Strong Effort In Game Two Earns Pirates a Split with UAlbany

Saturday, March 6

South Orange, N.J.

1 p.m.

Seton Hall University

1-5

Albany

1-0

UAlbany

Seton Hall

Strong Effort In Game Two Earns Pirates a Split with UAlbany

3/7/2021 10:12:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

Payero fans a career best six batters against the Great Danes

SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. – The Seton Hall baseball team used an all-around team effort in the second game of a Saturday doubleheader with UAlbany as the Pirates narrowly dropped the first game, 4-3, but clawed back to win game two convincingly, 12-0.

Junior Nick Payero (Monroe, N.J.) got the win for The Hall (2-5) in the night cap after tossing five innings of one-hit ball and collecting six strikeouts. Senior Jerry Huntzinger (Staten Island, N.Y.) went 5-for-10 on the day with a double, a triple and three RBI.

Game One
With one out in the bottom of the first, Tyler Shedler-McAvoy (Allendale, N.J.) sent a ball to the right center field gap that gave him his 13th career triple. He was sent home on a sacrifice fly by grad student Matt Toke (Three Bridges, N.J.) that made it 1-0 Seton Hall.

UAlbany would counter immediately in the top half of the second as they tied the score at 1-1 on an RBI double. They would go on to take the lead on a two-run double in the fourth and add an insurance run in the fifth that pushed their lead to 4-1.

The Hall would rally back in the bottom of the seventh where an RBI single from senior Collin Sheehan (Doylestown, Pa.) and a fielder's choice RBI on a safety squeeze by sophomore Jonathan Luders (Lynnfield, Mass.) that plated freshman Zack Sylvester (Montville, N.J.) cut its deficit to one, 4-3. It wouldn't be enough though despite the Pirates putting three runners on in both the eighth and ninth innings as UAlbany took game one.

Game Two
Seton Hall saw three strong pitching performances and they some help from the offense, which awoke in the second game.

It started with a five-run third inning where an RBI single by Huntzinger and a sac fly by Toke opened the gates and gave The Hall a 2-0 lead. With a runner on, senior Casey Dana (Montgomery, N.Y.) smashed a pitch over the left field wall that extended the Hall's advantage to 4-0. An infield single by grad student Mike Esposito (Chester, N.J.) made it 5-0.

Following Toke's second sacrifice fly of the game in the fourth inning that upped the score to 6-0, the Pirates scored multiple runs again in the fifth on an RBI double by Huntzinger and a bases clearing double by Shedler-McAvoy that made it 9-0 Seton Hall.

An RBI groundout from senior Thomas Holdorf (Freehold, N.J.), a one-run double off the bat of sophomore Jace Baqui (Wailuku, Hawai'i) and a sac fly from Huntzinger pushed the final score to 12-0. Lights out relief from grad student Mark Anderson (Berwyn, Pa.) and junior David Festa (Verona, N.J.) closed the door on the Great Danes. Festa faced six batters over the final two innings and struck out three.

What's Next
The Pirates are back in action on Friday, March 12, when they welcome NJIT to Mike Sheppard, Sr. Stadium for a 3 p.m. contest.

Notes

Shedler-McAvoy is now in sole possession of fourth place on the program's all-time triples list with 13 career triples, passing Zack Weigel and Seton Hall Athletics Hall of Famers Dana Brown and Marteese Robinson. Next on the list is Matt Smedberg who collected 14 triples. MLB Hall of Famer Craig Biggio holds the program record with 18.
Dana went 4-for-9 on the day and hit his 18th career home run.
Payero's six strikeouts set a new career-high.
Toke drove in three runs on three sacrifice flies over the two games.
The Pirates did not commit an error over the two games but took advantage of two errors made by the Great Danes.
Sylvester played in his first collegiate game in game one and started his first contest his game two. He drew five walks and scored twice in seven plate appearances.
Following a five-hit Saturday, Huntzinger now leads the team with 11 hits.
Seton Hall went 6-for-7 on the base paths in the doubleheader.