STANDISH, Maine – Mike Pratt hit a walk-off sacrifice fly in the bottom of the seventh to lift Saint Joseph's past Norwich University, 4-3, in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) baseball action at Larry Mahaney Diamond on Tuesday afternoon. With the win the Monks collect the top seed in the conference tournament.

St. Joe's and Norwich were scheduled to play a doubleheader at Mahaney Diamond last Saturday but, due to rain, the twinbill was cut short with the Monks firmly in the lead after five innings in the opener. As of Monday morning Johnson & Wales, which owned the tie-breaker over the Monks, possessed the top seed in the GNAC tourney, but the Wildcats split with Emerson College on Monday evening to fall to 11-3 in league play. St. Joe's, 11-2 in GNAC tilts with a game in hand, was required to finish the two-game set against Norwich with the outcome deciding the No. 1 seed in the GNAC playoffs.

The Monks (26-11, 12-2 GNAC) had a difficult time stringing together good at-bats against Cadets starter Brad Hudson, who fell to 0-6 on the year after yielding four runs (two earned) off five hits and six walks in 6.2 innings.

St. Joe's finally pushed the winning run across in the bottom of the seventh by successfully executing the small ball approach. Nate Martin led off the final frame with a bunt single and Chris Campbell  followed with a bunt hit of his own. Sam Butts moved both runners up a base with a sac bunt and Todd Keneborus was awarded first base via intentional walk to load the bases for Pratt, who lofted a short fly to center that was hit far enough to plate the speedy Martin for the game-winning run.

Norwich (1-26, 1-13 GNAC) would strike first when, with two out and freshman INF Kyle Fitzsimmons on first base, fellow first-year player OF Kyle Gidari turned on a 1-1 offering from Jimmy Kennedy and lofted it over the left field fence.

The Monks responded immediately with two runs of their own in the bottom of the inning. Ian Lee worked a walk and later scored on a passed ball and Alex Markakis, who reached with a single, scampered home on a Dan Achorn single to knot the game at two apiece.

The deadlock did not last long, however, as the Cadets took a 3-2 lead when sophomore OF Dustin Shimkus singled and scored on an RBI base knock by freshman 1B Jordan Badstuebner in the top of the third.

Saint Joseph's used an unearned run in the bottom of the third to tie the game yet again. Campbell opened the inning with a walk and sprinted home when a towering fly ball, hit by Keneborus, was dropped by Shimkus in center field.

Neither team was able to mount a serious scoring threat until the Royal Blue pushed the winning run across in the bottom of the seventh inning.

Saint Joseph's used six different pitchers in the win with Sean Drake, who fanned two and did not yield a hit in one inning, earning the start. Kennedy allowed two runs off three hits in one inning and Chris Bryant gave up one run on three hits and struck out one batter.

Joe Gruntkosky and Sam Stauber combined to work a pair of perfect frames and Chris Dion, now 2-2 on the year, collected the winning decision after allowing one hit with two K's in two innings.

Freshman INF Devin Cilley and freshman OF Charles Schaub both went 2-for-3 for the Cadets.

Norwich has three remaining non-conference home games left on its schedule. NU will accommodate Plymouth State for a single nine-inning game on Monday, May 2, at 4 p.m., and will play host to St. Michael's for a doubleheader starting at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, May 3.