Story written and posted by Anthony Perry '08, Fisher College Assistant Athletic Director/Sports Information

LYNN, MASS. – The Fisher College Baseball team walked off in game two to complete the double-header sweep of visiting Saint Joseph's College (Me.) in non-conference action at Fraser Field. The pair of wins, lift the Falcons to a 9-2 overall record while the Monks fall to 1-2 on the young season. Fisher won both games by identical scores of 3-2.

Game One: Fisher College 3, Saint Joseph's College 2 (Final)

Senior Jose Galan (Alta, Puerto Rico) struck out five of the eight batters he faced to pick up his first save of the season as the Falcons held on for a 3-2 win over the Monks in the home opener and game one of the double-header.

Galan entered the game in relief of freshman starter William Carpenter (Brentwood, N.H.) in the sixth inning with one out and the tying run on base. The veteran left-hander promptly struck out the next two hitters to eliminate the threat and was able to escape a jam in the seventh with another strikeout. Carpenter earned his second win of the season after tossing 5+ innings, allowing two runs (one earned) on five hits and striking out five.

Freshman Ivanuel Hernandez (Caguas, Puerto Rico) remained red-hot at the plate as his two-out, two-RBI double in the first gave Fisher an early lead. The Monks plated their first run in the third inning on a RBI single from graduate-student Drew Healy (Rochester, N.H.) and then tied the ballgame in the fifth when graduate-student Ben Gravel (Rochester, N.H.) scampered home from second on a wild pitch that ended up along the third base dugout.

With the score tied in the home half of the fifth, the Falcons executed some nifty base running of their own as junior Nicholas Lucchese (Long Island, N.Y.) scored from second on a routine groundout to second base off the bat of senior Mitchell Lundholm (Plymouth, Mass.).

The Falcons managed just four hits of the Saint Joseph's pitching staff in the opener. Junior Matt Poff (Pelham, N.H.) pitched well despite being handed the loss as the right-hander allowed three runs (two earned) on four hits over five innings of work and retiring two via the strikeout. Senior Hunter Richardson (North Monmouth, Maine) then faced just four hitters in the sixth to account for the Monks innings pitched.

Game Two: Fisher College 3, Saint Joseph's College 2 (Final)

Lucchese does it again as he produced his second walk off hit of the season with a two-out single to right in the seventh as the Falcons completed the sweep of the Monks.

Lucchese's hit capped off a wild seventh. Junior Jacob Deziel (Merrimac, Mass.) worked a one-out walk and advanced all the way to third on a two-out base hit from sophomore Reynaldo Vega (Aguada, Puerto Rico). That set the stage for Lucchese and he delivered.

The game was 1-0 for the majority of the innings as the Monks plated their run on a sacrifice fly from Healy.

Trailing by a run in the sixth, the Falcons rallied and scored two runs to take the 2-1 lead as sophomore John Batista (Lawrence, Mass.) laced a two-out single to left that allowed Lundholm and senior Jonathan Rosado (Bayamon, Puerto Rico) to score.

Saint Joseph's College answered immediately in the top of the seventh as they quickly put two runners on with no outs. After a successful sacrifice bunt that moved the runners up, pinch-hitter Gravel lifted a fly ball to left-field that allowed senior Kevin Aylward (East Bridgewater, Mass.), who was a pinch runner, to score and tie the game.

Fisher freshman Andres Meletiche (Guayanilla, Puerto Rico) improves to 2-0 with a complete game effort. The southpaw surrendered just two runs (both earned) on six hits while striking out three.

The Monks saw junior right-hander Jonathan Flynn (Holden, Mass.) allow just two hits over his five innings of work while striking out six in his first start of the season. Freshman Matt Thibault (Nashua, N.H.) was responsible for the two runs scoring in the sixth and senior Jonathan Marchia (Chicopee, Mass.) allowed the go-ahead base hit in the sixth and walk-off single in the seventh for his first loss of the campaign.

The defensive highlight of the game came from Batista, who threw out a runner at the plate in the seventh to keep it a 2-2 ballgame.
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Fisher will have a quick turnaround as they get set to host Anna Maria College in a double-header tomorrow. First pitch is scheduled for 12pm from Fraser Field. Saint Joseph's will also be in action tomorrow as they travel to Weymouth, Mass. for a 2pm twin-bill with Eastern Nazarene College.