03/03/2008
Baseball Posts Upset Win over St. Joseph's College of Maine

Port Charlotte, FL- The Clark University baseball team staged an eighth inning rally to post a 6-5 upset victory over the Monks of St. Joseph's College of Maine on Monday afternoon.

Clark evens its record at 2-2 overall, while St. Joes, a 2006 and 2007 NCAA Tournament participant, falls to 1-1 overall.

A game like this shows that we can play good baseball, said head coach Jason Falcon, And most importantly, that we can win as a team.

Junior Greg Long (Milford, MA) started for the Cougars striking out three and yielding four runs (three earned) in six and two-thirds innings.

Matt Tillo (Osterville, MA) led Clark with two hits and three RBI, including a towering three run home-run down the left field line to help the squad to a quick offensive start in the first inning. Senior Joe Silva (Westbury, N.Y.) had three hits in the win.

Trailing 3-0 after one inning, St. Joseph's was able to chip away at the Cougars lead scoring single runs in the second, fourth, and fifth innings before taking a 4-3 advantage in the seventh on a Brian Schools (Gorham, ME) single up the middle.

Facing a 5-3 deficit in the bottom of the eighth, Clark was able to mount a three-run rally, chasing Burdin from the game without recording an out in the inning. Silva led off with a single and scored on Ronald Bathrick's (North Haven, CT) double down the left field line. Following a walk and an error, freshman Kevin Kopec (Katonah, NY) drove a two-strike fastball into left field tying the game at five. The Cougars capped the late game rally with a single by senior captain Cole Osburn (Mendon, MA), scoring Tillo, who reached by way of the walk.

Junior David Gagnon (Harwich, MA) came in to record the first save of his career, striking out pinch hitter Ryan Murphy (S. Weymouth, MA) to end the game. Recording another first, Angelo Guisado (Springfield, MA) picked up his first collegiate win going one inning, giving up one run.

Monk starter Mike Burdin (Gardiner, ME) was able to settle down after the three run first inning, allowing five runs (four earned) while striking out five. Dustin Spiller (Gorham, ME) and Ian Lee (Hampden, ME) led the Monks offensive attack with two hits and an RBI apiece.

Clark will face off against Eastern Mennonite (Va.) in a double-header on Tuesday at 11am.

By: Joe Pasciucco