STANDISH, ME - Suffolk University (27-8, 12-2) toppled Saint Joseph's (28-12, 13-1 GNAC), 15-6, to claim the 2009 GNAC Championship on Sunday at Larry Mahaney Diamond. The Monks, after falling to the Rams 22-21 on Saturday, needed to defeat Suffolk twice to win the title. The Royal Blue accomplished half of the endeavor by wiping away a 4-0 deficit with a 6-5 triumph in the first game, but ran out of gas in the final and failed to post a serious threat in the loss.

GAME ONE -

Kevin Chamberlain '11 (Scarborough, ME) was brilliant in the opener, allowing nine hits and two earned runs with five strikeouts in 7 2/3 innings against the Rams' imposing lineup. Chris Dion '11 (Lawrence, MA) was awarded the victory after surrendering three hits and one run with a pair of punch outs in 1 1/3 innings of relief.

Suffolk got on the board with a two-run homer from Mike Kenneally '10 (Georgetown, MA) in the bottom of the fourth and added a pair of unearned runs in the inning to take a 4-0 lead.

In the meantime, Rams starter Reid Jackson '09 (Burlington, MA) was on cruise control. Only two SJC runners reached base in the first five innings, with Ian Lee '11 (Hampden, ME) collecting the only hit.

The Monks broke through in the top of the sixth with three runs off three hits and two Suffolk errors. Lee , Pat Moran '10 (Winterport, ME) and Eric LaBatte '11 (Rochester, NH) all were credited with an RBI in the frame.

Chamberlain managed to hold the Rams' offense in check for the next two innings, which provided St. Joe's the opportunity to tie the game in the top of the eighth. With one out, Lee reached with a double and was lifted in favor of pinch runner Stephan Gorsun '09 (South Berwick, ME). Ben Grant-Roy '10 (Biddeford, ME) grounded out to short for the second out, but Moran came up with a clutch two-out base knock to send Gorsun home for the tying run.

The Monks took the lead in the top of the ninth with two runs off two hits and one Suffolk miscue. Todd Keneborus '11 (Hollis Center, ME/Cheverus) led off the inning with a sharply hit single to center and was replaced with pinch runner Pat Hamilton '12 (Plaistow, NH) at first base. Travis Adams '10 (Saco, ME) reached with a perfectly placed sac bunt, and both runners moved up a base on a Mike Burdin '10 (Gardiner, ME) sacrifice. SJC second baseman Chris Campbell '11 (Rochester, NH) was intentionally walked to create a force at home to bring up Wade Oliver '09 (Owls Head, ME), who hit a grounder to Rams second sacker Paul Vittozzi '09 (North Reading, MA). Vittozzi booted what appeared to be an ideal double play ball and both SJC runners scrambled home on the play, giving St. Joe's a 6-4 lead.

Dion , who came on in relief of Chamberlain to face the left-handed hitting Marc Doyle '10 (Whitman, MA), who pinch hit with two down in the eighth, battled through the ninth to take the winning decision and force a second game.

Lee was 2-4 with a run scored, an RBI and a double and Moran went 2-4 with a pair of RBI in the victory for St. Joe's. Moran's RBI single in the sixth inning gave the team 357 runs batted in for the season, breaking the team single-season record of 356 set by the potent 2001 Saint Joseph's squad.

Jackson was hit with the loss after allowing eight hits, two walks and six earned runs with eight K's in the complete game effort. Mark Addesa '11 (Revere, MA) was 3-5 with a home run and two RBI, and Kenneally , Rory Gentile '10 (Gloucester, MA) and Keith Carter '09 (Newburyport, MA) all chipped in with two hits apiece in the losing effort.

GAME TWO -

Things didn't start well for the Monks in the winner-takes-all contest. SJC starter Andrew Keirstead '10 (Westbrook, ME) was able to record just one out in the opening frame before being lifted in favor of reliever Curtis Orlik '12 (Brimfield, MA), who was marginally better against the high-octane Rams lineup. Suffolk plated four runs on four hits in the first inning, with Bobby Barrett '10 (Milton, MA), Carter and Addesa recording RBI's in the frame.

The Monks responded with three runs, one in the first and two in the third, all courtesy of Ian Lee . The sophomore catcher sent Campbell across the plate in the first inning with a single and belted his third homer of the year, a two-run shot, in the third to make it a one-run game.

St. Joe's would not taste a share of the lead in this contest, however, as Suffolk went on to outscore the Monks 11-0 in the next four frames to secure a 15-3 cushion. The Rams offensive outburst, which was aided by three SJC miscues, featured 13 hits, 11 of which were singles.

The Monks, drained mentally and physically from having played 45 innings of baseball in three days, managed to score three runs off a LaBatte groundout and a Keneborus triple in the eighth to cap the game scoring.

Rams starter Alex Torres '11 (Framingham, MA) was solid, allowing four earned runs, six hits and seven walks with two strikeouts in the complete game victory. Seven Suffolk players recorded multiple hits, with Vittozzi and Carter both notching three-hit efforts. Barrett , Carter and catcher Tim Belanger '12 (Raynham, MA) all registered three RBI in the championship clincher.

St. Joe's managed just six hits in the loss, with Lee and Keneborus notching a pair each. Keirstead , who allowed three earned runs on a walk and two hits in 1/3 inning, was hit with the loss. Orlik , Dion , Moran , Gerry Howley '12 (Millis, MA) and Andrew Pooler '09 (Southwest Harbor, ME) all worked in relief. Howley , making his collegiate debut, allowed one earned run and one hit in one inning. Pooler fanned three and did not allow a hit in two innings.

The loss caps a momentous title bid for a tenacious St. Joe's team that erased seven and four run deficits in wins over Johnson & Wales and Suffolk, respectively. The Monks were 90 feet away from tying the Rams yesterday in the winner's bracket contest after falling behind, 22-8 in the fifth inning. St. Joe's scored 13 unanswered runs, including six in the bottom of the ninth, but were unable to push the tying run across with the bases loaded and two out.

Suffolk shortstop Mark Addesa anchored a strong Rams' infield defense and was named the Tournament Most Valuable Player after hitting .350 with nine runs and six RBI. Barrett , Gentile and Torres also made the All-Tournament Team.

Lee , Grant-Roy and Chamberlain were selected to represent Saint Joseph's on the All-Tournament Team. Lee hit .522 (12-23) with four doubles, eight runs and 10 RBI and Grant-Roy batted .400 (8-20) with four home runs, nine runs and nine runs batted in. Chamberlain posted a 2.84 earned run average with eight strikeouts in 12 2/3 innings for the Monks.

With three RBI in the loss, Lee now has 52 on the season which is the fourth-highest single-season total in team history. Through 40 games, Lee is batting .476 with 69 hits. SJC Hall of Famer Steve Osborne '01 hit .481 with 77 hits, both single-season records at St. Joe's, in 2001. Only two players, David Quintal '00; also a HOF'er), and Osborne, have reached the 70-hit plateau in a campaign for the Monks.

Kyle Calechman '11 (North Haven, CT) and Robert Bengivengo '11 (Oxford, CT) for Albertus Magnus and Teddy Katz '11 (Pittsburgh, PA) and Justin Maldonado '09 (South Burlington, VT) of Johnson & Wales were also listed on the All-Tournament Team.

The 2009 season continues for Saint Joseph's on Tuesday, as the Monks will travel to Keene State to take on the Owls in a 4:00 PM game. Suffolk will host Brandeis on Saturday, May 2nd in a twin bill set to begin at 1:00 PM.