Baseball Suffers Defeat to St. Joseph's, 5-2

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SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. The Seton Hall baseball team brought the tying run to the plate in the bottom of the ninth inning three separate times, however St. Joseph’s starting pitcher, sophomore Randall Mower (1-0), picked up two groundouts and a strikeout to finish off the complete game and earn the victory as St. Joseph’s defeated Seton Hall, 5-2, at Owen T. Carroll Field Tuesday afternoon.

Trailing by three in the bottom of the ninth inning, senior Dan Lopez (Weehawken, N.J.) led off with a single to centerfield.  Junior Greg Miller (Shamong, N.J.) walked, however freshman Edward Brown (Edison, N.J.), grounded into a fielder’s choice, freshman Michael Blanke (Palm Bay, Fla.) struck out, and freshman Sean Gusrang (Burlington, N.J.) grounded out to first base to end the game.

The Pirates (5-7) took an early, 1-0, lead in the bottom of the first inning.  Freshman A.J. Rusbarsky (Freehold, N.J.) led off with a walk and came around to score on a single by senior Mark Pappas (Ocean Township, N.J.).

The Hawks (3-10) tied the game in the top of the third inning.  With two outs and no one on base, freshman Joe Cook doubled, and sophomore Drew Smith followed with an RBI triple.

In the top of the fourth inning, the Hawks jumped out to a, 2-1, lead.  With runners on second and third and one out, sophomore David Valesente drove in junior Ben Wendle with an RBI groundout.  Valesente added an insurance run with an RBI single in the top of the sixth inning putting the Hawks ahead, 3-1.

Seton Hall cut the lead in half in the bottom of the seventh inning, 3-2, when Brown, who came in to pinch hit for junior Tim McCann (Manasquan, N.J.), hit into an RBI groundout scoring Miller who tripled to left-center field to lead off the inning.  However, the Hawks scored two runs in the top of the ninth inning off the bat of sophomore Brian Hartsell, a first base replacement in the bottom of the eighth inning.

Pappas was the only Pirate with two hits, while driving in one run.  Miller and Rusbarsky each had one hit and one run scored.  Cook, Wendle, and Valesente each had two hits for the Hawks.  Cook and Wendle scored two runs, Valesente drove in two.

Pirates starter Jesse Gwaltney (Ellenwood, Ga.) (0-2) took the loss after allowing two runs on three hits in five innings, striking out three.  Mower allowed two runs on seven hits with four strikeouts in his first appearance this season.

The Pirates return to Owen T. Carroll Field Wednesday afternoon as they take on Army.  First pitch is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.