Seton Hall University
North Carolina
Harsh Third Inning Fells Baseball at UNC, 10-4
2/14/2015 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
BOX SCORE (.pdf) 
| BOX SCORE (.html)
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - The Seton Hall baseball team gave up seven runs in the third inning and couldn't come back as it fell at North Carolina, 10-4, in the first game of a double-header on Saturday.
Senior Kyle Grimm (Bergenfield, N.J.) had two hits for a second straight game, but also committed two costly errors. Junior Chris Chiaradio (Teaneck, N.J.) also contributed two hits and an RBI in the loss.
Seton Hall (0-2) scored right away with a little bit of two-out magic in the top of the first inning. After UNC starter Benton Moss struck out both Derek Jenkins (Annandale, N.J.) and Zack Weigel (Oak Park, Ill.), Grimm singled up the middle and Sal Annunziata (Bronx, N.Y.) followed with a double to left-center field. Grimm narrowly beat the throw to the plate, and the Pirates grabbed an early 1-0 lead.
North Carolina (2-0) however, didn't trail long and scored a pair of runs off Seton Hall starter Anthony Elia (Flanders, N.J.) in the bottom of the first with two outs as well. With the bases empty, Elia issued a walk and two soft singles, the second of which tied the game. Grimm threw wide of first base on a grounder by UNC's Alex Raburn and the error allowed the go-ahead run to score.
There was a scary moment in the top of the third inning with one out. Jenkins was hit in the face while batting, but fortunately was able to walk off the field under his own power. Jackson Martin (Collegeville, Pa.) took over in center field.
In the bottom of the third inning, North Carolina sent 11 men to the plate and scored seven runs on seven hits to blow the game open. The first five batters reached base and scored. Landon Lassiter picked up two hits in the inning. The largest hit was a two-RBI single past Grimm at third by Logan Warmoth. When the smoke settled, the Pirates found themselves with a 9-1 deficit.
Seton Hall scored single runs in the fourth, seventh and eighth, but couldn't put together the big inning necessary to get back into the game. The Pirates picked up their second two-out run of the afternoon in the top of the fourth. D.J. Ruhlman (Belle Mead, N.J.) doubled to right-center field and Chiaradio followed with a hard RBI single up the middle. In the seventh, Joe Poduslenko (Glen Mills, Pa.) walked with one out and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Weigel followed with a single up the middle and Poduslenko scored to cut the UNC lead to 9-3. After UNC scored a run in the seventh, the Pirates got it back in the eighth on an RBI single by Alex Falconi (Freeport, N.Y.).
After North Carolina's outburst in the third inning, the Tar Heels were kept mostly at bay thanks to the stellar pitching of freshman Matt Leon (Bethlehem, Pa.) and sophomore Ryan Testani (Shelton, Conn.). Leon pitched four innings and gave up only two hits and one unearned run in his collegiate debut. Testani struck out the side in a scoreless eighth inning.
Today's first game also featured the first collegiate at bats for a pair of Pirates. Both Tom Kelleher (Wantagh, N.Y.) and Brett Fontinelli (Toms River, N.J.) made their debuts.
