Seton Hall
Pirates drop two games on Friday to St. Mary's
Date: March 7, 2020By: Heaven Hill
After knocking off the Gaels 6-1 on Thursday to open the series, the Pirates dropped both games of Friday’s doubleheader, losing both games 6-2 in Moraga, Calif.
The first game of the afternoon started off similar to the game on Thursday, as both teams struggled to find offense. Seton Hall started off strong, as junior catcher Jerry Huntzinger singled up the middle to get on base, then senior outfielder Tyler Shedler-McAvoy was able to work a full-count walk, giving the Pirates two men on base.
Unfortunately for them, senior Matt Toke flied out to center field, then junior Casey Dana hit into a double play to end the inning for the Pirates. Saint Mary’s’ inning went similarly as they stranded two men on base as well.
Seton Hall’s second inning went by quietly with no hits, but Saint Mary’s continued to pound away as they managed to load the bases, along with scoring an unearned run from some errors in the Pirates infield. Javy Espinoza, Nick Mistone, and Jacob Talamante all got on, with Espinoza and Mistone in scoring position. Luckily for the Pirates, senior Ryan Novis fouled out to end the inning.
The third inning ramped up for both teams, as the Hall tried to break the scoring drought. Freshman Devin Hack drew a walk, then advanced to third off a Huntzinger single. Shedler-McAvoy was up in the order and he tried to bunt home Hack, but the Gaels were on it defensively and threw out the freshman at home, snuffing out a potential run for the Pirates. On the opposing end, Nico Lima for the Gaels got on base with a single, then made it all the way home on a Chris Campos double to strike first blood on the scoreboard.
Fast forward to the seventh inning, Dana started off hot with a single to left field, and he then advanced to third on a Connor Hood single to right field. Christian Del Castillo then brought Dana home with a single to center field, giving the Pirates their first run of the day.
Sophomore Alex Cylde advanced both runners with a sac bunt before junior Thomas Holdorf brought home Hood with an RBI groundout. Just like that, the Pirates had tied the game up.
Unfortunately, baseball games are nine innings and not seven, and it was in the eighth inning where the Pirates came unraveled. Marc Goulart added an RBI double to tack on two runs for the Gaels, and Mistone and Velazquez added RBIs of their own to contribute to a four-run inning, spelling a loss for the Pirates.
The second game didn’t start off too well for the Pirates either, as the Gaels pounced early to take a three-run lead in the first three innings, off an RBI double from Campos, an RBI groundout from Goulart, then Novis scoring off a passed ball. The Pirates were able to respond in the fourth inning, with an RBI single to left center from Dana, but Saint Mary’s then increased their lead with this time, a two-RBI double from Campos as he was the Gaels offense in the second matchup.
Novis added an RBI single and Dana tacked on another RBI single to make the final margin in the second game 6-2, the exact score from the first game.
With their long road trips through North Carolina, Virginia and California behind them, the Pirates now return to the newly renovated Mike Sheppard, Sr. Stadium at Owen T. Carroll Field, in South Orange, N.J., to take on Farleigh Dickinson.
With Michael Daly and Ben Harris on the call, it’s sure to be an enthralling faceoff.
Heaven Hill can be reached at heaven.hill@student.shu.edu.
