Seton Hall University
Butler
Baseball Falls in Series Finale at Butler
4/6/2014 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 6, 2014
INDIANAPOLIS, IND. - Four Seton Hall errors and a passed ball led to six unearned Butler runs as the Pirates fell to the Bulldogs, 7-6, in the rubber game of the series on Sunday.
The loss drops Seton Hall to 1-2 in BIG EAST Conference play and the series loss is the first for the Pirates since the opening series of the season at the University of Oklahoma.
Normally a highly competent fielding team, the Pirates committed 10 errors in the three-game series at Butler.
Starter Anthony Elia (Flanders, N.J.) gave up all seven runs, but only one was earned over 6.1 innings. The left-hander struck out five and walked one. He falls to 3-3 on the season.
Sal Annunziata (Bronx, N.Y.) put the Pirates in front in the top of the second inning with a solo home run, his second of the season.
In the top of the third inning, the Pirates used their speed and some timely hitting to extend their lead to 3-0. With one out, Derek Jenkins (Annandale, N.J.) walked, and then promptly stole both second and third base. Zack Weigel (Oak Park, Ill.) followed with a single up the middle to score Jenkins. Weigel then stole second base and moved to third on a wild pitch. With two outs, D.J. Ruhlman (Belle Mead, N.J.) singled through the left side to score Weigel with the Pirates' third run.
Butler () scratched a run across in the bottom of the third inning, but Elia rebounded to strike out the side and keep the Pirates in front, 3-1.
In the bottom of the fourth however, the Pirates' defense let Elia down as two errors led to five Butler unearned runs, all of which were scored with two outs. When the smoke cleared, Butler had a commanding 6-3 lead.
Seton Hall got a pair of runs back in the top of sixth. Ruhlman led off with a double to left-center field and Tyler Boyd (Succasunna, N.J.) walked. After Chris Selden (Allenhurst, N.J.) successfully bunted both into scoring position, Dillon Hamlin (Colts Neck, N.J.) drove in Ruhlman and advanced Boyd with a sacrifice fly. Boyd then scored on a wild pitch to cut the Bulldogs' lead to 6-5.
Butler tacked on an insurance run in the bottom of the seventh, its sixth unearned run of the afternoon to extend their lead to 7-5.
The Pirates rallied in the top of the ninth, but fell just short. Chris Chiaradio (Teaneck, N.J.) doubled down the left field line to lead off and advanced to third on a wild pitch. With one out, Weigel grounded out to short, scoring Chiaradio to cut the Butler lead to 7-6, but Kyle Grimm (Bergenfield, N.J.) flew out to end the game.
Ruhlman again led the Pirates offensively, going 3-for-4 with a double, a run scored and an RBI. Jenkins stole two more bases and now has a BIG EAST-leading 16 this season.
Seton Hall will return to action on Wednesday, April 9 for a mid-week contest against Wagner at Owen T. Carroll Field. First pitch is scheduled for 4:00 p.m.
