WORCESTER, Mass. – Saint Joseph's College (11-0) swept a non-conference doubleheader versus Clark University (6-6) on Sunday afternoon. The Monks edged the Cougars, 5-4, in the opener and completed the sweep with a 12-3 nightcap triumph.
With the two victories, the Monks match the program's best start to a season with the 2007 team, which also opened with an 11-0 mark with the first loss coming at the hands of Plymouth State on April 1st.
SAINT JOSEPH'S 5, CLARK 4
Senior shortstop Joey Murphy (Derry, N.H.) led off the opener with a home run to left-center, but the Cougars quickly tied the game on a Zach Kelley (Hadley, Mass.) sac fly in the bottom of the first.
With two out in the top of the second third baseman Ronan Chisholm (North Chatham, Mass.) tripled home sophomore second baseman Luke Johnson (East Hampton, Conn.) to lift the Monks to a 2-1 lead and senior right fielder Jared Gagne (Dover, N.H.) walked and later scored on a single from first baseman Noah McDaniel (Eliot, Maine) in the third to make it a 3-1 game.
Clark regained the lead with three runs off four hits in the bottom of the fourth as freshman Andrea Casabianca (Yonkers, N.Y.) notched an RBI single and later scored on an Andrew Thibault (Nashua, N.H.) base hit and junior Nick Jordan (Seaford, N.Y.) trotted home on a passed ball.
The seesaw battle concluded in the top of the fifth, when sophomore center fielder Hunter Richardson (Monmouth, Maine) led off with a home run – his second of the season – and Gagne singled and later scored the go-ahead run on a Drew Healey (Rochester, N.H.) groundout.
ON THE MOUND:
Freshman Matt Bergeron (Salem, N.H.) tossed two innings of scoreless relief to pick up his third victory of the season while sophomore Jonathan Marchia (Chicopee, Mass.) earned his first save of the season after fanning three batters in 1.2 perfect innings. Sophomore starter Zach Begin (Georgetown, Mass.) allowed four runs off seven hits with three strikeouts over three innings.
Clark sophomore reliever Torsten Sloan Anderson (Shelburne Falls, Mass.) took the loss after yielding two runs off three hits without recording an out in the top of the fifth while freshman starter Jafar Vohra (Shelton, Conn.) allowed three runs off four hits and three walks with a pair of K's in four innings. Senior reliever Daniel Davidoff (Old Tappan, N.J.) gave up just one hit in three innings of work.
OFF THE BAT:
- Murphy was 2-4 with a solo home run and a stolen base
- Gagne was 1-3 with a pair of runs scored
- Richardson went 1-3 with a solo homer and a stolen base
- For the Cougars, Thibault, Jordan, and Casabianca notched two hits apiece
SAINT JOSEPH'S 12, CLARK 3
St. Joe's held a 4-3 lead going into the top of the fifth when senior Greg Emanuelson (Hudson, N.H.) singles, stole second, and scored on a fielder's choice and McDaniel was plunked by a pitch and eventually scored on a balk to make it a 6-3 game.
The floodgates opened in the top of the sixth when the Monks scored six runs off six hits to claim a 12-3 advantage. Emanuelson launched a three-run jack to left-center and sophomore catcher Matthew Martinello (Woodbridge, Conn.) belted a two-run shot, the first tater of his career, as part of the six-run sixth.
ON THE MOUND:
Junior southpaw Zach Ham (Saco, Maine) picked up the win in relief after giving up a solo home run with a pair of strikeouts in 2.1 innings and is now 2-0 on the season. Senior starter Grayson Jennings (Mililani, Hawaii) did not factor into the decision after yielding two runs off four hits and two walks with one strikeout in 2.2 innings of work. Freshmen Nick Iannuzzi (Peabody, Mass.) and Johnathan Flynn (Holden, Mass.) tossed a scoreless inning apiece in the triumph.
Clark senior starter Dan Shaw (Arlington, Mass.) took the loss and falls to 0-2 on the season after allowing four runs off four hits and three walks with three K's in three innings. Sophomore Alex Macek (Milford, Mass.) yielded two runs off three hits over two frames, senior Mitchell Mondro (Westford, Mass.) gave up four runs off four hits without recording an out in the sixth and sophomore Chris Radovic (Fairfield, Conn.) allowed two runs off two hits and two walks in one inning.
OFF THE BAT:
- Murphy went 3-4 with two runs, two doubles, two steals, and a pair of RBI
- Emanuelson was 2-4 with a pair of runs, a stolen base, and a three-run homer
- Gagne added two hits, two runs, a double, and an RBI in four at-bats
- McDaniel went 2-2 with a run, an RBI, and a stolen base with a pair of walks
- Richardson was 2-5 with a run, a double, and an RBI
- Sophomore left fielder Dylan Fournier (Windsor, Conn.) went 2-5 with a run scored
- Martinello was 1-2 with two runs and a two-run home run
- For Clark, Thibault went 2-3 with a pair of solo homers
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:
With the sweep, Saint Joseph's improves to 6-1 all-time versus Clark University and has now defeated the Cougars in six-consecutive meetings dating back to the 2010 campaign.
NEXT!
Saint Joseph's will play at UMass.-Boston on Wednesday at 3:00 PM.