Lasers Fall to St. Joe's Maine in GNAC Baseball Opener

STANDISH, Maine - The Lasell College aseball team (4-9, 0-2 GNAC) dropped a pair of games to Saint Joseph's College (14-2, 2-0 GNAC)  in what was the first Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) doubleheader for both teams at Larry Mahaney Diamond on Saturday afternoon. The Monks opened with a walk-off 5-4 and topped the Lasers in the closing contest, 5-2, to complete the sweep.

GAME ONE – SAINT JOSEPH'S 5, LASELL 4

The Lasers grabbed an early lead in the opener, as Hector Coscione (Newton, Mass.) and Andre Marchesseault (Cheshire, Conn.) launched a pair of home runs in the first inning and held a 4-0 advantage after two frames. Saint Joseph's methodically chipped away at the deficit with a run in the fourth and two in the fifth before junior Chris Gerossie (Chester, N.H.) knocked in a run with a sac fly, tying the game at 4-4 through six. Monks senior shortstop Max McCoomb (South Berwick, Maine) led off the bottom of the seventh with a single through the left side and later scored the clincher on a Brett Barbati base hit to left field.

Lasell sophomore Daniel Petr (East Haven, Conn.) had a solid showing on the hill, but took the loss after giving up five runs (four earned) off six hits and four walks with two K's in 6.1 innings.

Saint Joseph's junior starter Aaron Hall (Haverhill, Mass.) endured a rough start, allowing four runs off four hits – including the two homers – and a walk with a strikeout in one-plus innings before giving way to junior Philip LeVangie (Hanover, Mass.), who tossed four two-hit frames with a pair of punch-outs. Junior Marc Poirier (Lunenburg, Mass.) worked a clean sixth inning with one strikeout and third-year Josh Partridge (Deerfield, N.H.) picked up the win after hurling a shutout frame of relief.

Coscione was 2-4 with a lead-off home run, a double, and two RBI, while Marchesseault's two-run homer was the first of his career.

Jameson Collins (Sandown, N.H.) plated a pair of runs and was 1-3 on the day for St. Joe's, and senior left fielder Dan Donovan (Lynn, Mass.) went 1-3 as well, with a double in the effort.

GAME TWO – SAINT JOSEPH'S 5, LASELL 2

Once again, the Monks found themselves facing an early deficit, as the Lasers managed to push across two runs via Brandon Valentin (Meriden, Conn.) and Robert Cutone (Tewskbury, Mass.) off three hits in the top of the second. With two out in the bottom of the fourth, Collins connected for his second home run of the season with a shot to the treetops past the left field fence to make it a 2-1 game. In the fifth, sophomore catcher Greg Emanuelson (Hudson, N.H.) put the Monks on top with his first career jack, a two-run shot over the left-center wall, and the Royal Blue tacked on a pair of insurance runs in the sixth to account for the 5-2 final.

Lasell senior starter Matt Haskell (Wallingford, Conn.) went the distance, allowing five runs (four earned) off seven hits with two K's in six innings.

Gerossie earned the game-two start and pitched well, despite allowing two runs off three hits and a walk, with five strikeouts in three innings. Freshman Matt Demma (Worcester, Mass.) earned his first NCAA victory after giving up four hits and fanning five in 2.2 solid relief innings while Poirier and senior Cejay Suarez (Abington, Mass.) finished the string, with the latter collecting the first save of his career after striking out two in the seventh frame.

Valentin (Meriden, Conn.) led the Lasers in the nightcap and was 2-3 with a run scored, a double, and an RBI, while Marchesseault and Cutone both recorded a double.

For the Monks, Collins went 2-3 with a run, a double, a homer, and two RBI, Emanuelson was 1-2 with the two-run shot, and senior third baseman Taylor Black (Cardiff by the Sea, Calif.) went 1-3 with a run and a double.

Both teams are back in conference action tomorrow, when Lasell hosts Anna Maria in a twinbill beginning at 5:00 PM, while Saint Joseph's travels to Johnson & Wales University for a doubleheader starting at 1:00 PM.

Recap Courtesy of St. Joe's Sports Information