Pirates Complete Sweep of Villanova With 4-1 Victory

Sunday, April 18

Villanova, PA

12 p.m.

Seton Hall University

13-13, 0

Villanova

12-8, 0

Seton Hall

Villanova

Pirates Complete Sweep of Villanova With 4-1 Victory

4/18/2021 4:59:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

Hack delivered the go-ahead base hit in the top of the seventh

PLYMOUTH MEETING, Pa. – Sophomore Devin Hack (Somerville, N.J.) drove in the go-ahead run with a two RBI single in the seventh inning and the pitching staff led by junior David Festa (Verona, N.J.) combined to allow only one run and four hits as the Seton Hall baseball team topped Villanova, 4-1, on Sunday.

The win completed a three-game sweep of the Wildcats by Seton Hall, which improved to 13-13 overall and 6-1 in the BIG EAST. The Pirates – who scored all four of their runs in the series finale with two outs – hit .333 (10-for-30) and drove in nine runs with two outs in the series.

Festa improved to 2-2 on the season as he gave up only two hits and struck out three in six innings of work. Freshman Zane Probst (Mill Hall, Pa.) didn't allow a baserunner in 1.1 innings of relief and senior Sean Miller (Newton, N.J.) recorded a strikeout in a clean ninth inning for his second save of the season.

Graduate student Matt Toke (Three Bridges, N.J.) reached base three times in five plate appearances, sophomore Will Gale (Scotch Plains, N.J.) went 2-for-4 with an RBI single and junior Steve Grober (Hillsborough, N.J.) drove in a run on a base hit.

How It Happened:

For the first time in the series, the Wildcats got on the scoreboard first on a bases loaded walk in the bottom second that gave them a 1-0 lead. After that, Festa would settle in as he would go on to retire 15 of the next 17 batters from the third to the sixth inning.

In the top of the fifth, Seton Hall looked to rally as freshman Zack Sylvester (Montville, N.J.) reached first on a bunt single and moved to second base on a groundout. With two outs, Grober stepped to the plate and delivered the game-tying base hit down the left field line that scored Sylvester.

After a shutdown inning from Festa in the bottom of the sixth, the Pirates were able to load the bases with two outs in the seventh. The two-out success that The Hall had all weekend continued as Hack dropped a two-run single into center field that plated Gale and graduate student Connor Hood (Shrewsbury, Pa.) and gave the Pirates a 3-1 lead.

Probst preserved the Pirates' lead in the home half of the seventh where Villanova threatened with runners on first and second with two outs. Probst induced a groundball to senior Casey Dana (Montgomery, N.Y.) who went Sylvester at second base for the final out.

Gale tacked on an insurance run in the top of the eighth where he registered an infield single with two outs and the bases lead that extended the Seton Hall lead to 4-1. Probst retired the side in order in the eighth and Miller closed the door in the ninth to give the Pirates the sweep.

Up Next:

Seton Hall will be the road team once again next weekend as the Pirates take on St. John's for a four-game series in Queens.