Toke Homers, But Pirates Fall in Opener, 4-3

Friday, February 15

Port Charlotte, Fla. / Charlotte Sports Park

2:00 PM

Seton Hall University

0-1

Ohio State

1-0

Seton Hall

Ohio State

2/15/2019 6:56:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score HOME INFO BOX SCORE

PORT CHARLOTTE, FLA. – Junior Matt Toke (Three Bridges, N.J.) clubbed a two-run home run, but the Seton Hall baseball team dropped its 2019 season-opener to Ohio State, 4-3, in Port Charlotte, Fla. on Friday.

Toke went 1-for-3 with a walk and the two-run home run, which accounted for two of the Pirates' three runs. Freshman Alex Clyde (Old Tappan, N.J.) was the lone Pirate with multiple hits. He went 2-for-4 with a pair of singles.

Junior starter Ricky DeVito (Staten Island, N.Y.) tossed four innings and allowed three hits and one run in a no decision.

What Happened:
Trailing 1-0, the Pirates got on the scoreboard for the first time this season in the top of the fourth inning. Junior Christian Del Castillo (Miami, Fla.) led off with a double to right field, and ended up coming around to score on a pair of wild pitches to tie the game at one.

In the top of the fifth inning, junior Blake Espinal (Bronx, N.Y.) allowed a one-out solo home run to Ohio State's Dominic Canzone. Espinal then settled down, until running into trouble in the seventh inning. A one-out single by the Buckeyes' Connor Pohl plated two more runs and gave The Hall a 4-1 deficit.

Senior Nick Dabrio (Jackson, N.J.) led off the eighth inning with a double to left-center field, and Toke followed with his two-run blast to cut the Buckeye lead to 4-3. Ohio State closer Griffan Smith calmed down however, and was able to record the final six outs for the save.

Inside the Numbers:

DeVito pitched four innings and allowed three hits and one run. He struck out one and walked three in a no decision.
Espinal took the loss. He allowed three runs on four hits over three innings of relief. He struck out two batters and walked none.
Toke went 1-for-3 with a walk, a home run and two RBIs.
Clyde went 2-for-4 in his collegiate debut.
Sophomore Ryan McLinskey (Pearl River, N.Y.) pitched a perfect eighth inning and struck out the side.
Seton Hall out-hit the Buckeyes, 8-to-7. Neither team committed an error.
Ohio State left eight men on base, while the Pirates left seven. Both teams turned one double-play.
Ohio State's Seth Lonsway picked up the victory. He allowed just one run over six innings. Griffan Smith earned the save.

News & Notes:

Seton Hall falls to 4-6 all-time against Ohio State.
Toke's home run is the fourth of his career.

Next Up:
Seton Hall will return to action tomorrow when it continues its three-game series in Port Charlotte, Fla. against Ohio State. First pitch is again scheduled for 2:00 p.m.