Seton Hall University
East Tennessee State
Baseball Drops Opener vs. ETSU, 7-3
2/22/2013 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
The Pirates (0-3) and starter Jon Prosinski (Skillman, N.J.) fell victim to the long-ball, as the Buccaneers scored six of their seven runs on a trio of home runs in the first five innings. Prosinski, in his second start of the season, took the loss, giving up seven earned runs over five innings, while striking out four and walking one.
Annunziata finished the day 2-for-4 with his aforementioned first home run of the season.
Junior Dillon Hamlin (Colts Neck, N.J.) plated Seton Hall's other two Pirates' runs with an RBI single in the second and a sacrifice fly in the seventh.
ETSU (4-1) got on the board early with a solo home run by first baseman Clinton Freeman in the bottom of the first inning. The Pirates responded quickly however, in the top of the second. Annunziata's home run tied the game at one to lead off the inning and senior Giuseppe Papaccio (Nutley, N.J.) followed with a single. After Kyle Grimm (Bergenfield, N.J.) successfully sacrificed Papaccio second, Hamlin lined a two-out single up the middle to give Seton Hall a 2-1 lead.
The Buccaneers struck back in the bottom of the third when Mason Hershey walked to lead off the inning and Andrew Green launched a one-out, two-run home run to reclaim the lead for ETSU, 3-2.
ETSU would add an insurance run in the bottom of the fourth, but the big blow came in the bottom of the fifth. Prosinski found himself in immediate trouble as the first two Buccaneers reached base by virtue of a double and a hit-by-pitch. After getting the first out on a fielder's choice, Freeman connected on a three-run home run, his second homer of the game, to give ETSU a commanding 7-2 lead.
Seton Hall's Ryan Sullivan (Stony Point, N.Y.) tripled to lead off the seventh, and Hamlin collected his second RBI of the game with a sacrifice fly, but the Pirates' offense would cease at three runs on Friday.
On a day when Prosinski struggled, the Seton Hall bullpen pitched rather well. Three Pirates combined to shut out East Tennessee State over the final three innings. Senior Connor Delepine (Middletown, N.J.) came on in relief of Prosinski and pitched a perfect sixth inning, and struck out a batter. Sophomore Dan Ditusa (St. Charles, Ill.) made his collegiate debut with two thirds of scoreless baseball, and senior Mike Genovese (Livingston, N.J.) side-armed a perfect final one and one third of an inning.
East Tennessee State's Kerry Doane picked up the victory in a complete-game effort.
Seton Hall will resume its three-game series with ETSU on Saturday. First pitch is scheduled for 1:05 p.m.
