Seton Hall Opens BIG EAST Action With Doubleheader Sweep Of Butler

Friday, April 9

South Orange, N.J.

2 p.m.

Seton Hall University

8-12, 1-0

Butler

5-10, 0-1

Butler

Seton Hall

Seton Hall Opens BIG EAST Action With Doubleheader Sweep Of Butler

4/9/2021 9:21:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

Dana reaches base in four of his six plate appearances and drives in three runs over two games

SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. – Playing its first BIG EAST contests at the newly renovated Mike Sheppard, Sr. Stadium at Owen T. Carroll Field, the Seton Hall baseball team took both games of a doubleheader against Butler on Friday evening, taking game one, 3-2, and claiming game two, 7-5.

The Pirates (9-12, 2-0 BIG EAST) used strong starting pitching and timely hitting in both games. Seniors Ryan McLinskey (Pearl River, N.Y.) and Tyler Burnham (East Brunswick, N.J.) earned victories on the mound while senior Hunter Waldis (Naples, Fla.) and freshman Zane Probst (Mill Hall, Pa.) registered saves.

Senior Casey Dana (Montgomery, N.Y.) went 3-for-5 with two runs scored, three RBI and a home run over the two games and freshman Zack Sylvester (Montville, N.J.) drove in three runs of his own.

Game One:
The Bulldogs opened the scoring with an RBI double in the top of the third but the Pirates responded in the home half. With two outs, sophomore Jonathan Luders (Lynnfield, Mass.) reached first after getting hit by a pitch and he advanced to second on a wild pitch. Dana then stepped to the plate a delivered the game-tying hit with a double to left field.

In the bottom of the fourth, senior Tyler Shedler-McAvoy (Allendale, N.J.) led off the inning with a base hit to left field. After stealing second, Sylvester drove him in on base knock to center field that gave the Pirates a 2-1 lead.

Butler would knot the score up again at 2-2 in the top of the fifth but Sylvester was there to deliver again for The Hall in the home half. With runners on the corners and two outs, Sylvester placed a single to left field that pushed Dana across and gave Seton Hall a 3-2 advantage.

On the mound, McLinskey ended the sixth with his fourth punchout of the evening and Waldis closed the door in the seventh, recording the final out with a strikeout to seal the one-run victory.

Game Two:

The Pirates struck first in game two via two manufactured runs; a sacrafice fly off the bat of Dana and an RBI sacrifice bunt executed by Shedler-McAvoy.

The Bulldogs cut the deficit to one in the top of the third, 2-1, but The Hall extended their lead in home half of the fourth where RBI singles by Sylvester, sophomore Will Gale (Scotch Plains, N.J.) and senior Jerry Huntzinger (Staten Island, N.Y.) made it 5-1 Pirates. The timely offense continued in seventh inning – where Dana socked his third home run of the season and the 20th of his career – and the eighth – where an RBI double by sophomore Devin Hack (Somerville, N.J.) added some much needed insurance by pushing the Seton Hall lead to two, 7-5.

After coming on in relief and ending the eighth inning with a strikeout, Probst recorded a 1-2-3 ninth inning for his first career save, securing the sweep of the doubleheader.

Up Next:
Due to poor weather in the forecast on Sunday, Seton Hall and Butler will play another doubleheader on Saturday, April 10, beginning at 2 p.m. Both games will be streamed on the Pirate Sports Network.