Seton Hall University
Oklahoma
Baseball Downed by Oklahoma, 15-6, in Finale
2/16/2014 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Feb. 16, 2014
NORMAN, OKLA. - Oklahoma scored four runs in the bottom of the first inning and never looked back as the Seton Hall baseball team fell, 15-6, in Sunday's rubber game of the series.
The game, which was three hours and 18 minutes old through eight innings, was called an inning early due to Seton Hall's rapidly approaching airline flight time.
Junior Kyle Grimm (Bergenfield, N.J.) went 3-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs scored. Despite coming into the game as a pinch hitter, freshman Joe Poduslenko (Glen Mills, Pa.) also reached base three times, registering a single and a pair of walks.
Oklahoma (2-1) jumped on Seton Hall starter Luke Cahill (Tinton Falls, N.J.) right from the start. Oklahoma batted around as six of the first eight Sooners reached base. Once the first inning ended, the Pirates found themselves in an early 4-0 hole.
Seton Hall (1-2) got a run back in the top of the third. Junior D.J. Ruhlman (Belle Mead, N.J.) delivered a one-out double and advanced to third on an error by the Sooners' left fielder. Freshman Mike Caputo (Morganville, N.Y.) drove him in with an RBI ground out. Caputo now has three RBIs already this season.
Cahill ran into trouble again in the bottom of the fourth, putting two runners on with one out. Freshman Zach Prendergast (Horsham, Pa.) came on in relief, but gave up a three-run home run to Oklahoma's Hunter Haley before getting the final two outs.
The Sooners extended their lead to 9-1 before Seton Hall made a rally in the top of the sixth inning. Poduslenko and Derek Jenkins (Annandale, N.J.) both walked to start the inning, chasing Oklahoma starter Jake Elliott from the game. With one out, Chris Selden (Allenhurst, N.J.) walked to load the bases. After Sal Annunziata (Bronx, N.Y.) went down on strikes for the second out of the inning, three straight Pirate singles resulted in four Seton Hall runs. Grimm's second hit of the day drove in two runs, while singles by pinch hitter John Beaubien (Livingston, N.J.) and Dillon Hamlin (Colts Neck, N.J.) knocked in one run apiece to pull the Pirates to within four runs at 9-5.
But Oklahoma responded in kind in the following half inning. The first four Sooners to bat in the bottom of the sixth reached on singles and before an out was recorded, Oklahoma had extended its lead to 11-5. Seton Hall wouldn't get any closer for the rest of the game.
The Pirates committed four more errors against Oklahoma on Sunday. For the season-opening series, The Hall committed 10 errors. They committed a BIG EAST-low 48 total errors in all 56 games last season.
The series loss is the first for Seton Hall in nearly a year. The Pirates entered the 2014 season having won eight straight weekend series dating back to losses in two of three games at Notre Dame last March.
Seton Hall will return to the diamond on Friday, February 22 when it travels to the University of Richmond for game one of a three-game series. Game time is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. ET.
