March 25, 2010

Box Score

STANDISH, ME - The Saint Joseph's College (ME) baseball team (6-6) suffered another one-run loss on Thursday in the team's home opener to UMass Boston (8-3) on Thursday afternoon. The Monks rapped out 11 hits and hit three home runs, but a porous SJC defense committed six errors and allowed the Beacons to score six unearned runs in the loss. UMass Boston has won seven of its last eight games.

Junior Ian Lee (Hampden, ME) was 3-4 with an RBI, junior Chris Campbell (Rochester, NH) went 2-5 with a run scored and senior Mike Burdin (Gardiner, ME) knocked home a pair with a double. Senior Pat Moran (Winterport, ME), junior Todd Keneborus (Hollis Center, ME) and freshman Nate Martin (Chebeague Island, ME) all hit homers for the Monks.

SJC junior pitcher Chris Dion (Lawrence, ME) was hit with the loss after allowing four runs, two earned, in one third of an inning of relief. Beacons' sophomore right-hander Matt Young (Colchester, CT) earned the victory for the visitors with two thirds of an inning of effective relief to imrprove to 2-0 on the season.

Monks junior starter Kevin Chamberlain (Scarborough, ME) deserved a better fate, as the righty allowed just one earned run and five hits in three and two-thirds innings. Chamberlain was lifted in favor of junior Mason Roberge (Franklin, NH) in the top of the fourth after UMass Boston scored five runs off four errors and an RBI single from sophomore right fielder Ty Buccetti (Wallingford, CT) in the frame.

Roberge did not yield a hit and fanned four in three and a third innings before being replaced by Dion in the eighth. Senior Chris Nanof (Clinton, MA) allowed a hit and struck out one in two thirds of an inning and senior Andrew Keirstead (Westbrook, ME) hurled a scoreless ninth with two hits allowed and a strikeout.

The Monks struck first with three runs in their first turn at the plate. Campbell led off the bottom of the first with a double to the left-center gap and scored from second on a base hit by Lee. Two batters later, Keneborus mashed his second longball of the year, a two-run shot to deep right-center to provide his team with a 3-0 cushion.

Saint Joseph's squandered an opportunity to tack on more runs in the third inning, as the Royal Blue loaded the bases, but were unable to push a run across, with the meat of the order at the plate. The Beacons were able to score five runs in the fourth off just three hits and the aforementioned quartet of Monks miscues.

Saint Joe's answered with a single run in the bottom of the frame, as Martin utilized his speed to singlehandedly cut the SJC deficit in half. The rookie outfielder led off the inning with a sharp single to center, advanced to third on an errant pickoff attempt and scored on a wild pitch. With one out, the Monks had runners on first and third, as junior Eric LaBatte (Rochester, NH) walked and advanced to third on a Lee base knock, but UMB senior southpaw Andrew Lebrun (Stoneham, MA) managed to get out of the jam with a strikeout and a fly ball to right field.

Saint Joseph's gained a 6-5 edge with a pair of solo blasts in the top of the fifth inning. Moran opened the frame with a deep homer to left center, his first tater of the year, and Martin turned around a 3-1 offering and put it over the left field wall for his first collegiate long ball.

The Monks added a pair of runs in the bottom of the seventh when Burdin lined a double to right center, scoring sophomore pinch-runners Kyle Neagle (Lisbon Falls, ME) and sophomore Danny Achorn (Bow, NH).

The Beacons scored four runs in the top of the eighth to take a 9-8 lead. Sophomore third baseman Matt Mattei (Spencer, MA) singled home junior second baseman Ryan Walsh (Newton, MA), who cracked a leadoff double, and senior left fielder Drew Tambling (Sterling, MA) hit three-run inside the park home run to center to account for the scoring in the frame.

For the Beacons, Mattei was 2-5 with two runs and two RBI, Tambling went 2-5 with three RBI and Buccetti was 2-4 with an RBI. LeBrun allowed five earned runs, nine hits and two walks with five K's in 4.2 innings and junior shortstop/reliever Dan Noonan (Westport, MA) did not allow a baserunner in two innings to close out the game with his first career save.

St. Joe's will host GNAC opponent Rivier College on Saturday, with the first pitch of the doubleheader scheduled for 12:00 PM. UMass Boston will play at Bridgewater State College on Friday at 3:00 PM.

Material used in this report courtesy of Saint Joseph's College (ME) Sports Information