Seton Hall
Pirates obliterate Georgetown 21-5 to advance in Big East Tournament
Date: May 25, 2018By Chris Russo
On a day marked with themes of emotion and survival, Seton Hall scratched and clawed against the Georgetown Hoyas to capture a 21-5 victory, securing a spot in game four on Saturday afternoon.
Although the Pirates broke the Big East Tournament record for runs in a game, the Hoyas actually crossed the plate first. The game mirrored the Butler game when a run scored following an Al Molina error, and Molina drove in the tying run in the bottom half of the inning.
The difference, however, came when Matt Toke's two-run single put Seton Hall in front, and they led the rest of the way. The third inning opened the floodgates, as the Pirates scored six runs because six batters reached base with two outs. Two-run doubles by Mike Alescio and Ryan Ramiz, compounded with a two-run shot by Toke made it nine to three in the second. An RBI single by Rob Dadona and an RBI double by Sebastiano Santorelli piled on in the third to make it 11-3.
Starter Ricky DeVito ran into trouble in the fourth by giving up a solo shot to Sammy Stevens and a three-run blast to Michael DiRenzi. DeVito had hit three batters in the game, and two in the inning, before the homer. He traded words with the Georgetown dugout after the blast, possibly due to DiRenzi's celebration. However, video showed DeVito saying some obscenities to teammates before pointing towards the Georgetown dugout, possibly signifying that DeVito was quoting an opponent. The benches cleared, but nothing happened. DeVito then hit the next batter, but stayed in the game, as his reaction signified it was unintentional. DeVito cruised through the fifth and sixth, and recorded the win.
After the Hoyas rally, the Pirates lineup went back to work. They scored six in the sixth with RBI singles from Dadona, Alescio, and Ramiz, plus a wild pitch, and an RBI double by Toke. Sacrifice flies by Molina and Tyler Shedler-McAvoy, plus a Jerry Huntzinger groundout RBI, capped the scoring.
Dylan Verdonk was bright in relief, giving up only one hit in two innings, allowing Andrew Politi to rest for the Butler rematch.
The Pirates will face the loser of the St. John's-Butler game on Saturday at 2:30 pm.
Chris Russo can be reached at chrisrusso98@gmail.com
