Four Run Third Inning Sinks Baseball, 8-4

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VILLANOVA, PA.   The Seton Hall baseball team took a, 4-2, lead into the bottom of the third inning, however allowed four runs to cross the plate on three hits in the inning as they fell to Villanova, 8-4, Saturday afternoon in the series finale.

The Pirates (15-14, 6-6) grabbed an early, 2-0, lead in the top of the first inning.  With two-outs, and no one on base, senior Matt Smedberg (Rockaway, N.J.) reached base on an infield single which led the way for classmate Chris Affinito (East Brunswick, N.J.) to belt a two-run home run down the right field line.

The lead did not last long as the Wildcats (17-16, 3-9) first cut the lead in half when Matt Szczur scored on a Pirates throwing error in the bottom half of the inning, and later tied the game in the same inning on a Joe Cotter RBI single.

With the score tied at two entering the top of the third inning, Seton Hall again took a two-run lead this time on a run-scoring single by sophomore Sean Gusrang (Burlington, N.J.) scoring Affinito, who doubled with one-out.  Two batters later, junior Chris Spagnuolo (Tabernacle, N.J.) brought Gusrang around to score on a groundout to the right side of the infield.

Villanova followed the Pirates third inning with four runs in the home half of the third to take the lead for good.  It started with an RBI walk to Wesley Borden cutting the Pirate lead to one.  David Koczirka tied the game with a run-scoring single, and after Borden scored on another Pirate throwing error, Kevin Wager drove home the final run of the inning with a single, giving the Wildcats a, 6-4, lead.

That was all Villanova would need as Kyle Carver and Mike Francisco combined to throw six scoreless innings in relief.  Carver (1-1) tossing 3.1 innings allowing three hits to earn the win, and Francisco picked up his third save of the season with five strikeouts in 2.2 innings of work.  Freshman Charlie Rivera (Hazlet, N.J.) (0-2) took the loss yielding four runs, three earned, on one hit in one relief inning of work.

Offensively for Seton Hall, Gusrang went 3-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI, while Affinito went 2-for-5 with two runs scored and two RBI.  On the mound, freshman George Fernandez (Union, N.J.) struck out three batters in 3.2 scoreless relief innings.

The Pirates return to action Tuesday afternoon when they welcome Princeton to Owen T. Carroll Field.  First pitch is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.