Pirates Can't Overcome Early Deficit; Fall 5-3

Sunday, February 17

Port Charlotte, Fla. / North Charlotte Regional Park No. 10

12:00 PM

Seton Hall University

0-3

Ohio State

3-0

Seton Hall

Ohio State

2/17/2019 3:38:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score HOME INFO BOX SCORE

PORT CHARLOTTE, FLA. – Sophomore Casey Dana (Montgomery, N.Y.) and junior Mike Esposito (Chester, N.J.) each notched a pair of hits, but the Seton Hall baseball team surrendered five runs over the first two innings against Ohio State and ultimately fell, 5-3, in the series finale on Sunday.

Dana went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a double, while Esposito was 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored in his first career start.

After a tough start by sophomore Tyler Burnham (East Brunswick, N.J.), the Seton Hall bullpen was impressive, holding the Buckeyes to just two runs over 7.2 innings. Freshman Brennan O'Neill (Morristown, N.J.) allowed a two-run home run in the second inning, but otherwise pitched well, as did five other Pirate pitchers, who kept the Buckeyes off the scoreboard.

What Happened:
Burnham struggled with his control from the start, allowing a double and three walks to begin the game. O'Neill came on in relief, but Ohio State was able to strike for three runs in the opening frame. A two-run home run by the Buckeye's Dominic Canzone in the second inning, his second homer of the series, extended their lead to 5-0.

The Hall got on the scoreboard in the top of the fourth inning. Junior Tyler Shedler-McAvoy (Allendale, N.J.) led off with a double down the left field line. With two outs, Dana doubled to left field to drive in the Pirates' first run.

In the top of the fifth inning, the Pirates used back-to-back doubles by Esposito and Connor Hood (Shrewsbury, Pa.) to knock in their second run of the game.

The Hall cut Ohio State's lead to 5-3 in the top of the eighth inning on a one-out RBI single by Sebastiano Santorelli (Tuckahoe, N.Y.), but ultimately couldn't draw closer.

Inside the Numbers:

Dana went 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI.
Esposito went 2-for-3 with a double and a run scored.
Both Jerry Huntzinger (Staten Island, N.Y.) and Thomas Holdorf (Freehold, N.J.) delivered pinch hits.
Burnham took the loss. He allowed three runs in a third of an inning.
O'Neill allowed two runs over 1.2 innings pitched.
Freshman Nick Payero (Monroe, N.J.) tossed two hitless innings of relief.
Ryan McLinskey (Pearl River, N.Y.) struck out two batters in a scoreless inning.
Seton Hall out-hit the Buckeyes, 10-to-8. Seton Hall was errorless and the Buckeyes committed one.
Ohio State left 11 men on base, while the Pirates left six.
Ohio State's Jake Vance picked up the victory. He allowed two runs over five innings. He struck out six and didn't walk a batter.
Ohio State's Thomas Waning picked up the save.

News & Notes:

The Pirates drop to 0-3 on the young season, while Ohio State improves to 3-0 with the season-opening series sweep.
Seton Hall falls to 4-8 all-time against Ohio State.
The Pirates have yet to commit an error this season through three games.
McLinskey now has five strikeouts and no walks in two scoreless innings of work this season.
The Hall reached double-digits in hits for the first time this season. The offensive performance comes just one day after being one-hit by Ohio State's Garrett Burhenn.
Four Pirate freshmen made their collegiate debuts, O'Neill, Payero, Matt Diaz (Hollywood, Fla.) and David Festa (Verona, N.J.).

Next Up:
Seton Hall will return to action next weekend when it opens a three-game series in Cary, N.C. against Dayton. First pitch on Friday is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.