Box Score
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Sophomore Eric Weikert had given Tufts a 3-2 lead in the top of the 11th
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HARWICH - St. Joseph's College senior catcher Ian Lee drilled a double to deep right-center field scoring two runs in the bottom of the 11th to give the Monks a dramatic 4-3 victory over Tufts University in Game 10 of the 2011 NCAA Div. III New England Regional on Friday afternoon.
With the game tied at 2-2, Tufts' season was on the brink in the bottom of the 10th when St. Joe's had the game-winning run on third base with one out. However, when the Monks attempted to squeeze home the run, the bunt was popped up and the Jumbos turned a double play to end the inning.
With one out in the top of the 11th, Jumbo senior CF David Orlowitz (Wakefield, MA) was hit by a pitch. Junior 3B Sam Sager (Cranston, RI) blooped a single to shallow left sending Orlowitz to second. Sophomore 1B Eric Weikert (Avondale Estates, GA) then sliced an rbi single to left scoring Orlowitz for a 3-2 Tufts advantage.
With NESCAC and New England Pitcher of the Year Ed Bernstein in the game for Tufts, St. Joe's put a man on with one out in the 11th when sophomore LF Sam Butts reached on a Tufts error. Senior RF Todd Keneborus poked an opposite field single to right putting runners on first and third. Bernstein got a strike out, and Lee came to the plate at 0 for 4 on the day. Down 0-2 early, he battled to get the count to 3-2 and then drove the eighth pitch of the at bat to the gap with Keneborus racing around from first to score the winning run.
Tufts' season ends at 27-9-1. St. Joseph's (32-14) will play Wheaton later on Friday as the Regional continues.
Early on, the game had been a pitcher's duel between seniors Pat O'Donnell (Worcester, MA) of Tufts and Kevin Chamberlain of St. Joe's. O'Donnell opened with five scoreless innings, allowing four hits. The Jumbos were hitless through three innings until Orlowitz singled in the the fourth, moving senior SS David LeResche (St. Louis, MO) - who was hit by a pitch - to second. Sager hit an opposite-field double for an rbi and 1-0 Tufts lead. Chamberlain did well to work out of further damage.
The Monks tied the score at 1-1 in the bottom of the sixth. Sophomore CF and ninth hitter Nate Martin hit a sharp single, then was bunted to second by Chris Campbell. A two-out triple by Keneborus to right-center tied the game.
Jumbo sophomore RF Nate Izzo (Saunderstown, RI) led off the eighth with a walk and was sacrificed to second by LeResche. Orlowitz put Tufts up 2-1 with an rbi single to left-center. The Monks led off their half of the eighth with a bunt single by junior 3B Dan Brown that was thrown away putting the runner on second. Bernstein came on, and the Jumbos couldn't make a play on Martin bunt that put runners on first and third with no out. Campbell executed a safety squeeze, scoring Brown to tie the game at 2-2.
Izzo hit a two-out infield single to short in top of 10th, but was caught stealing. The Jumbos were 0 for 3 stealing bases against Lee in the game. In the St. Joe's 10th, junior SS Dan Achorn led off with a single to right to put the potential winning run on base. Brown bunted him to second, and Achorn took third on a wild pitch. The Monks tried to win the game with a squeeze, but didn't execute and the game went to the 11th where they would get another chance and took advantage of it.
Both of the St. Joe's runs in the 11th were unearned against Bernstein, who finished the year without allowing an earned run in 31.2 innings. However, he took the loss while giving up four hits and no walks with a strike out. O'Donnell pitched seven innings, allowing seven hits and one earned run. Sager was 3 for 5 with an rbi for Tufts, Orlowitz went 2 for 4 with a run and an rbi and Izzo finished 2 for 3 with a run.
Freshman Joe Gruntkoski earned the win in relief for St. Joe's, going 2.1 innings allowing three hits and one run. Chamberlain finished eight innings, giving up six hits and two runs with six strikeouts. Senior Chris Dion got two important outs in the ninth. Keneborus and Martin both had three hits for St. Joe's. Achorn finished 2 for 4.
Game Box Score
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