COLCHESTER, Vt. – What a difference two weeks makes – sort of.
After playing Saint Michael's to a 0-0 draw through five innings at home in Manchester on April 8 before some spring snow halted the contest, the Saint Anselm College baseball team traveled up to Doc Jacobs Field to resume the game and also play the regularly-scheduled third and final contest of the series. The Hawks exploded for 10 runs over the final three offensive innings of the resumed game to earn a 10-0 victory, but Mother Nature had to ruin the party again in the second game as heavy rain helped Saint Michael's earn a 7-4 win in six innings.
The Hawks move to 11-22 on the season, including 8-12 in Northeast-10 play and 5-12 in the Northeast Division. The Purple Knights are now 10-23, 4-15 NE-10, 4-13 NE-10 NE.
Saint Anselm wasted no time grabbing the lead in the resumed game as it put up three runs in the bottom of the sixth. Freshman Shaine Carpenter (Florham Park, N.J.) reached on a dropped throw at first base and then moved to third on a double to left by senior Mike Hayden (Cranston, R.I.). Senior Joe Morin (Salem, N.H.) put the Hawks in front, 1-0, with a single to center and then a bit of wackiness made it 3-0. Sophomore Nick Bragole (Newburyport, Mass.) drove a ball deep to left that looked to be going over the fence, but the left fielder robbed the home run. He then flipped over the fence with the ball in his glove, as Hayden scored on the sac fly and Morin was awarded home, as well.
The Hawks then put the game away in the eighth as they hung a seven-spot. With the bases loaded, a balk forced home a run that made it 4-0 before freshman John Marculitis (Shrewsbury, Mass.) plated a pair with a double to left-center. Back-to-back walks for sophomore Jon McQuarrie (Salem, N.H.) and freshman Max Wadington (Burlington, Conn.) re-loaded the bases for sophomore Matthew Flynn (Saratoga Springs, N.Y.), who drew another walk to make it 7-0. McQuarrie later scored on a passed ball before Carpenter's two-run single to right brought the score to an even 10-0.
Junior Tyler Buck (Franklin, Mass.) relived sophomore Joseph Levasseur (Rowley, Mass.), who tossed all 5.0 shutout innings back on April 8, and threw 4.0 shutout innings to earn the win. Buck (3-2) gave up just one hit, walked two and struck out two.
Carpenter was 2-for-5 with two RBI and a run scored. Bragole (walk, RBI, run) and McQuarrie (two walks, run) were both 1-for-2, while Morin was 1-for-3 with a walk, RBI and two runs scored. Marculitis was 1-for-4 with two RBI and a run, with Hayden going 1-for-5 with two runs scored.
In the second game, junior Ken Morrisino (E. Longmeadow, Mass.) led off the contest with an infield single, moved to second and then third on back-to-back bunt singles by Carpenter and Morin that loaded the bases. Hayden then grounded into a 6-3 double play to score Morrisino, but a strikeout ended the inning and minimized the damage.
Saint Michael's would tie the game in the third against sophomore starter John Lavoie (Medford, Mass.) on an RBI single by Michael Dougherty and then put together a three-run fourth. Nicky Elderton started it with a leadoff home run to right before RBI singles later in the inning from Peter Bocchino and Steven Auger made it 4-1.
Saint Anselm answered with three runs of its own in the fifth. After a Wadington leadoff walk and a Flynn base hit made it first and second with no one out, Morrisino dropped down a bunt that led to two errors on the play and a run for the Hawks. Carpenter followed with an RBI single up the middle and then Morin executed a suicide squeeze that plated Morrisino from third to knot the game.
With the bases loaded for Saint Michael's in the sixth and one out, Lavoie was relieved by sophomore Cameron Latta (Lowell, Mass.), who fielded a comebacker from Dougherty and cut down the lead runner at the plate for the secodn out. A fielding error on the next play led to two unearned runs before a walk loaded the bases for Elderton, who made it 7-4 with another walk.
Mother Nature would pick up the save for Saint Michael's as the rain made the field conditions too wet to continue playing in.
Lavoie (1-2) was charged with seven runs – two earned – on six hits, while striking out four and walking two. Latta walked a pair, but he and junior Seve Llanio (Glen Arm, Md.) each pitched 0.1 scoreless innings.
Morin was 2-for-2 with an RBI, while Wadington was 1-for-1 with two walks and a run scored. Flynn was 1-for-3 with a run and Carpenter (RBI) and Morrisino (two runs) were both 2-for-4.
The Hawks return to action Friday, April 24 at 3:30 p.m. when they play host to Bentley University at Sullivan Park. Stay up-to-date with the latest news, including game previews and recaps, directly from the Saint Anselm College athletic department by liking us on Facebook and following us on Twitter @STAHawks.
