STANDISH, Maine - Saint Joseph's College (6-8, 1-1 GNAC) opened Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) play by splitting a doubleheader with Johnson & Wales University (2-10, 1-1 GNAC) at Larry Mahaney Diamond on Saturday afternoon. The Monks rallied past the Wildcats in the opener, 9-7, and suffered a 5-2 defeat in 10 innings in the nightcap.

GAME ONE:

Trailing 5-2 going into the bottom of the fifth, the Monks scored a pair of runs on RBI doubles off the bats of Ben Gravel (Rochester, N.H.) and Matt Thibeault (Nashua, N.H.) and exploded for five runs on four hits in the sixth, when senior Ryan Tessier (Concord, N.H.) belted a two-run double and scored on a two-bagger from senior Ronan Chisholm (North Chatham, Mass.).

ON THE MOUND:

• Gravel picked up the victory in relief after allowing two runs on two hits with two strikeouts in an inning of work
• Sophomore starter Luke Stephens (Glastonbury, Conn.) gave up four runs on eight hits with three K's in four innings
• Freshman Hugh Barrett (Durham, Conn.) gave up a solo home run and fanned a pair in 1.2 innings of work
• Senior closer Devan Harrison (Pocasset, Mass.) notched a save after retiring the only batter he faced in the top of the seventh
• For JWU, reliever Garrett Fusco suffered the loss after giving up three runs on two hits in 2/3 inning of work

OFF THE BAT:

• Tessier went 3-for-4 with two runs, two doubles, and two RBI
• Gravel was 2-for-3 with a run, a double, and three RBI
• Thibault knocked in a pair and was 1-for-3
• For JWU, Miles Kelly was 3-for-4 with two runs, a double, and an RBI while Trevor Juan and Nicolas Fortes was 2-for-4 with two RBI and a pair of triples

GAME TWO:

The nightcap was a pitchers' duel, as a JWU run in the top of the second was the only offense produced by either team until the Monks plated a pair on two hits to secure a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the sixth.

In the top of the seventh, Harrison came on for starter Samuel Jalbert (Mascouche, Que.) and quickly sat down the first two batters he faced, but Xavier Botelho kept the Wildcats' hopes alive with a single and advanced to scoring position on a passed ball. He promptly scored the tying run when the following batter, first baseman Miles Kelly, produced an RBI single.

The Monks squandered several scoring opportunities in extra innings and stranded nine runners on base in their final four turns at the bat. Unfortunately for the hosts, Johnson & Wales managed to send three runs home off five hits in the top of the 10th to clinch the extra-inning triumph.

ON THE MOUND:

• Jalbert was excellent on the hill but did not factor into the decision after giving up a run on four hits and three walks with nine strikeouts in six innings
• Harrison pitched well but ran out of steam and was hit with the loss after yielding four runs (three earned) on seven hits with two K's in 3.1 innings
• For JWU, Aidan Vining, Jake Hernandez, Ben Fosberg and Kyle Cutler combined to allow two runs off nine hits and five walks with 11 strikeouts in 10 innings; Fosberg earned the victory while Cutler picked up the save

OFF THE BAT:

• For the Monks, juniors Zach Miles (Concord, N.H.) and Jacob McGill (Derry, N.H.) posted two hits apiece
• For the Wildcats, Botelho and Griffin Snyder produced three hits apiece and Kelly was 2-for-5 with a run and an RBI

NEXT:

Saint Joseph's will host Plymouth State University tomorrow in a non-conference doubleheader set to start at 12:00 PM.

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