Pirates Power Their Way Past Holy Cross, 7-3

Sunday, March 19

South Orange, N.J.

12 p.m.

Seton Hall University

Holy Cross

5-14

Holy Cross

Seton Hall

Staus Pokrovsky Hits Game-Winning Home Run to Beat Villanova

3/19/2023 5:18:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

South Orange, N.J. - Redshirt junior Staus Pokrovsky (Pittsgrove, N.J.) went 3-for-4, finishing a home run shy of the cycle with three RB, and the pitching staff allowed only one earned run with graduate student Alex Nicolosi (Stony Point, N.Y.) earning the win on the mound as the Seton Hall baseball team clinched the three-game series with Holy Cross with a 7-3 victory on Sunday afternoon at Mike Sheppard, Sr. Stadium.

Redshirt sophomore Cole Hansen (Skillman, N.J.) didn't allow an earned run in a four-inning start and Nicolosi relieved him, earning the win after striking out three in 2.1 innings for the Pirates (6-9). Sophomore Jedier Hernandez (Trenton, N.J.) also posted three hits for The Hall, including a double that drove in the go-ahead runs.

How It Happened

The Crusaders took advantage of a Seton Hall error in the top of the second with two outs as an errant throw allowed two runs to score, giving them a 2-0 lead. After Hansen worked a clean top of the fourth, the Pirates got on the scoreboard in the home half. Redshirt junior Oscar Murray (Brentwood, Calif.) reached base with a one-out single and he was sent home on a double to the gap by Pokrovsky, who advanced to third on the throw home. With two outs, redshirt junior Will Gale (Scotch Plains, N.J.) dropped a single into center field that scored Pokrovsky and tied the score up at 2-2.

Nicolosi came on in relief of Hansen in the fifth and he worked a 1-2-3 inning with two strikeouts. That set the stage for the Pirates in the home half of the fifth where they posted a crooked number. Consecutive walks started the frame and Hernandez made the Crusaders pay as he roped a 2-0 pitch to the left center field gap that scored two and put the Pirates in front, 4-2. With one out and runners on first and second, Pokrovsky stepped to the dish again and did damage, punishing a baseball to left center that put two more on the board for The Hall and put Pokrovsky on third for a triple. A sacrifice fly from junior Max Viera (Greenwood Lake, N.Y.) plated Pokrovsky and extended the Pirates' lead to 7-2.

The Seton Hall bullpen helped seal the victory as Nicolosi retired the side in order in the sixth after the Pirates' five-run fifth. Redshirt junior Chris Shine (South Plainfield, N.J.) induced a double play that ended the seventh and graduate student Joe Cinnella (Mahwah, N.J.) sat down six of the seven batters he faced in the eighth and ninth innings.

News & Notes

Head coach Rob Sheppard now has 494 career victories.
Murray went 6-for-11 in the series with three runs scored and multiple outstanding plays in right field.
Hernandez now has three four-hit games in his career.
Hansen's ERA this season is now down to 0.49.

Up Next

The Pirates continue their homestand on Tuesday when Seton Hall hosts Saint Peter's at 4 p.m. at Mike Sheppard, Sr. Stadium. Fans can watch the game on FloSports via the Pirate Sports Network.