Photo courtesy of Blue Egg Images

WORCESTER, Mass. – Saint Joseph's College (18-6, 4-2 GNAC) took a pair from Anna Maria College (8-18, 1-7 GNAC) in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) baseball action at Clark University on Saturday evening. The Monks opened with an 8-5 triumph in 10 innings and capped the sweep with an 11-3 nightcap victory.

SAINT JOSEPH'S 8, ANNA MARIA 5

The Monks held a 4-2 lead heading into the bottom of the seventh when the AMCATS tied the game with the help of a walk and a sacrifice bunt. With runners on second and third and one out, sophomore Jake Crevier (Ware, Mass.) delivered a two-run single to knot the game at 4-4.

Crevier stole second to give Anna Maria a runner in scoring position, but SJC sophomore reliever Jonathan Marchia (Chicopee, Mass.) induced a groundout and fanned junior left fielder Adam Twitchell (Shrewsbury, Mass.) to close out the threat.

Two quiet innings followed before the Monks grabbed a three-run lead on one swing, as senior catcher Greg Emanuelson (Hudson, N.H.) belted a three-run jack over the left field wall to make it a 7-4 game. Sophomore center fielder Hunter Richardson (Monmouth, Maine) and senior right fielder Jared Gagne (Dover, N.H.) opened the top of the 10th with back-to-back singles to set the table for Emanuelson.

Sophomore second baseman Luke Johnson (East Hampton, Conn.) lifted the Royal Blue to an 8-4 advantage with an RBI single, knocking in sophomore Dylan Fournier (South Windsor, Conn.), who singled to right field.

The AMCATS mounted another comeback bid in the bottom of the 10th with the help of a leadoff walk and an infield error, but junior reliever Jonathan Rolfe (Plainville, Mass.) worked out of the jam by allowing one run on a sac fly.

ON THE MOUND:

SJC freshman starter Matt Bergeron (Salem, N.H.) did not factor into the decision after allowing two runs off four hits with five strikeouts over 5.2 innings. Marchia earned the win after tossing three one-hit innings of relief with five K's.

Anna Maria sophomore starter Jack Marzec (Northbridge, Mass.) yielded four runs (two earned) off six hits and two walks with five punch-outs over 6.1 innings and sophomore reliever Liam Cunningham (Northbridge, Mass.) took the loss after giving up four runs off six hits and two walks in 3.1 frames.

FOR THE RECORD:

Senior shortstop Joey Murphy (Derry, N.H.) broke the Monks' career stolen bases record when he swiped second with two out in the top of the seventh. Murphy, who now has 62 steals in 131 career games, breaks the long-time record held by SJC Hall of Famer Arlo Pike '86, who grabbed 61 bases in 144 contests over four seasons.

OFF THE BAT:

• Gagne was 2-4 with three runs scored
• Emanuelson went 2-5 with a home run and four RBI
• Murphy was 2-5 with a run, a stolen base, and an RBI
• Johnson went 2-5 with an RBI
• For the AMCATS, freshman shortstop Kosta Drosidis (Holden, Mass.) went 2-4 with a pair of home runs and three RBI

SAINT JOSEPH'S 11, ANNA MARIA 3

In the top of the third, St. Joe's claimed a 3-0 lead off just one hit – a two-run single by Murphy – with the help of four free-passes issued by senior starter Colin Pipkin (Peoria, Ariz.) and put the game out of reach with six runs off six hits and a pair of AMCAT errors in the top of the sixth. Gagne plated a pair with a double during the sixth-inning outburst.

ON THE MOUND:

Sophomore Zach Begin (Georgetown, Mass.) improves to 2-0 on the season after allowing a run off three hits and two walks with five strikeouts over four innings.

Pipkin falls to 1-4 after yielding six runs off three hits and seven walks in three innings.

OFF THE BAT:

• Murphy was 1-2 with a run and two RBI
• Gagne went 1-3 with a double and two RBI
• Senior first baseman Noah McDaniel (Eliot, Maine) was 1-2 with two runs and an RBI

$website.include("/bp")