NORTHBORO, Mass. - The Saint Michael's College baseball team lost its season opener against regionally-regarded Saint Anselm College, 6-3, on Saturday evening at the New England Baseball Complex. The Purple Knights, who were playing a non-league game against their Northeast-10 Conference counterpart, played for the first time since last March 10, also at the New England Baseball Complex. The Hawks received votes toward this week's National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) East Region Poll.

RECORDS

• Saint Michael's (0-1), Saint Anselm (4-2)

SAINT MICHAEL'S LEADERS

• Junior Sebastian Oetterer (Orlando, Fla./Dr. Phillips), 3-for-4, 1 R, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 1 HR, 1 SB
• Senior Danté Moran (Saint Petersburg, Fla./Dixie Hollins), 2-for-5, 2 SB
• Senior Julien Giroux-Harvey (Montreal, Québec/Collège Jean-de-Brébeuf), 1-for-3, 1 R, 2 BB, 1 SB
• Junior Mitchell Goulet (North Easton, Mass./Oliver Ames), 1-for-5, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 HR
• First-year Andrew Lanthier (Orwell, Vt./Fair Haven Union), 1-for-2
• Sophomore Anthony Santosuosso (Arlington, Mass./Vermont Academy), 1-for-3
• Senior Alex Mendez (Fallon, Nev./Churchill County), 3.2 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 4 BB, 4 K, loss
• First-year Jared Duquette (Morrisonville, N.Y./Saranac), 5.1 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5 K

OPPONENT LEADERS

• Sophomore Brady Doran, 2-for-3, 1 R, 1 RBI, 2 BB, 1 HR, 2 SB
• Junior Dan Baker, 2-for-4, 1 R, 2 RBI, 1 HR, 1 SB
• Junior Kyle Maurice, 2-for-5, 2 RBI, 1 2B
• Senior Ryan Schworer, 5 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 9 K, win
• Senior Will Conaton, 4 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 9 K, save

GAME FACTS

• Saint Michael's played only two games last year prior to the pandemic forcing the cancelation of its season, with both contests coming at the New England Baseball Complex on March 10.
• Saint Anselm is receiving votes toward this week's National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) East Region Poll.
• Goulet and Lanthier ripped their initial career hits, with Lanthier among five Purple Knights making their college debuts. Goulet's first hit was a third-inning home run, coming after he missed the 2019 season due to injury and batted twice during a truncated two-game 2020 campaign.
• Duquette had a memorable college debut, coming on in relief and blanking Saint Anselm, which was ranked fifth in the country in home runs per game (2.6), ninth in scoring (10.2) and 14th in batting average (.340), on four hits over 5.1 frames.

THE ACTION

• Saint Anselm broke through with two runs - one earned - in the top of the second inning. Baker singled home senior Salvatore Pezzolla with one down before junior Matt Collins scored on a two-out passed ball, but the Hawks left the bases loaded when Mendez fanned the final hitter.
• The Purple Knights mounted a rally in the home half, using the unconventional method of two base runners reaching on strikeouts - one thanks to a wild pitch and another on a third-strike passed ball. Oetterer walked in between, and the bases were loaded with two down, but the final batter lined out to right field.
• Mendez wriggled out of a two-on, one-out jam in the third with consecutive strikeouts.
• With two out in the bottom half, Goulet knocked a solo homer to center field.
• The Hawks responded with four runs on four hits in the fourth. Baker and Doran both hit solo home runs, with Clough's coming with two down, and Maurice added a two-out, two-run double to make it 6-1.
• Giroux-Harvey and Oetterer started the home half with consecutive singles before executing a double steal with one out, but the final two hitters struck out.
• Moran led off the fifth with an infield single, took second on an associated error, and stole third with no one out. Sophomore Ulysses Luciano (Bronx, N.Y./Riverdale/Kingsbridge Academy) followed with a walk, but neither moved any further.
• A pair of first-years had long plate appearances against Conaton, a senior, in their first collegiate appearances during the seventh inning, as Lanthier worked a full count before being set down and Mason Dushney (Ashland, Mass./Ashland) immediately followed by fighting back from a 1-2 count to draw a walk. Moran then singled, sending Dushney to third, but they were left stranded.
• Oetterer hit a two-run home run in the eighth, the first of his career, also plating Giroux-Harvey, who had walked on four pitches. Santosuosso and Lanthier followed with back-to-back singles before moving up 90 feet apiece on a wild pitch with two down, but Conaton retired the last two hitters on strikes.
• One strike away from losing, the Purple Knights strung together a rally that brought the winning run to the plate in the ninth inning. Junior John Luke Cianciolo (Guilford, Conn./Guilford/New Haven) fouled off three straight two-strike pitches with two down before ultimately being hit by a pitch, Giroux-Harvey walked, and Oetterer singled to load the bases. However, Conaton induced the final batter into a fly ball to left field.

NEXT SAINT MICHAEL'S GAME

• Thursday vs. regionally-ranked Stonehill College, 1 p.m. doubleheader.
• The Skyhawks are sixth in this week's NCBWA East Region Poll.