocked in a run during
the inning which saw the Monks take a 7-3 lead.
St. Joe's added a run in the 5th inning when Wade Oliver
blasted a double down the left field line that brought home teammate
FY John Swasey (South Berwick, ME) and went on to
add two more runs in the 6th inning off a Grant-Roy
triple and an Adams sacrifice fly. The Monks held
a 10-5 lead going into the seventh inning before the Engineers' Scott
McKnee cranked a two-run home run over the leftfield fence off SJC
closer Brian Schools to bring his team back within
striking distance. Schools settled in, however, and
would not allow another WPI baserunner to complete the game and provide
the Monks with a victory for the split.
For the Monks in the second game, Pat Moran was 3-3
with 2 runs and 2 RBI; Ben Grant-Roy 2-4 with 2 runs,
3 RBI, a double and a triple; Travis Adams 2-3 with
a double and 2 RBI and SO Ricky Sarmento was 2-2
with a double in the win. FY Eric LaBatte (Rochester,
NH) posted his first career collegiate hit with a single in the 5th
inning as a pinch hitter.
For the Engineers, Scott McKnee was 2-4 with 4 RBI and Cody McGregor
went 2-3 in the loss.
The 1-1 Monks will continue on their southern swing with a single
game against NEWMAC opponent Clark University on Tuesday, 3/3 at 10:00
AM. The game is a nine inning contest.
