Seton Hall Knocks Off Villanova to Finally End 11-Game Losing Streak

Published: Saturday, April 25, 2026

by Darren Worrell

SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. - The Seton Hall Pirates (12-21, 1-9) ended an 11-game losing streak Friday evening, earning their first conference win with a 9-3 victory over the Villanova Wildcats (12-24, 0-10) at Mike Sheppard Sr. Stadium.

Steven Svenson, the sophomore from Matawan, New Jersey, started on the mound for the Pirates. This season, he has appeared in 10 games, starting all of them. He has been the Pirates go-to starter and was looking to bounce back after taking the loss in his last outing against Xavier on April 17th.

Svenson was sharp in the top of the first, pitching a 1-2-3 inning and retiring the side in order. The Pirates got on the board first when Ryan Frontera’s fly out brought home Gabe Cavazzoni making it 1-0.

The second inning brought trouble for Svenson, as he walked the first two batters he faced, putting the Pirates in a tricky position. Mark Giallusi reached on a fielder’s choice, which advanced two runners and brought in a run to tie the score at 1-1.

The Pirates scored again in the same fashion as the first inning: Aidan Dill flied out to center field, bringing in Nick Tomasetto and the Pirates regained the lead at 2-1.

This lead would not last long, as Villanova struck again on a Collin Quintano double that brought in Brayden Leonard, to tie score at 2-2.

Villanova’s pitching struggled in the bottom of the third, allowing Seton Hall to score three runs. First, Frontera’s flyout brought in Tommy Manzo. Then, Magnus Krieger singled to drive in Grady and Cavazzoni, giving the Pirates a 5-2 lead.

The Pirates' hot hitting continued over the next three innings, scoring two more runs to make it 7-2. In the seventh inning, the Wildcats scored their third and final run on a single by Quintano that brought in Leonard for his second run of the game, cutting the deficit to 7-3.

In the top of the eight, Seton Hall head coach Rob Sheppard went to his closer, John Higgins, who did what he had to do. He came in and retired the side in order.

The Pirates also scored their final two runs in the inning. First, a triple by Cavazzoni brought home Manzo. Then, a single by Shea Grady brought home Cavazzoni to make it 9-3. The score held as a fly out from Quintano ended the game.

It was a big win for the Pirates as they picked up their first conference victory, and they will look to keep the momentum going in the second game of the three-game series against Villanova. 

Darren Worrell can be reached at darren.worrell@student.shu.edu.

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