Bats Awaken as Baseball Out-Slugs FIU, 12-10

Tuesday, March 10

Port Charlotte, Fla.

11:00 AM

Seton Hall University

Florida International

2025 Coach Mike Sheppard Sr. Golf Outing Registration!

Thursday, September 04

AJ Soldra celebrates a run scoring single against Creighton

Soldra Selected by Los Angeles Dodgers in 2025 MLB Draft

Wednesday, July 16

Aiden Robbins comes out of the Pirates' tunnel prior to a game at Mike Sheppard, Sr. Stadium.

Robbins Named to ABCA All-Region Second Team

Monday, June 16

Four Named to CSC Academic All-District Team

Thursday, June 05

D.J. Ruhlman went 3-for-4 with four RBIs.

3/10/2015 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

March 10, 2015

BOX SCORE (.html) | PHOTO GALLERY | BOX SCORE (.pdf)

PORT CHARLOTTE, FLA. - Seniors D.J. Ruhlman (Belle Mead, N.J.) and Alex Falconi (Freeport, N.Y.) each reached base four times as the Seton Hall baseball team out-slugged Florida International, 12-10, to snap a four-game losing streak on Tuesday.

Ruhlman finished the game 3-for-4 with a home run, triple, hit-by-pitch, four RBIs and four runs scored. Falconi was 3-for-4 with two RBIs and a hit-by-pitch.

Collectively, the Pirates broke out for season-highs of 12 runs and 12 hits. The Hall doubled its previous high of runs for the season, the six scored on Sunday at USF.

Seton Hall finally got onto the scoreboard in the bottom of the third inning with the help of a pair of Florida International errors. With one out, Kyle Grimm (Bergenfield, N.J.) reached on a fielding error by FIU's first baseman. He advanced to third on a single by Ruhlman. Sal Annunziata (Bronx, N.Y.) followed with a grounder to short, but the FIU shortstop booted the ball, which allowed Grimm to score with the first run of the game. Boyd followed with an RBI single through the right side to score Ruhlman and give The Hall a 2-0 lead. But the runs ended there and Seton Hall stranded two more.

Through the first three innings, the Pirates left six men on base.

In the fourth inning however, Seton Hall had no issues getting its runners home. Derek Jenkins (Annandale, N.J.) walked to leadoff and stole second. Zack Weigel (Oak Park, Ill.) walked and then a double-steal put two runners in scoring position with no outs. With one out, Grimm grounded out, which scored Jenkins. Ruhlman followed with a triple to the wall in left-center field, which scored Weigel. After a pitching change, Ruhlman scored the Pirates' fifth run on a wild pitch.

The five-run lead however, was short-lived as FIU struck for three runs in the top of the fourth due in large part to control issues. Seton Hall starter Anthony Pacillo (Lyndhurst, N.J.) walked the bases loaded and was pulled in favor of reliever Ryan Testani (Shelton, Conn.). Testani allowed two to score on a pair of sacrifice flies, and a third on a single. When the smoke cleared, FIU sent eight men to the plate and the Pirates' lead was cut to 5-3.

In one of the crazier single innings in recent Seton Hall memory, the sixth inning featured 10 runs, five by FIU and five by the Pirates. In the top of the inning, two walks and a single issued by Testani loaded the bases with no outs for FIU. After a two-run double cut the Pirates' lead to one, FIU's Julius Gaines hit a three-run home run to give the Panthers an 8-5 lead. FIU's lead however, didn't last long. In the bottom of the inning, Weigel doubled to lead off and advanced to third on a wild pitch. After Joe Poduslenko (Glen Mills, Pa.) walked, Grimm hit an RBI single. Ruhlman followed with a grounder to third base, and Poduslenko beat the third baseman's throw home to cut the FIU lead to 8-7. Annunziata singled and the bases were loaded. With one out, Falconi hit the ball over the center fielder's head to plate two runs and give the Pirates a 9-8 lead. After the runners advanced on a balk, Chris Chiaradio (Teaneck, N.J.) hit a sacrifice fly to score Annunziata and extend the Pirates' lead to 10-8.

In the bottom of the seventh inning, D.J. Ruhlman put the exclamation point on what was, by far, Seton Hall's biggest offensive output of the season. The shortstop crushed a two-run home run over the left-center field fence to provide a pair of insurance runs.

Junior Sam Burum (Robbinsville, N.J.) got the win in relief.

Seton Hall will return to action tomorrow (Wednesday) as it faces Saint Joseph's as part of the Snowbird Classic in Port Charlotte, Fla. First pitch is scheduled for 11:00 a.m.