Seton Hall came from behind in the eighth inning to defeat Saint Joseph’s 5-3 at Sheppard Stadium on Sunday afternoon, earning a much-needed victory after trailing for most of the game.
The action began in the fourth inning, when Saint Joseph’s took a 3-0 lead. With two outs, Tim Dickinson and Aidan Duda hit infield singles, setting up a walk by Sam Meyer to load the bases. Michael Pierson then stepped up and delivered a clutch two-run single to score Dickinson and Duda. A wild pitch allowed Meyer to cross home, giving the Hawks a 3-0 advantage.
Seton Hall (5-9) responded in the sixth with a two-out RBI single from Ryan Frontera, cutting the deficit to 3-1. However, it was the eighth inning that changed the game.
The Pirates capitalized on control issues from Saint Joseph’s pitching. After two walks to open the inning, a sacrifice bunt and a strikeout put the Hawks in a position to escape the jam. But three more walks in succession forced in the tying runs. Marco Ali then sealed the comeback with a two-run single, giving Seton Hall a 5-3 lead.
Saint Joseph’s (5-9) tried to rally in the ninth. They brought the go-ahead run to the plate, but a lineout double play ended the game and sealed Seton Hall’s victory.
John Downing pitched the final three innings for Seton Hall, earning the win after allowing three walks and striking out two. Jaden Ovalles took the loss for the Hawks, charged with two runs on two walks in just two-thirds of an inning.
Nathan Stein started on the mound for Saint Joseph’s, pitching 5.2 solid innings, allowing one run on four hits with six strikeouts. Pierson led the Hawks offensively, recording two hits in the game.
Up next, Saint Joseph’s will host Lehigh at Smithson Field on Tuesday before beginning conference play at Saint Louis on Friday.
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