STANDISH, Maine – The Norwich Baseball team returned to Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) action Sunday afternoon when they travelled to Saint Joseph's College of Maine. The Cadets earned a split on the day, with the big blow coming off the bat of Michael Sabasteanski (Ashburn, Va.) with an eventual game-winning grand slam in the eighth inning of game two.

The day's opener started as a pitcher's duel between Monks starter Dylan Brander and Ryan Miller (Westhampton, N.Y.), with the two hurlers trading zeros through the first five and a half innings. St. Joe's broke through in the home half of the sixth with seven unearned runs en route to a victory for the Monks. Miller was stellar on the mound, despite the result, striking out five and walking two in five and two-thirds innings of work.

After being kept in check throughout the opener, Norwich broke the ice in the top of the first in the second contest. Isaac Maldonado (Miami, Fla.) led off with a single. After working his way to third, he came home on a two-out RBI double by Miller to grab the lead. The Monks jumped ahead with two runs in the home half, but the Cadets quickly knotted the score in the second. Jakob Hayes (Arlington, Texas) sent a two-out double down the left field line, before coming home on an error to even things up. Hayes continued to shine with a one-out home run down the left field line in the fourth to tie the game, and a two-out RBI double in the fifth to give Norwich the lead.
St. Joe's answered in the bottom of the seventh with a two-run home run to regain the lead, heading into the eighth. Maldonado led off with a single and a swipe of second base before Alex DeTomasis (East Greenwich, R.I.) reached on an error, bringing him home. Back-to-back free passes issued to John O'Connor (Southington, Conn.) and Miller loaded the bags for Sabasteanski who deposited a ball over the left field fence, giving Norwich the lead for good. An RBI double by Geffen Franus (Leesburg, Va.) extended the lead to five, where the score stood.

After six innings of work from Noah Carpenter (Herkimer, N.Y.), Jordan Talbot (Belchertown, Mass.) earned the win in relief, holding down the Monks through an inning and two-thirds. Isaac Parker (Jay, Maine) shut the door in the final inning and a third to nail down the win. At the plate, Norwich was led by Maldonado (3-6, 3 Runs), Sabasteanski (3-4, 2 Runs, 4 RBI, HR), and Hayes (3-5, 2 Runs, 2 RBI, 2 2Bs, HR).

The Cadets will continue GNAC play when they host Albertus Magnus for a twin bill on April 8. First pitch is scheduled for 1 PM.