Saint Joseph's College (1-4) split a doubleheader with the University of Mount Union (8-2) in RussMatt Central Florida Invitational baseball action on Thursday. The Monks opened the day with a 5-2 triumph and suffered an 8-7 setback in the nightcap.
With the game one triumph, Head Coach Will Sanborn '86 registered the 800th victory of his college coaching career, which spans 31 seasons, all at Saint Joseph's. With a career record of 800-425-6 (.650), Sanborn is just the 27th NCAA DIII Baseball head coach to reach the milestone and is one of only 13 active D3 skippers to have hit the 800-victory mark.
Only one coach in New England has more wins: University of Southern Maine Head Coach Ed Flaherty, who enters the 2023 campaign – his 38th at the helm for the Huskies – with 1,098 victories.
SAINT JOSEPH'S 5, MOUNT UNION 2:
Having produced just four runs through the first three games, the SJC offense finally came to life in the top of the second with five runs off six hits, including two-run singles from junior Dawson Gundlah (York, Maine) and senior Jackson Stanton (Saugus, Mass.) and a run-scoring double off the bat of senior Jonathan Dube (Rochester, N.H.).
Sophomore starting pitcher Kyle MacKay (Dracut, Mass.) cruised through the first three innings and did not allow a hit to the potent Mount Union offense until senior Zack Mazza (Flint, Mich.) singled to left center in the bottom of the fourth.
The Purple Raiders scored their first run that same inning on an infield ground out and took advantage of an SJC error in the fifth to make it a 5-2 game. In the bottom of the seventh, Mount Union had two runners on with two out, but junior closer Luke Stephens (Glastonbury, Conn.) fanned junior Andrew Mekeal (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio) for the final out.
ON THE MOUND:
MacKay was dominant in his first collegiate start and picked up the win after allowing two runs (one earned) on one hit and four walks with six strikeouts in six innings. Stephens notched his first save of the season and allowed two hits with three punchouts in the seventh inning.
Mount Union junior starter Jaired Lehman (Monroeville, Pa.) went the distance and took the loss after yielding five runs on 11 hits with four K's.
OFF THE BAT:
- Dube went 4-4 with a run, a double, and an RBI
- Freshman second baseman Jack Moltenbrey (East Longmeadow, Mass.) was 3-4 with a run scored
- Gundlah and Stanton knocked in two runs apiece
- Mount Union sophomore second baseman Alex Stegman (Berea, Ohio) was 1-3 with a run and a stolen base
MOUNT UNION 8, SAINT JOSEPH'S 7:
The nightcap saw the teams commit nine total errors, including five by the Monks, as all eight of the Purple Raiders' runs went into the books as unearned.
St. Joe's held a 3-1 after the bottom of the second, when the Royal Blue plated three runs off two hits and a Mount Union error. Stephens put the Monks on the board with an RBI double and – after advancing to third on a wild pitch – crossed home plate when freshman Jared Wilhelm (Tolland, Conn.) reached on an infield miscue. Wilhelm moved to second on an Alex Moore (Henniker, N.H.) single before stealing both third and home to make it a 3-1 game.
The Purple Raiders proceeded to take the lead – for good, as it played out – in the top of the third with four runs on two hits and a pair of SJC errors. Sophomore third baseman Michael Wearne (Ellington, Conn.) notched an RBI single in the fourth and Dube tacked on a run-scoring base hit in the sixth to make it a 7-5 contest.
Trailing 8-5 in the bottom of the seventh, Saint Joseph's plated a pair on a Wilhelm two-run single and, after Wilhelm swiped second, had a runner in scoring position with nobody out. Unfortunately, Mount Union closer Coleton Robinson settled in and sat down the next three batters via strikeout to cap the Purple Raider triumph.
ON THE MOUND:
Saint Joseph's featured five different pitchers in the narrow setback, as freshman Brendan McCaffrey (Warwick, R.I.) took the loss after giving up five unearned runs on three hits with four K's in 2.2 innings and relievers Cam Wodarski (Danvers, Mass.), Hugh Barrett (Durham, Conn.), Dylan Brander (Merrimack, N.H.), and Sean McDonough (Concord, N.H.) combined to yield three unearned runs off four hits and two walks with three strikeouts over 4.1 frames.
Mount Union sophomore starter Braydon Hansen (Beaver, Pa.) earned the win after giving up five runs (three earned) off seven hits and three free passes with six K's in 5.1 innings. Robinson allowed two runs off three hits with three strikeouts in the seventh to collect the save.
OFF THE BAT:
- Freshman left fielder Terry Morrissey (Andover, Mass.) was 2-2 with a run scored and a pair of walks
- Stephens went 2-4 with two runs, a pair of doubles, and an RBI
- Wilhelm was 1-4 with a run, three RBI, and three stolen bases
- Mount Union junior catcher Joe Procop (Twinsburg, Ohio) was 2-4 with a double and an RBI
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:
Saint Joseph's is now 1-2 all-time versus the University of Mount Union, a team that toppled the Monks by a 13-7 score in Florida last spring.