Saints
Baseball Club
Irzyk Goes the Distance as Saints Edge BankESB, 3–1
Irzyk goes the distance and Harrington clubs his first career TCL home run to break an eighth-inning tie at Westfield State
Neither starter blinked for much of Tuesday evening at Westfield State University. Through seven innings, Matt Irzyk and Andre Phanuef traded zeros with the kind of quiet authority that makes a ballpark lean forward. In the end, it was a solo home run by Colby Harrington and a St. Joseph's Saints defense that never cracked that made the difference — final score, 3–1.
St. Joseph's drew first blood in the top of the first when Mark Jodoin doubled to plate a run, putting early pressure on Phanuef and the BankESB defense. The lead didn't last long. Grayson Loos doubled down the left-field line in the bottom of the third, evening the score at one and setting the stage for the standoff that would define the next four innings.
The tie held until the eighth. Harrington stepped in and turned on a pitch — a solo home run, his first in Tri-County League play, that gave St. Joseph's the lead for good. An error extended the margin to 3–1, and Irzyk needed only to finish what he'd started.
Finish it he did. Irzyk worked all eight innings — 24 outs recorded — allowing seven hits and one run, striking out four and walking one. It was a complete-game effort in every sense: controlled, consistent, and never in serious danger despite the tightness of the score. The Saints' defense backed him cleanly; not a single error on the night, with Nate Carillon handling the most chances at five.
Phanuef was nearly as good on the other side. The BankESB hurler went seven and two-thirds innings, surrendering three runs — two earned — on 10 hits, with eight strikeouts and no walks. His strikeout-to-walk ratio tells a story of a pitcher who commanded the zone but ran out of room when Harrington's bat made contact. Loos and Albert Calderon were the offensive catalysts for ESB, hitting back-to-back and each collecting two hits. Loos drove in the club's only run. ESB also turned a double play in the field.
St. Joseph's collected 10 hits and got contributions throughout the lineup, with Jodoin and Harrington each driving in a run on their signature at-bats. The Saints now prepare for a quick turnaround — they're back at BankESB on Wednesday.
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