McCarthy, Bullpen Lead Pirates Past St. John's

Friday, May 11

South Orange, N.J.

4:30 PM

Seton Hall University

25-16-1, 0

No. 17 St. John's

32-12, 0

St. John's

Seton Hall

5/11/2018 8:31:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score HOME INFO BOX SCORE

SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. – Senior Shane McCarthy (Fair Haven, N.J.) limited St. John's high-powered offense to just three runs as the Seton Hall baseball team edged the No. 17 Red Storm, 4-3, in the series opener on Friday.

The victory draws the Pirates even with St. John's atop the BIG EAST Conference with a record of 11-2.

McCarthy again ran into difficulty in the first inning, allowing the Red Storm to take a 1-0 lead before the Pirates came to the plate. The Pirate ace however, settled down after the first and kept St. John's scoreless over the next four innings.

Andrew Politi (Long Valley, N.J.) got the final out of the seventh inning and struck out the side in the eighth inning. Senior Matt Leon (Bethlehem, Pa.) worked a perfect ninth inning to record his 10^th save of the season, which sets a new Seton Hall single-season record.

Meanwhile, St. John's Sean Mooney, the reigning BIG EAST Pitcher of the Year, didn't allow a hit through the first three innings. The Hall however, broke through in the bottom of the fourth. Junior Sebastiano Santorelli (Tuckahoe, N.Y.) led off with an infield single. With one out, Mike Alescio (Fair Haven, N.J.) tripled deep to left-center field to tie the game at one. Senior Ryan Ramiz (Freehold, N.J.) followed with a sacrifice fly to plate Alescio and give the Pirates a 2-1 lead.

Turning Point:
With the game tied at three, the Pirates scored the go-ahead run in the bottom of the seventh inning. Ramiz doubled to right field to lead off, and advanced to third on a wild pitch. Sophomore Tyler Shedler-McAvoy (Allendale, N.J.) followed with another sacrifice fly, the Pirates' third of the game, to score Ramiz.

Here are our highlights from today's big 4-3 win that puts us into a tie for 1st place in the BIG EAST heading into tomorrow's doubleheader! #HALLin pic.twitter.com/zG2cEPX9yv
— Seton Hall Baseball (@SHUBaseball) May 11, 2018

Inside the Numbers:

McCarthy allowed only two earned runs over 6.2 innings with five strikeouts and no walks in a no decision.
Politi earned the victory by retiring all four of the batters he faced, three of which via strikeout.
Leon picked up his BIG EAST-leading 10^th save of the season with a scoreless ninth inning.
Ramiz went 1-for-2 with a double, a sacrifice fly, an RBI and a run scored.
Seton Hall had four hits, while St. John's had eight. Both teams committed one error.
Seton Hall left one man on base, while the Red Storm left six.
The Pirates scored three of their four runs via sacrifice fly.
St. John's Turner French took the loss in relief. He allowed one earned run, his first of the season, over two innings.

News & Notes:

The victory improves Seton Hall to 25-16-1 overall, while St. John's falls to 32-12 overall. Both teams are now 11-2 in conference play and sit atop the BIG EAST standings.
Seton Hall improves to 59-68 all-time against St. John's
McCarthy made his 48^th career start today, which ranks third-most all-time at Seton Hall. Only Jon Prosinski (57) and Joe DiRocco (49) have started more games in a Pirate uniform.
With five strikeouts today, McCarthy has reached the 200-strikeout milestone for his career.
Today's victory is the Pirates' 25^th of the season. It's their eighth straight year with at least 25 wins.
Leon's save is his BIG EAST-leading 10th of the season, which sets a new Seton Hall single-season record.
Leon's save is the 14th of his career, which passes former Pirates Jamie Fisher and Benny Mejia into second place on Seton Hall's all-time list. Isaac Pavlik is the career record-holder with 22 saves.
Today's appearance was the 84th of Leon's career, which ties Isaac Pavlik for second-most in Seton Hall history. Only George Fernandez (94) has taken the mound in more Seton Hall games ever.
After today's game, Seton Hall's team ERA is down to a season-best 4.10.

Next Up:
Seton Hall will return to action tomorrow when it continues its series with local BIG EAST rival St. John's. The teams are scheduled to play a doubleheader with first pitch for game one scheduled for 12:30 p.m. ET. Senior Day festivities will commence prior to the doubleheader. However, there is rain in the forecast, be sure to check the team's twitter @SHUbaseball or online at www.SHUpirates.com for any potential game time adjustments.