Baseball Clinches Playoffs with Sweep of Georgetown, 6-3
5/21/2011 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
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SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. - The Seton Hall Pirates baseball team stood a game and a half out of the playoffs on Monday, May 2, but they battled back to win seven of their last nine conference games including a sweep of Louisville and a sweep of Georgetown in which they completed this afternoon by a score of, 6-3, at Owen T. Carroll Field. The Pirates will make their first trip to the BIG EAST Tournament since 2008.
Prior to the game, the Seton Hall Athletic Department honored the baseball team's six seniors - players Joe DiRocco (East Hanover, N.J.), Frank Esposito (Staten Island, N.Y.), Sean Gusrang (Burlington, N.J.), A.J. Rusbarsky (Freehold, N.J.), and managers Kevin Fountain and David Marconi - for their support and dedication to the team and community throughout the past four years.
The team however made sure it would not be the last game in a Pirate uniform for the six men. With the game tied at three in the bottom of the sixth, Seton Hall plated two runs to take the lead.
The inning started with a lead-off double by Dale Anderson (Alberta, Canada) followed by a single off the bat of Giuseppe Papaccio (Nutley, N.J.). The Pirates would take the lead on the next play, but not without a little confusion.
On a ball hit by Rusbarsky back to the pitcher, Anderson broke for the plate getting caught in a rundown. Georgetown botched the rundown by hitting Anderson in the back, but as first baseman Dan Capeless tried to locate the ball in the air, he and Anderson collided before the junior from Canada could touch the plate. As the rundown was going on, Papaccio was rounding third base and touched home before Anderson could causing the first out. Anderson would touch home plate for the Pirates' fourth run of the game while Rusbarsky continued to third base. Will Walsh (New Milford, N.J.) scored Rusbarsky with a sacrifice line out to right field for a, 5-3, Pirate advantage.
The Pirates' added another insurance run in the bottom of the seventh when Papaccio was hit-by-a-pitch with bases loaded.
Georgetown took the early lead on Seton Hall freshman right-hander Brian Gilbert (Toms River, N.J.) when Sean Lamont ripped a two-run home run just over the foul pole in left field. The Hoyas looked to add to their total in the second inning following a one out triple by Justin Leeson, but Gilbert settled down to strike out Rand Ravnaas and induce Mike Garcia to a comebacker for the final out.
The Hall cut the deficit in half in the bottom of the third inning. Walsh led off with a walk and moved to second base on a groundout by Esposito. Granite scored the junior with a two-out double to left-center field.
Two innings later, Seton Hall tied the game on a bases-loaded walk by Mike Betz (Mine-Hill, N.J.) and took the lead two batters later when Mike Genovese (Livingston, N.J.) raced down the first base line to beat out a double play throw on his grounder to second base allowing Walsh to score from third.
Georgetown tied the game in the top of the sixth on an RBI single by Erick Fernandez.
George Fernandez (Union, N.J.) (3-1) earned his third victory of the year and second this weekend throwing three scoreless innings of relief allowing only one hit while striking out one. Alex Meyer (4-3) suffered the loss after surrendering five runs, four earned, on six hits in six innings of work.
Gilbert received a no-decision following a five inning performance yielding three runs while striking out three.
The Pirates will wait to see their seeding and opponent in the 2011 BIG EAST Tournament, but will return to action Wednesday, May 25 in Clearwater, Fla.
