Saint Joseph’s knocks Lasell from GNAC Baseball Tournament

STANDISH, Maine – Junior Noah McDaniel (Eliot, Maine) hit a two-run triple as second-seeded Saint Joseph's College (Maine) had a three-run rally in the eighth inning Saturday afternoon to solidify a 9-5 victory over fourth-seeded Lasell College, knocking the Lasers out of the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Baseball Tournament at Mahaney Diamond.

After Lasell took a 4-0 lead, the Monks rallied to tie the game at 4-4 with four runs in the fourth inning, and went ahead with two in the sixth. Lasell pulled to within 6-5 with a run in the top of the eighth, but Saint Monks put the game out of reach with three in the bottom of the inning.

Saint Joseph's, 28-12, advances to a championship elimination round game Saturday at 5:00 p.m. against loser of the Suffolk University-Johnson & Wales University game. Lasell winds up its season with a 10-21 overall record.

Lasell took a 2-0 in the second inning as senior Dom Mascolo (Waterbury, Conn.) was hit by a pitch, sophomore Luke Scholand (Albuquerque, N.M.) walked, and junior Evan Michalek (Berlin, Conn.) ripped a two-run triple down right field line. The Lasers added two more in the fourth inning when Mascolo led off with a double, Scholand was hit by a pitch, Michalek reached on bunt single to load the bases, and junior David Marsell (Bladwinsville, N.Y.) delivered a two-run single to right.

After the Monks loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom of the fourth, one run came home on a passed ball, junior Jared Gagne (Dover, N.H.) ripped a two-run single and senior Jacob White (Salem, N.H.) added an RBI single to even the score at 4-4. The hosts tacked on two more runs in the sixth on a sacrifice fly and another run on a Lasell error. The Lasers got an unearned run in the top of the eighth to pull to within a run, but the Monks answered with the game-deciding three-run rally.

Freshman Sean Doris (Lincoln, R.I.) started for Lasell and pitched into the fourth inning. Junior Justin Webb (San Diego, Calif.) and Patrick Colvin (Lenoxdale, Mass.) each worked two innings, and sophomore Mike Tacinelli (Seymour, Conn.) and freshman Zak Phillips (West Boylston, Mass.) made an appearance on the mound in the final inning.

Junior Grayson Jennings (Mililani, Hawaii) pitched three scoreless innings with five strikeouts to post the win for the Monks, and senior Josh Partridge (Deerfield, N.H.) got the final four outs for his fifth save.

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