DeVito Excels, but Bullpen Falters in Setback, 7-4

Friday, March 15

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

10:00 AM

Seton Hall University

2-11

Saint Joseph's

5-9

Saint Joseph's

Seton Hall

3/15/2019 2:41:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score HOME INFO BOX SCORE

PORT CHARLOTTE, FLA. – Junior Ricky DeVito (Staten Island, N.Y.) struck out nine batters in five innings, and Matt Toke (Three Bridges, N.J.) and Jerry Huntzinger (Staten Island, N.Y.) had three hits apiece, but the Seton Hall baseball team fell to Saint Joseph's, 7-4, at the Snowbird Classic on Friday.

DeVito had a strong return in his first start since opening day, allowing just one run over 5.0 innings while matching his career-high of nine strikeouts with just one walk. He received a no decision.

Offensively, Seton Hall had a season-high 14 hits, but only had four runs to show for it, due in large part to grounding into four double-plays. Huntzinger and Toke each had three hits, while sophomore Casey Dana (Montgomery, N.Y.) also reached base three times with a pair of singles and a walk.

What Happened:
Saint Joseph's struck first with a run off DeVito with two outs in the top of the third inning, but The Hall was able to equalize the tally in the bottom of the fifth with a sacrifice fly by freshman Steve Grober (Hillsborough, N.J.). The Pirates loaded the bases with no outs in the fifth, but had to settle for only one run to tie the game.

The Hawks' Dominic Cuoci put Saint Joseph's back in front with a solo home run to lead off the sixth inning of Pirate reliever Blake Espinal (Bronx, N.Y.). Then in the top of the seventh inning, the Hawks struck for three more runs to take a commanding 5-1 advantage.

Two more runs came across for Saint Joseph's in the top of the ninth inning before the Pirates made it interesting in the bottom half of the inning. Trailing 7-1, Huntzinger led off with a double, and scored on an RBI single by Connor Hood (Shrewsbury, Pa.). With one out, Grober and Tyler Shedler-McAvoy (Allendale, N.J.) had back-to-back singles to load the bases. A sacrifice fly by Christian Del Castillo (Miami, Fla.) cut The Hall's deficit to four runs. Dana followed with an RBI single to make the score, 7-4, but alas the Pirates were unable to draw closer.

Inside the Numbers:

Seton Hall out-hit Saint Joseph's, 14-to-12. The Pirates committed one error, while the Hawks committed none.
DeVito scattered five hits and allowed just one run over 5.0 innings pitched. He matched his career-high with nine strikeouts and only one walk in a no decision.
Huntzinger went 3-for-4 with a double and two runs scored.
Toke went 3-for-5 with a trio of singles.
Dana reached base three times, going 2-for-4 with a walk and an RBI.
Grober picked up the first multi-hit game of his career, going 2-for-3 with a run scored and an RBI.
Five Pirate relievers combined to pitch the final four innings with only Corey Sawyer (Kearny, N.J.) and Nick Payero (Monroe, N.J.) leaving unscathed. Sawyer tossed 1.1 innings, retired all four of his batters and struck out two.
Both teams left nine men on base.
Saint Joseph's turned four double plays for the game.
Espinal took the loss for the Pirates. He allowed three runs in one inning of work.
Saint Joseph's starter Jordan DiValerio picked up the win. He allowed four runs over 8.1 innings pitched.
Saint Joseph's Ryan Devine earned the save.

News & Notes:

The Pirates drop to 2-11 on the season, while Saint Joseph's improves to 5-9.
Seton Hall falls to 5-2 all-time against the Hawks.
Seton Hall out-hit its opponent for the ninth time in 13 games this season, but it fell to 2-7 in those contests.
Today's game was the 10^th Seton Hall contest decided by three runs or less in 12 games this season.