WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – March 22, 2024 – The Dean College baseball team fell 5-2 at the University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) opener for both teams Friday afternoon.

Dean (3-6, 0-1 GNAC) is scheduled to play its home opener on Sunday at noon against New England College. USJ (6-7-1, 1-0 GNAC) travels to Worcester State on Tuesday for a non-conference game at 3 p.m.

Sophomores Tyler Giambra (Prospect, Conn.) and Gavin Goss (Glenwood Landing, N.Y.) had two hits apiece to lead the Dean batters.

Sophomore Domenic Brazeau (Warwick, R.I.) pitched well in tough luck loss with seven strong innings. He surrendered two earned runs on four hits to go with 10 strikeouts.

USJ junior Chase Swain (Southington, Conn.) earned the win after eight innings. He gave up one run on four hits and struck out 14.

The Bulldogs plated a run in the first when Giambra scored on a wild pitch, after reaching on a single to begin the game.

The Blue Jays answered in their first at-bat when junior Ryan Shaw (Ellington, Conn.) singled home sophomore Ethan Reemsnyder (Clinton, Conn.) to tie the game at 1-1.

The home team went in front with an RBI single from sophomore Chase Belisle (Wolcott, Conn.) in the bottom of the second.

USJ added three runs in the eighth on a pair of RBI singles and a sac fly.

Dean put across a run in the ninth on an Owen Critchley (Dayton, Maine) single to center that scored pinch-runner Rylan Secovich (Southwick, Mass.) to make the score 5-2.

Belisle finished was the lone Blue Jay with two hits.