Saint Joseph's Falls Short in NCAA Regional Opener, 4-3
Harwich, MA - Third-seeded Endicott College (33-12) overcame a two-out ninth-inning comeback by #6 Saint Joseph's College (30-13) and walked off with a 4-3 victory over the Monks in the opening round of the NCAA Division III Baseball Regional this afternoon.
Harwich, MA - Third-seeded Endicott College (33-12) overcame a two-out ninth-inning comeback by #6 Saint Joseph's College (30-13) and walked off with a 4-3 victory over the Monks in the opening round of the NCAA Division III Baseball Regional this afternoon.
Endicott received an RBI sacrifice fly from Harry Oringer (Dartmouth, Mass.) - who drove in two runs in the game - with the bases loaded and nobody out in the ninth to negate a two-run Saint Joseph's rally in the top of the inning, a comeback bid that saw the Monks knot the game at three-apiece and force the Gulls to bat in the bottom of the frame.
Endicott moves on to the winners bracket of the regional and will play at 8:00 PM on Thursday night against the winner of the second-seeded Wheaton and #7 Salem State match-up, while the loser of that game will meet Saint Joseph's at 1:00 PM tomorrow afternoon.
Junior EJ Martinez (Brooklyn, N.Y.) had two hits and scored twice for the Gulls, including crossing the plate with the winning run after leading off the top of the ninth with a double to right center.
Endicott scored single runs in the first, fourth and seventh innings while the Monks, who were led by a 3-4 day by senior Sam Butts (Saco, Maine), managed just one run through the first eight innings, despite outhitting the Gulls by a 12-8 margin.
Senior Kevin Dupras (Belchertown, Mass.) earned the win, despite blowing a save opportunity, and improved to 3-1 on the season. Dupras tossed three innings and struck out six batters, including a trio of punch-outs in the eighth to help the Gulls maintain a 3-1 cushion at the time.
The Monks finally put Dupras on the ropes in the ninth, as the senior closer issued two walks with one out to start the frame. Senior Mike Pratt (Dartmouth, Mass.) delivered a single to left field to load the bases and, with two outs and two strikes, sophomore Joe Coyne (Duxbury, Mass.) tied the game with a two-run hit to left center, which scored Butts and freshman Zack Graham (Marlboro, Mass.), tying the game at 3-3.
Junior Conor Ressel (Rockport, Mass.) set the tempo for Endicott early, leading off the game with an infield single and stealing second before coming around to score on a single by Oringer, coupled with a bobble in the outfield.
Endicott doubled their advantage in the bottom of the fourth on an RBI single down the left field line by senior Eric Lemke (Southington, Conn.), who had two hits in the game.
The Monks, who had a frustrating day at the plate stranding 12 runners – including five in scoring position - were able to drive a run in the top of the sixth with two runners on and nobody out.
Coyne led off the sixth with a line-drive single to right and senior Brandon Chase (Naples, Maine) followed with a bunt base hit. Following an Alex Markakis (Lynnfield, Mass.) sacrifice bunt, freshman Taylor Reuillard (Biddeford, Maine) delivered a single to right to plate Coyne, who had two hits and two RBI in the loss, make it a 2-1 contest.
Endicott tacked on a third run in the seventh with singles by Lemke and Martinez to open the frame. After a fielder's choice and a hit batsman, Oringer beat out the back end of a potential double play to reach on a fielder's choice and allow Martinez to score in the back door.
Junior Joe Gruntkosky (Peabody, Mass.) was tagged with the loss for Saint Joseph's after allowing one earned run on two walks and a hit, falling to 5-4 on the year.
Senior Tyler Hitchcock (Abington, Mass.) tossed five and a third innings for Endicott while he gave up just one run, despite allowing eight hits in the no-decision. Hitchcock walked one batter and also fanned one.
Saint Joseph senior Tyler Laverriere (Biddeford, Maine) worked the first six and a third innings and was charged with three runs (two earned). Laverriere scattered six hits and issued three walks while collecting five strikeouts.
*Release provided courtesy of SJM Sports Information